CME Group launches 24/7 trading for Ethereum futures alongside Bitcoin and altcoin derivatives

CME Group will expand its crypto futures and options trading to nearly 24/7 on CME Globex, including ETH futures, pending regulatory approval with a planned launch on May 29, 2026. Continuous trading begins roughly at 4:00 p.m. CT (10:00 UTC) with only a two-hour weekly maintenance window. The move eliminates weekend pricing gaps for institutional derivatives across Bitcoin and multiple altcoin futures (Solana, XRP, Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar), improving hedging effectiveness for spot ETH ETFs, staking products and DeFi treasuries by reducing basis risk. Trades executed over the weekend will carry a trade date of the next business day for clearing. CME cited record digital-derivatives volumes as the driver; the regulatory review remains the main conditional variable.