"CME to list Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures... Expands crypto derivatives"

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) is expanding its derivatives lineup by newly listing crypto futures contracts referencing Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM) as the underlying assets.

According to crypto-specialist media outlet CoinDesk on the 10th, CME will add the three assets following Bitcoin and Ethereum, broadening the range of regulated crypto derivatives it offers to institutional investors and active retail traders. The listings extend a plan flagged in mid-last month, reflecting a broader push to expand access to digital assets within traditional financial infrastructure.

The new futures contracts will be offered in two formats: standard and micro. Contract sizes are 100,000 ADA for Cardano, 5,000 LINK for Chainlink and 250,000 lumens for Stellar, with micro contracts also introduced for smaller position management. The structure is seen as designed to increase flexibility in position sizing and risk management.

CME said the expansion is aimed less at providing short-term price signals than at strengthening market infrastructure for hedging and risk transfer. Futures are often used to meet structural demand—such as arbitrage, basis trades and portfolio risk management—rather than purely for directional bets.

The market is paying particular attention to the introduction of micro contracts. Smaller contract units lower notional risk, enabling a wider range of participants beyond institutions to access the market and manage positions more precisely.

The listings are seen as evidence that crypto market infrastructure continues to be built even when spot-market liquidity is uneven. In mature financial markets, derivatives have played a central role in price discovery and risk transfer, and analysts say crypto is gradually developing a similar structure.

Still, the prevailing view is that new futures listings are unlikely to translate immediately into spot price gains. Early focus is expected to be on liquidity formation, whether open interest increases, and the stability of spot-futures dislocations.

"CME’s decision is a measure aimed at medium- to long-term market maturation rather than short-term conditions," the outlet said, adding that it can be viewed as part of the process by which the crypto derivatives market is increasingly being incorporated as a standard tool within mainstream finance.