Kalshi Plans WTI Perpetual Futures, CFTC Filing Next Week

Kalshi, the U.S. prediction-market platform, plans to launch a perpetual futures product tied to West Texas Intermediate crude prices.

Reuters reported on Sept. 2 that Kalshi aims to seek approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as early as next week to launch the WTI perpetual futures product.

The contract is designed to trade 24 hours a day, five days a week. Unlike standard crude futures, it has no expiration date, allowing investors to maintain leveraged positions without having to roll contracts into the next delivery month.

If the CFTC approves the product, Kalshi would become the first regulated exchange in the U.S. to offer perpetual futures tied to crude oil. The CFTC approved Kalshi's launch of perpetual futures in May, but limited that approval to cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin.

Perpetual futures tied to physical commodities such as crude oil require a separate review before launch. In June, the CFTC held a public comment process to examine how perpetual futures on energy products including oil could affect investor protection and related issues.