- CME group declares an upsurge in demand from clients amid the present market volatility.
- The platform intends to extend expiries for its standard and micro-sized BTC and Ether options contracts.
- The derivatives marketplace will make the changes in May, pending authorization.
Derivatives marketplace CME Group has declared plans to expand its options expiries for Bitcoin and Ethereum, according to an announcement published today, 17 April 2023.
The platform, which says the plans are subject to regulatory approval, states that the intention is to have its suite of crypto options for BTC and ETH expiries accessible every business day – Monday to Friday.
At present, expiries for micro-sized options on the two crypto futures are available Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The CME also offers monthly and quarterly expiries for BTC and ETH options on its futures contracts.
The firm will look to have the new expiries in place from 22 May on if approved.
Client Requirement for BTC and ETH Products
Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products said the aim is to have market participants access options contracts that provide “greater precision and versatility” for managing short-term Bitcoin and Ethereum price risk.
“In the backdrop of the current market volatility in the digital asset sector, we continue to witness clients turning to a trusted, regulated venue like CME Group for reliable and efficient cryptocurrency risk management products,” Vicioso added.
CME Group has seen an upsurge in demand for Bitcoin and Ethereum futures and options. The top two assets by market cap are also the two best cryptocurrencies for crypto derivatives trading.
The figures in Q1, 2023 for CME bitcoin achieved a notional of over $3 billion, a record in terms of daily average. The exchange also saw a record BTC options contracts of 2,357 traded on 22 March 22. Open interest rose to an all-time high of 14,700 contracts on 31 March and could soar further in the long-term, especially in the lead up to the next halving.
The all-time high for Ether options contracts was 311 on 22 February, while OI hit a record 1,800 contracts on 24 March.