CME Group to Launch Options on Ether Futures
CME Group, a derivatives marketplace based in Chicago, announced on Thursday that it will launch options on Ether futures on September 12 amid pending regulatory review.
CME said such new contracts will deliver one Ether futures, sized at 50 Ether per contract, based on the CME CF Ether-Dollar Reference Rate, which serves as a once-a-day reference rate of the U.S. dollar price of Ether.
The Ether options offerings will expand CME Group's existing suite of crypto options contracts, including Bitcoin options and micro-sized Bitcoin and Ether options.
Tim McCourt, Global Head of Equity and FX Products, CME Group, commented about the development: «The launch of these new options contracts builds on the significant growth and deep liquidity we have seen in our existing Ether futures, which have traded more than 1.8 million contracts to date.”
McCourt said as the crypto market approaches the highly awaited Ethereum Merge next month, CME continues to see market players turning to the company to manage Ether price risk.
The launch of the new options is supported by market participants who are seeking to provide their customers with wider hedging options within the crypto landscape.
Sam Newman, Digital Assets Head of Brokering at TP ICAP, said: “With the upcoming Ethereum protocol merge, we expect this new contract to see significant interest from both our traditional customers as well as crypto native clients.”
Ryan Duckworth, head of trading at US-based Akuna Capital Head of Trading, also commented: “As the demand for crypto derivatives increases, we look forward to providing liquidity to allow customers to hedge risk and manage exposure to Ether.”
CME disclosed that its standard- and micro-sized Ether futures contracts
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