CME Opens Trading in Uniswap Futures With 10,000-Token Contracts
Key Facts
Uniswap futures became available for trading at CME Group, with a standard contract size of 10,000 UNI tokens, according to the group's official launch page. Trading began on 19 October 2026, adding new contracts to its cryptocurrency derivatives suite. The offering includes a micro contract of 1,000 tokens, alongside Bitcoin Cash futures, according to the same page. The group offers cryptocurrency derivatives trading every day of the week, excluding scheduled maintenance periods from available trading hours. CME said all contracts included in the launch are eligible for block trades.
The launch specifications set the minimum price fluctuation for the standard Uniswap contract in outright trading at $0.0025 per token. That move equates to $25.00 per standard contract, according to the contract specifications document published by CME. For the micro contract, the minimum price fluctuation is $0.00125 per token. That move equates to $1.25 per micro contract, according to the same document. Trading these contracts does not require a digital asset wallet, as the group explains in its cryptocurrency derivatives guide that "a digital wallet is not required because all our contracts are financially settled."
The listing follows average daily trading volume in CME cryptocurrency futures and options of 279,800 contracts in the first half of 2026. The notional value of that daily average was $8.3 billion, according to the group's statement on its product expansion. Average open interest during the same period stood at 264,600 contracts, according to the statement. The notional value of that average open interest was $15.4 billion across the exchange's cryptocurrency derivatives suite. CME also said new contracts for Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui contributed total notional value exceeding $1 billion from the start of the year through the expansion announcement in September.
In the third quarter, the cryptocurrency derivatives suite recorded average daily trading volume of 195,800 contracts, according to CME's quarterly report. Average daily open interest stood at 197,400 contracts during the same quarter. Third-quarter average daily trading volume was thus below its level in the first half of the year. Average daily open interest also declined compared with the average open interest the group reported for the first half. The launch adds Uniswap futures to these products, while the Uniswap protocol itself relies on liquidity pools and an automated market maker to execute swaps, according to Uniswap Labs.
Uniswap has a daily reference rate from CME and CF Benchmarks, which began calculation on 25 April 2022, according to its administrator. The rate is a registered benchmark under the UK Benchmarks Regulation, according to CF Benchmarks. In the token market, UNI traded at $7.3162 on 19 October 2026, the day futures trading began, according to Investing.com's historical price table. The token had recorded $10.2157 on 22 September 2026, when CME announced the new products. Its price rose 13.55% on the announcement day, according to the site's data for that day.
Alongside the listing, the market-making programme document for Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures provides for the selection of up to 7 participants. CME set 31 January 2027 as the programme's scheduled end date, according to the published terms. Trading in expiring contracts ends at 4 p.m. London time on the last Friday of the contract month, according to the launch specifications. An exception applies when that Friday is a holiday in both London and the United States. In that case, trading ends on the preceding business day in either location, according to the holiday provisions in the group's document.