In a CoinDesk op-ed, Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael S. Selig said the agency has permitted a CFTC-registered exchange to list a true bitcoin perpetual contract, opening a regulated U.S. pathway for crypto asset perpetuals. He framed the move as bringing a major segment of crypto derivatives trading within the U.S. oversight framework after such activity had largely taken place offshore. Selig described perpetuals as derivatives with no fixed expiration date that use periodic funding-rate payments to keep the contract aligned with the underlying spot price, allowing continuous exposure in 24/7 markets without rollover costs. He said extending the CFTC's commodity derivatives oversight to these products can better address excessive leverage, volatility and systemic risk than leaving trading on foreign or unregulated venues, which he said had disadvantaged U.S. crypto firms and limited access for U.S. market participants. He added that Congress still has a role in providing long-term statutory clarity for crypto asset markets and said the CFTC will continue advancing initiatives related to tokenized collateral, crypto asset market structure and prediction markets.
Commodity Futures Trading Commission2026-05-29
Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair says agency has permitted a registered exchange to list a true bitcoin perpetual contract
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has allowed a CFTC-registered exchange to list a bitcoin perpetual contract, creating a regulated U.S. pathway for crypto asset perpetuals and bringing a major segment of crypto derivatives trading under U.S. oversight. Chairman Michael S. Selig said this extension of oversight can better address leverage, volatility and systemic risk than offshore or unregulated venues, and noted that Congress still needs to provide long-term statutory clarity for crypto asset markets.