CME Bitcoin Trading Product Records Show Institutional Participation Uptick

Mainstream market exchange, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, or CME, recently posted record numbers for its Bitcoin (BTC) trading products. 

May 14 yielded open interest of 10,792 Bitcoin futures trading contracts at CME, totalling 53,960 BTC — an all-time high for the product, according to information a CME representative provided to Cointelegraph.  

On May 4, CME also tallied 66 large open interest holders, or LOIHs — another record. These LOIH figures in particular indicate added involvement from institutions, the CME representative noted. 

CME Bitcoin options have performed well since launch

CME largely opened the door for mainstream Bitcoin participation in December 2017, with the launch of its Bitcoin futures trading product. CME released another crypto trading product in 2020 with its Bitcoin options launch. 

Since its BTC options inauguration, CME has seen approximately 5,000 of these contracts trade, equal to about 25,000 BTC in total volume, the CME representative included.  

Bitcoin options had a great week 

May 13 and May 14 also hosted two other CME crypto trading records. The outfit’s Bitcoin options product hosted 4,389 BTC worth of contracts — an all-time volume high for the product, as well as record open interest valued at 14,535 BTC worth of contracts, the representative noted. 

Contrasting CME’s growing success, the Chicago Board Options exchange, or CBOE, pulled out of the Bitcoin trading race roughly a year and a half after launching BTC futures in December 2017. The CBOE removed its product from the shelves in March 2019, right before Bitcoin began its rally to $13,900.