CME Announces New BCH and UNI Futures Contracts Amid Growing Institutional Appetite

CME Group's latest move has sent shockwaves through the crypto market, as it announced new futures contracts for Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Uniswap (UNI). This decision was made in response to client demand for institutional-grade risk tools in high-liquidity altcoin markets. The new contracts offer a choice of sizes: 250 BCH or Micro Bitcoin Cash futures at 25 BCH, as well as 10,000 UNI or Micro Uniswap futures at 1,000 UNI.

Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group's Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products, stated that 'crypto markets continue to mature, participants require broader, regulated tools to navigate evolving digital asset-related price risk.' The addition of these contracts marks a significant expansion of CME's crypto suite, which already includes Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), XRP, Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), Stellar (XLM), Avalanche (AVAX), and Sui (SUI).

The numbers behind CME's existing contracts show a growing institutional appetite for crypto: in the first half of 2026, average daily volume reached 279,800 contracts worth $8.3 billion notional, with an average open interest of 264,600 contracts worth $15.4 billion notional.

The announcement has already had an impact on the market, with Bitcoin Cash surging 21% and reclaiming its 200-day EMA at $308 for the first time since May. Uniswap also saw a 3% climb, breaking out above the descending wedge that compressed price since the 2024 highs.