CME Covers 75% of Cryptocurrency Market Cap with ADA, LINK, and XLM Futures

The CME Group has expanded its suite of cryptocurrency futures contracts to cover over 75% of the total market capitalization. The exchange launched trading for Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), and Stellar (XLM) on February 9, bringing its regulated crypto derivatives suite to seven tokens.

The figure of 75% is based on CoinMarketCap data from February 13, 2026. CME's expansion into second-tier altcoins reflects a deliberate institutional strategy rather than a momentum play.

The new contracts are cash-settled against the CME CF Reference Rates and come in both standard and micro sizes. The first trades were executed between FalconX and Marex for the LINK and XLM contracts, and between Cumberland DRW and Wintermute for ADA.