CME Group Covers 75% of Market with Expanded Crypto Futures Suite

CME Group has expanded its cryptocurrency futures suite to include three new tokens: Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), and Stellar (XLM). This move brings CME's total number of regulated crypto derivatives to seven, covering over 75% of the total market capitalization. The figure is based on CoinMarketCap data as of February 13, 2026.

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

Notably, CME's expansion into second-tier altcoins reflects a deliberate institutional strategy rather than a momentum play. The exchange highlighted that the new tokens maintain moderate-to-high correlations with bitcoin, ranging from 0.60 to 0.67.