Kraken Seeks CFTC Approval for Perpetual Futures in the US
Kraken has filed for CFTC-regulated perpetual futures in the US through its Designated Contract Market, Bitnomial. This marks an important step towards making perpetual futures available to eligible US traders, who have historically had limited access to these instruments.
The proposed products would cover BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, and ADA perpetual derivatives. Perpetual futures are a crucial part of crypto trading, allowing users to use leverage, hedging, market-making, directional exposure, and basis strategies without the need for traditional futures contracts that expire on a fixed date.
The inclusion of BTC and ETH is expected, as they are the deepest and most institutionally accepted crypto assets. However, the proposed product suite also includes SOL, XRP, and ADA, which would widen regulated derivatives access beyond the two largest assets.
Kraken's announcement emphasizes that trading on these products is not live yet and remains subject to a 30-day regulatory self-certification review process. This means that launch timing depends on the outcome of this review period.