Crypto derivatives on the CME reach new milestones amid regulatory uncertainty

Bitcoin and ether derivatives trading volumes in dollar terms continued to climb higher in February. Futures and options trading volume for bitcoin rose by about 13%, and ether’s volumes rose 2% and 30%, respectively. The increase comes as spot volumes continue to rise amid a hot regulatory backdrop. Bitcoin futures volume came in at $791 billion across all exchanges last month, up from $697 billion in January and rising for the third month in a row, according to The Block’s data dashboard. Options rose to about $20 billion from $17.7 billion. Ether options volume on the CME reached its highest level since inception last year. Options on the exchange went live in August of last year. Volumes increased for two months through October before dropping to close out the year. Volumes soared in January with the momentum carrying over into February. Commentators speculated that institutional crypto traders were avoiding unregulated.