Update on todays HUGE CFTC announcements regarding US regulated perpetuals
Today (May 29, 2026), the CFTC took major steps to enable regulated perpetual futures on crypto in the US, marking a key milestone in bringing this high-volume market onshore.
1. CFTC approved KalshiEX's BTCPERP contract — the first Bitcoin perpetual futures listed as a futures contract on a US-regulated designated contract market (DCM). Kalshi submitted it for review that day, and the CFTC issued an order of approval. This is a true perpetual (no expiration) tied to Bitcoin's spot price.
2. Policy statement on perpetual contracts — The CFTC clarified its views on listing perpetuals, noting they require case-by-case review under Regulation 40.3 due to their unique features (especially for assets not yet covered). This provides a clearer path for future listings.
3. Coinbase/Deribit relief — CFTC staff issued an interpretation and no-action letter for Coinbase Financial Markets (a registered FCM). This allows US institutional clients to access global crypto perpetual futures and options on Deribit (Coinbase's affiliate) via a CFTC-regulated platform. Perpetuals can be treated as "foreign futures," and there's relief for using customer crypto assets/stablecoins as margin (with conditions and re-use rights for the broker). Options are live now; perpetuals are coming soon. This gives regulated access to deep offshore liquidity (perps make up ~80% of global crypto volume).