CME Group’s cryptocurrency derivatives volumes surged in April, reaching $8.9 billion in notional value on an average daily volume (ADV) of 183,000 contracts — a 129% increase year-over-year.
The standout driver was ether futures, with volumes soaring 239% to 14,000 contracts. Micro ether and micro bitcoin futures also posted strong growth, up 165% and 115%, respectively.
CME’s standard crypto contracts, sized at 5 BTC or 50 ETH, are designed for large positions, while micro contracts (0.1 BTC/ETH) offer flexible exposure for smaller trades or hedging.
This growth follows CME’s record-setting Q1 performance. In April, its total market ADV hit 35.9 million contracts, a 36% year-over-year gain.
Despite the trading surge, ETH’s price rose only 1.1% over the past month, while BTC gained 15.8% and the CoinDesk 20 Index advanced 12.1%, highlighting a divergence between trading activity and asset performance.
