Leading derivatives exchange CME plans to add futures contracts linked to Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM) to further expand its list of regulated cryptocurrency derivatives.
CME adds fresh Altcoins to its cryptocurrency derivatives offering
The Chicago-based derivatives exchange trades on CME Group on Thursday announced fresh expansion of the range of regulated cryptocurrency derivatives with the upcoming inclusion of Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures.
According to the announcement, the fresh crypto additions are expected to launch on February 9, 2026, although they are still awaiting regulatory review. Additionally, they will offer both micro and larger contracts on the three cryptocurrencies.
In the case of standard Cardano futures, the contract will consist of 100,000 ADA, while micro-sized ADA futures will consist of 10,000 tokens. Additionally, the huge Chainlink and Stellar futures contracts will be pegged at 5,000 LINK and 250,000 XLM, respectively, while the tiny contracts will be at 250 LINK and 12,500 XLM.
The upcoming Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures contracts build on the derivatives exchange’s existing cryptocurrency suite, which includes the four largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.
In 2017, CME first launched Bitcoin (BTC) futures, followed by Ethereum (ETH) futures in 2021. In the first half of 2025, the Chicago-based exchange added Solana (SOL) and XRP futures to its offering, introducing options for both cryptocurrencies later this year.
Giovanni Vicioso, global director of crypto products for CME Group, highlighted the industry’s expansion and growth over the past few years, confirming that “given the record growth of cryptocurrencies over the past year, clients are looking for trusted, regulated products to manage price risk, as well as additional tools to gain exposure to this dynamic market.”
“With the new micro and larger futures contracts of Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar, market participants will now have more choice, greater flexibility and greater capital efficiency,” he added.
Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar Price Reaction
Despite the positive development, the trajectory of ADA, LINK, and XLM remained mostly unchanged, with the three altcoins continuing to correct intraday. Both Chainlink and Stellar saw 4% declines from Thursday’s highs, falling to the $13.60 and $0.225 levels.
LINK has temporarily lost the support level at $13.80 and is trying to hold the current area to prevent further decline. Similarly, XLM was also rejected from Wednesday’s highs and rebounded from $0.230 before continuing its decline towards a two-day low.
Meanwhile, ADA was attempting to reclaim the $0.41 area prior to the announcement, briefly bouncing off the recent pullback. Notably, Cardano is up over 10% from recent lows towards the key $0.42-0.43 area.
However, on Wednesday, the altcoin was rejected from this zone, retreating almost 9% from local highs and retesting the $0.40 level. The cryptocurrency bounced from this area on Thursday morning, but eventually retraced its steps as the day progressed.
As a result, Cardano has recovered most of this week’s gains and is currently trading around $0.391.
Featured image from Unsplash.com, chart from TradingView.com
