CME launches AVAX and SUI futures, with 24/7 trading starting May 29

@CMEGroup has launched cash-settled futures on Avalanche (@avax) and Sui (@SuiNetwork), giving institutional traders regulated access to both tokens for the first time through a CFTC-supervised exchange. The contracts went live on May 4, first flagged in an April 7 announcement, with the first block trades executed between FalconX and G-20 Group.

Contract specs and structure

AVAX contracts are sized at 5,000 tokens, with 500-token micro contracts also available. SUI futures run at 50,000 tokens per standard contract, with 5,000-token micros for smaller positions. Both are cash-settled and clear through CME Clearing against CME CF Reference Rates, fitting neatly into the infrastructure institutional desks already use for Bitcoin and Ether.

Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group, said the early demand signals that "clients are actively seeking regulated products to manage price risk and pursue new opportunities across a wider range of crypto instruments." The dual contract sizing, standard and micro, is designed to serve both large institutional allocators and participants with tighter capital requirements.

The listings extend CME's altcoin lineup, which now covers $SOL, $ADA, $LINK, and $XLM alongside Bitcoin and Ether. Avalanche and Sui bring the total to nine tokens with regulated futures access on the exchange.

24/7 trading and the end of the CME gap

The more structural development arrives on May 29, when all CME crypto futures and options shift to a continuous 24/7 schedule on CME Globex, with only a brief two-hour weekend maintenance window. The change directly addresses a long-running friction point: hedgers holding regulated CME positions faced basis risk during weekend hours when the exchange was closed but spot markets kept moving. That gap disappears under the new timetable.

CME recorded $3 trillion in notional crypto volume in 2025, and average daily volume has climbed 46% year-over-year in 2026 to 407,200 contracts. The 24/7 move aligns the exchange with always-on spot markets and could pull institutional hedging volume away from offshore perpetual futures venues.

A CME listing does not stabilize prices for AVAX or SUI, but it does place both tokens in the same risk toolkit that macro funds use for Bitcoin and Ether, a meaningful step in the broader institutionalisation of crypto derivatives.

Sources
CME Group: Avalanche and Sui Futures Announcement (April 7, 2026)
CME Group: First Trades of AVAX and SUI Futures (May 6, 2026)
CME Group: 24/7 Cryptocurrency Futures and Options Trading Announcement (February 19, 2026)