Avalanche, Sui to join CME Group futures product suite

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group announced Tuesday that it will launch futures contracts tied to Avalanche (AVAX) and Sui (SUI) in May, expanding its offerings beyond Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and a growing list of Layer-1 assets.

The contracts, expected to debut on May 4 pending regulatory approval, will be available in both standard and micro sizes to serve a broader range of market participants. 

CME deepens crypto futures exposure with Avalanche and Sui listings

The standard Avalanche product will represent 5,000 AVAX per contract, with micro versions sized at 500 AVAX. On the other hand, Sui futures will cover 50,000 SUI, while micro contracts will represent 5,000 SUI.

The dual structure is designed to enhance capital efficiency and improve accessibility for both institutional investors and smaller traders.

"Our new micro- and larger-sized Avalanche and Sui futures will provide clients with greater choice, enhanced flexibility and more capital efficiencies across our deeply liquid, regulated crypto derivatives complex," said CME Group's Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products, Giovanni Vicioso, in a Tuesday statement.

Vicioso added that average daily trading volume in CME's crypto suite rose 19% year over year in March, reaching nearly $8 billion in notional value. The rise reflects strong institutional demand for the exchange's crypto derivatives products.

Justin Young, CEO and co-founder of Volatility Shares, described it as "a reflection of the growing demand for regulated, institutionally-sound products."

"As one of the world's largest traders of crypto futures, Volatility Shares has long believed that a deeper, more accessible marketplace benefits all participants – from institutional hedgers to individual investors. We are proud to support this next chapter of market evolution," Young stated. 

Isaac Cahana, CEO of Plus500US, echoed a similar sentiment, stating the contracts will "further broaden access for our global customers" amid sustained interest in digital assets.

The new contracts follow CME's recent rollout of futures products tied to Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM). The exchange previously stated that it will introduce round-the-clock trading for its crypto futures and options suite starting May 29, with contracts set to trade continuously on CME Globex aside from a brief weekly maintenance window. 

Weekend and holiday activity will retain standard business-day trade dates for clearing, bringing derivatives markets closer in line with the 24/7 structure of crypto spot trading.

AVAX and SUI are up 6% and 10% over the past 24 hours, respectively, as of writing.