CME Group Expands Crypto Offerings With Solana Futures Launch in March
CME Group, the world’s leading derivatives marketplace, is set to introduce Solana (SOL) futures on March 17, further strengthening its cryptocurrency derivatives lineup. Announced in a Friday press release, the new futures contracts—pending regulatory approval—will provide traders with additional tools to manage SOL price exposure, offering two contract sizes: 25 SOL and 500 SOL.
“With the introduction of SOL futures, we are addressing growing client demand for a wider range of regulated crypto products,” said Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group.
The contracts will be cash-settled, based on the CME CF Solana-Dollar Reference Rate, which tracks SOL’s price daily at 4:00 p.m. London time. CME’s existing crypto offerings, including bitcoin and ether futures, have seen rapid adoption, with the firm reporting a 73% year-over-year increase in trading volume, averaging 202,000 contracts per day in 2025.
Industry experts see this as a significant step toward broader institutional participation in the crypto market. Teddy Fusaro, president of Bitwise Asset Management, highlighted CME’s role in paving the way for regulated financial instruments such as ETFs. Meanwhile, Kyle Samani of Multicoin Capital noted that institutional-grade futures provide investors with more sophisticated risk management tools.
As Solana’s adoption grows among developers and investors, the launch of SOL futures signals increasing demand for regulated crypto products. Analysts also believe it could lay the groundwork for the eventual approval of Solana-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
“The listing of SOL futures on CME substantially raises the likelihood of spot ETF approval in the future,” said Sui Chung, CEO of CF Benchmarks.
While an exact timeline remains uncertain, Chung suggested that the SEC would likely require several months of trading data to assess whether SOL futures align closely with the spot market before considering ETF approvals.
