CME Smashes Records With All-Time High Crypto Derivatives Trading Volume
Wall Street's favorite crypto playground just hit hyperdrive.
CME Group's crypto derivatives arm posted its highest-ever monthly average daily volume (ADV) in August 2025—proving institutional money can't quit digital assets, even when regulators pretend they don't exist.
The surge comes as TradFi giants quietly build exposure through regulated backdoors while publicly dismissing crypto as 'speculative.' Classic hedge fund hypocrisy.
Futures and options volumes spiked across Bitcoin and Ethereum products, signaling big money positioning for the next macro cycle. Because nothing says 'risk management' like leveraged bets on volatile assets.
With CME's infrastructure now handling crypto like any other commodity, the lines between traditional finance and decentralized markets keep blurring. The suits want in—they just won't admit it yet.
CME Group, the world’s leading derivatives marketplace, reported its second-highest July average daily volume (ADV) of 21.9 million contracts. The company set a July ADV record in 2024 with 24.8 million contracts. Market statistics are available in greater detail at https://cmegroupinc.gcs-web.com/monthly-volume.
July 2025 ADV across asset classes includes:
- Interest Rate ADV of 10.8 million contracts
- Equity Index ADV of 5.5 million contracts
- Energy ADV of 2.4 million contracts
- Agricultural ADV of 1.7 million contracts
- Metals ADV of 783,000 contracts
- Foreign Exchange ADV of 747,000 contracts
- Record Cryptocurrency ADV of 302,000 contracts ($13.6 billion notional)
Additional July 2025 product highlights compared to July 2024:
- Interest Rate ADV
- SOFR futures ADV increased 3% to 3.3 million contracts
- U.S. Treasury Bond options ADV increased 21% to 203,000 contracts
- Energy ADV
- NY Heating Oil futures ADV increased 29% to 218,000 contracts
- Energy options ADV increased 2% to 411,000 contracts
- Metals ADV
- Micro Gold futures ADV increased 92% to 203,000 contracts
- Cryptocurrency ADV
- Record monthly Micro Ether futures ADV of 175,000 contracts
- Record monthly Ether futures ADV of 22,000 contracts
- Micro Products ADV
- Micro E-mini Equity Index futures and options ADV of 2.2 million contracts represented 40% of overall Equity Index ADV and Micro WTI Crude Oil futures accounted for 2.7% of overall Energy ADV
- BrokerTec U.S. Repo average daily notional value (ADNV) increased 23% to $358.7 billion
- Customer average collateral balances to meet performance bond requirements for rolling 3-months ending June 2025 were $132.9 billion for cash collateral and $145.2 billion for non-cash collateral.
Source: CME
