CME Group’s ( CME ) cryptocurrency derivatives trading soared to record highs last year, with average daily volume rising 139% year-on-year to 278,000 contracts, even as major tokens fell.
The volume equates to about $12 billion in daily nominal value, according to data released by the company, and marks the crypto products’ strongest annual performance since their debut in 2017.
The exchange pointed to its micro ether and micro bitcoin futures contracts as record performers with average daily volumes of 144,000 and 75,000 contracts respectively. Full-size Ether futures also showed big gains, with average daily volume rising to 19,000 contracts.
The growing volumes came in a negative year for the price development of the cryptocurrency market. The price of bitcoin fell about 6.3% in 2025, while ether lost 11% and the broader CoinDesk 20 (CD20) index fell about 17%.
Crypto was just a slice of CME’s record year. Overall, the exchange hit a record high of 28.1 million contracts in average daily volume across asset classes, including fixed income, energy and metals, it said.
