The CME Group will launch Solana (SOL) futures pending regulatory approval on the 17 of March.
Traders will be able to choose between two contract sizes: a micro-sized contract of 25 SOL and a larger contract of 500 SOL.
The SOL futures will be cash-settled, using the CME CF Solana-Dollar Reference Rate. This rate provides a daily benchmark for SOL’s price in U.S. dollars.
Solana (SOL) futures are financial contracts that allow traders to buy or sell Solana at a predetermined price on a future date. These contracts are cash-settled, meaning traders do not need to hold actual SOL tokens. Instead, they settle the difference in price at the contract’s expiration.
CME Group is a derivatives marketplace, offering a wide range of financial products, including futures and options, across various asset classes. These include commodities, interest rates, stock indexes, foreign exchange, and cryptocurrencies.
Crypto futures began gaining traction in 2017 when the Chicago-based CME Group introduced Bitcoin futures, marking one of the first major steps toward regulated crypto derivatives.
Since then, the market has surged, with major platforms like Binance, Bybit, Coinbase, Kraken, and CME offering futures on a variety of cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin, including Ether, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and numerous altcoins.
Coinbase Advanced offers 13 futures contracts, including Bitcoin, Ether, and even gold and silver. KuCoin Futures lists 381 contracts as of mid-February 2025. OKX provides a wide range, including perpetual swaps and options.
Speaking about the development Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group, said the new futures contracts will help meet the growing demand for regulated tools to manage cryptocurrency price risk.
Check out: Bitwise’s prediction of US Bitcoin ETFs in 2025
He noted that as Solana gains popularity among developers and investors, these contracts will offer an efficient way to invest and hedge against price changes.
These new contracts will expand CME Group’s crypto product lineup, which already includes Bitcoin and Ether futures and options. This year, the company reported crypto trading grew 73% in daily volume and 55% in open interest, with 11,300+ unique accounts.
Several industry leaders have lauded the effort by CME. Teddy Fusaro, President of Bitwise Asset Management, called the launch of SOL futures a major step in the evolution of the cryptocurrency market. He highlighted CME Group’s role in making crypto more accessible to institutional investors and advancing regulated financial products such as ETFs.
Kyle Samani, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Multicoin Capital, praised CME Group for offering sophisticated investors better ways to gain exposure to digital assets and manage volatility. He said the demand for such tools continues to grow as the market matures.
Elad Even-Chen, Group CFO of Plus500, said the new SOL futures will provide retail traders with more ways to manage their cryptocurrency portfolios. He emphasized that these contracts will allow traders to diversify their holdings and take advantage of scalable and trusted digital assets.
