Kraken targets 30-day US launch of CFTC-regulated BTC perpetuals via Bitnomial

Kraken announced late Friday that it expects to launch CFTC-regulated perpetual futures contracts in the US within the next 30 days, shortly after the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission approved the instruments. The exchange stated that upon receiving final approval, these contracts will be listed on Bitnomial Exchange, a CFTC-regulated platform recently acquired by Kraken's parent company, Payward. While the announcement confirmed a filing was submitted on Friday, no specific filing for a Bitcoin (BTC) perpetual contract appeared among Bitnomial's recent CFTC submissions as of Sunday morning. The company noted that today's announcement sets in motion plans to bring that activity onshore through a CFTC-regulated venue. A social media post on Saturday indicated that US clients will soon be able to trade perpetual futures on @KrakenPro. Requests for further details regarding the filing sent to two Kraken executives and Bitnomial's chief regulatory officer remained unanswered. Companies frequently file requests for confidential treatment of their applications, a practice KalshiEX utilized when it gained CFTC approval for a BTC perpetual futures contract on Friday after originally requesting confidentiality in an undated letter. Woofun AI notes that Payward disclosed on April 17 its acquisition of crypto derivatives platform Bitnomial for up to $550 million, a strategic move aimed at providing Kraken Pro customers with access to Bitnomial's perpetual futures offering.

Concurrently, Coinbase Financial Markets moved rapidly after the CFTC approved BTC perp contracts on Friday morning to offer US institutional clients access to global crypto options and perpetual futures markets through a regulated futures commission merchant, Deribit. Deribit, which Coinbase acquired in August 2025 as part of its expansion into crypto derivatives, stands as the largest crypto options exchange by open interest. Data compiled by Woofun AI shows that the US Securities and Exchange Commission and CFTC stated in September they would explore ways to bring perpetual futures trading onshore. In a joint statement, the agencies acknowledged that perpetual contracts had been largely confined to offshore crypto markets due to regulatory and jurisdictional constraints. CFTC chair Michael Selig remarked on Friday that the question was never whether crypto asset perpetual contracts would exist, but rather whether they would exist under American oversight, American standards, and American rule of law.

Additionally, CFTC staff issued guidance on Friday regarding 24/7 trading, clearing, and settlement, suggesting that crypto asset derivatives may be particularly well suited for round-the-clock markets. Woofun AI analysis suggests this regulatory alignment will accelerate the migration of institutional capital from offshore venues to compliant US-based platforms.