CME Group ( NASDAQ: CME ) said Monday it will add daily expirations for standard- and micro-sized bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) and ethereum ( ETH-USD ) futures options contracts, providing increased liquidity for market participants who trade and hedge crypto exposures. Starting May 22, options on BTC and ETH futures will be offered with expirations ranging from Mondays through Fridays. The micro-sized ones will have expirations for Tuesdays and Thursdays in addition to their existing Monday, Wednesday and Friday expiries. “Against a backdrop of heightened market volatility in the digital-asset sector, we continue to see clients turn to a trusted, regulated venue like CME Group for reliable and efficient cryptocurrency risk-management products," said Giovanni Vicioso, head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME. The new offerings will complement the existing monthly and quarterly expirations available across all BTC and ETH futures options contracts. Overall, the company's bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) and ether ( ETH-USD ) futures and options complex saw a record daily average notional of over $3B through Q1 2022, it said. In response to demand for more liquid, smaller-sized contracts, CME ( CME ) rolled out options on micro bitcoin and ether futures last May.
