One of the world’s largest derivatives marketplaces, CME Group, continues to expand its suite of cryptocurrency products. In its latest announcement, the company revealed plans to launch futures contracts for Avalanche (AVAX) and Sui (SUI). The new products are expected to begin trading on May 4, 2026, pending regulatory approval.
The contracts will be offered in two sizes to cater to both institutional and individual investors. For Avalanche, CME will introduce standard contracts of 5,000 AVAX alongside micro contracts of 500 AVAX. Similarly, Sui contracts will include standard sizes of 50,000 SUI and micro contracts of 5,000 SUI. This structure is designed to give investors greater flexibility, allowing them to tailor positions based on their risk appetite and capital allocation.
According to Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group, these new offerings will provide clients with more choice and improved capital efficiency. He noted that demand for crypto derivatives continues to grow, supported by company data showing that average daily trading volume rose 19% year-over-year in March, with average notional value reaching approximately $8 billion per day.
Industry participants have also welcomed the expansion. Justin Young, CEO of Volatility Shares, emphasized that a deeper and more accessible market benefits all participants. Similarly, Isaac Cahana, CEO of Plus500US, stated that interest in digital assets remains strong and that the new derivatives products will offer greater flexibility to investors.
The Avalanche and Sui contracts will join CME’s rapidly growing lineup of crypto derivatives. Both Avalanche (AVAX) and Sui (SUI) stand out as blockchain projects with distinct technical approaches and use cases. Avalanche is known as a high-performance smart contract platform optimized for decentralized finance (DeFi) and institutional applications, offering fast transaction speeds and low costs. Its subnet architecture allows developers to create customizable blockchains tailored to specific needs. Sui, on the other hand, is a next-generation Layer-1 blockchain that distinguishes itself through parallel transaction processing and an object-based data model. It is particularly designed for applications such as gaming and NFTs, where scalability and low latency are critical to improving user experience.
CME has previously launched futures products for other major altcoins, including Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar.
A new trading framework
Another key initiative from CME Group relates to trading hours. The company plans to make its crypto futures and options products available 24 hours a day, seven days a week starting May 29. This move aims to better align its infrastructure with the always-on nature of cryptocurrency markets.
