CFTC Approves Spot Crypto Trading on Regulated US Exchanges

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For the first time, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has officially approved the trading of listed spot cryptocurrency products on federally regulated exchanges in the United States. 

The CFTC says the decision, part of the agency’s so-called “Crypto Sprint,” aims to redirect crypto trading away from offshore platforms lacking investor safeguards.

CFTC Acting Chairman Caroline Pham commented: 

Recent events on offshore exchanges have shown us how essential it is for Americans to have more choice and access to safe, regulated U.S. markets. Now, for the first time ever, spot crypto can trade on CFTC-registered exchanges that have been the gold standard for nearly a hundred years, with the customer protections and market integrity that Americans deserve.

Under the new framework, spot crypto products will begin trading on CFTC-registered futures exchanges, giving them the same regulatory protections that apply to traditional commodity trading. 

Among the first exchanges expected to launch is Bitnomial, a CFTC-approved Designated Contract Market. Coinbase also received Designated Contract Market authorization in 2020.

The approval of spot cryptocurrency trading is part of a coordinated push from the Trump administration to provide clearer regulatory supervision for digital asset markets in the United States. President Trump has earlier pledged to make the United States the “crypto capital of the world.”