According to recent reports in the press, CME Group is actively preparing to launch spot trading of Bitcoin. The exchange has already completed a series of meetings with potential counterparties regarding this matter. The total open interest in Bitcoin futures on the CME currently exceeds $9 billion.

The Financial Times notes that CME Group, the operator of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, plans to launch spot trading of Bitcoin. The project is in its final stages of refinement and is expected to be implemented by the end of 2024. CME Group has already held negotiations with counterparties interested in investing in Bitcoin in a regulated environment.

The Financial Times emphasizes that if the project is implemented, the level of involvement of major institutional investors in this market will significantly increase. An example of this approach is the launch of Bitcoin futures contracts by the exchange in December 2017.

According to CoinGlass, the volume of open interest in these contracts on the exchange as of May 16, 2024, significantly exceeds the figures of platforms Binance, Bitget, OKX, and Bybit. The article also mentions that CME Group declined to comment on this information.

Moreover, in addition to Bitcoin futures, the exchange has already launched other crypto products. In February 2023, event contracts related to these derivatives were introduced, and a year later, in February 2024, CME Group announced the launch of micro Bitcoin and Ethereum futures.

On May 15, 2024, Bitcoin showed growth amid news about inflation in the United States. On the night of May 16, the cryptocurrency tested the level of $66,000, after which there was a pullback, but the asset managed to stay above the $65,000 mark.