Chicago-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitnomial has launched futures pegged to Tezos’ XTZ token. This is the primary time the asset has a futures market on an exchange regulated by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
According to Wednesday's announcement, the futures contracts are live and permit institutional and retail traders to take part in the worth movements of XTZ (XTZ) using either cryptocurrency or US dollars as margin.
Futures contracts allow traders to hedge risk or achieve price exposure by agreeing to purchase or sell an asset at a set price on a future date without holding the asset itself.
Regulated futures markets are sometimes seen as a prerequisite for broader institutional participation within the US, including potential spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as they permit for standardized price discovery and monitoring under the CFTC.
“The CFTC-regulated futures market with a six-month trading history is a key element inside the SEC’s general listing standards for spot ETFs,” said Michael Dunn, President of Bitnomial.
Dunn told Cointelegraph the corporate is “actively exploring latest tokens” for potential U.S. institutional and retail derivatives markets, but declined to comment on specific assets.
Previously, Bitnomial listed US-regulated futures linked to assets reminiscent of Cardano (ADA),
Bitnomial's push to list futures tied to altcoins has not been without regulatory hurdles. In August 2024, the exchange attempted to self-certify XRP futures with the CFTC, however the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) objected on the grounds that the contracts required registration as a securities exchange.
After suing the SEC in October 2025 and later dropping the case, Bitnomial launched XRP futures in March, citing the agency's evolving approach to crypto policy.
A transient history of Tezos
The Tezos mainnet launched in June 2018 following an initial coin offering in 2017 that raised roughly $232 million in Bitcoin and Ether. Although not the primary proof-of-stake blockchain, Tezos was among the many first Layer 1 networks to mix proof-of-stake with formal on-chain governance, allowing token holders to approve protocol upgrades that allowed the network to evolve without hard forks.
During the 2021-2022 non-fungible token boom, blockchain has carved out a distinct segment as a lower-cost, energy-efficient alternative to Ethereum for minting and trading NFTs. As Ethereum gas fees skyrocketed, artists and game publishers like Ubisoft turned to Tezos, citing lower transaction costs and the network's proof-of-stake design.
During these years, Tezos also secured high-profile sports partnerships with Red Bull Racing and McLaren Racing and later reportedly prepared a multi-year training equipment sponsorship with Manchester United price greater than $27 million per 12 months.
Tezos' native token,
On January 25, Tezos implemented its Tallinn Protocol upgrade, reducing base-layer block times to 6 seconds as a part of the network's twentieth on-chain upgrade.
Source: CoinGeckoCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph's editorial guidelines and goals to supply accurate and up-to-date information. Readers are advised to independently confirm the knowledge. Read our editorial policies https://cointelegraph.com/editorial-policy
