The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) is planning to launch Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Uniswap (UNI) futures on October 19, expanding its regulated crypto derivatives lineup as institutional demand spreads beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The contracts are still subject to regulatory review. Notably, CME will offer both standard and Micro versions, giving traders different position sizes for managing exposure to BCH and UNI. Bitcoin Cash contracts will cover 250 BCH, while Micro contracts will cover 25 BCH. Uniswap contracts will represent 10,000 UNI, while Micro UNI futures will cover 1,000 UNI.
The additions will bring BCH and UNI into a crypto futures suite that already includes Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui.
CME Adds Standard and Micro BCH and UNI Contracts
CME is giving market participants two contract sizes for each asset.
| Network | Token/Coin | Contract | Ticker | Contract Size | Basis Trade at Index Close (BTIC) |
| Bitcoin Cash | BCH | BCH futures | BCA | 250 BCH | BCB |
| Bitcoin Cash | BCH | Micro BCH futures | MCH | 25 BCH | BMC |
| Uniswap | UNI | UNI futures | UNI | 10,000 UNI | BUN |
| Uniswap | UNI | Micro UNI futures | MUN | 1,000 UNI | BMU |
Table 1. CME Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap Futures Contract Details
The standard Bitcoin Cash contract will trade under the ticker BCA, while the Micro contract will use MCH.
For Uniswap, the standard futures ticker will be UNI and the Micro contract ticker will be MUN. All four contracts will also be eligible for block trading.
The smaller contracts let traders adjust exposure without taking on the full size of the standard product, helping with portfolio hedging and for firms that need more precise position sizing.
CME Says Client Demand Is Expanding Beyond Major Cryptocurrencies
The world’s largest derivatives marketplace said the new contracts respond to demand for regulated risk-management tools across more liquid altcoin markets.
Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group’s global head of cryptocurrency products, said the company is seeing demand for broader tools as digital asset markets mature. The exchange is positioning the BCH and UNI products as instruments for both gaining exposure and managing price risk within its regulated derivatives market.
Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap represent two different parts of the crypto market. BCH is a proof-of-work cryptocurrency created from a Bitcoin fork in 2017 and designed around peer-to-peer payments. On the other hand, UNI is the governance token of Uniswap, one of the largest decentralized exchange protocols.
CME’s Crypto Derivatives Business Has Grown in 2026
The launch comes after a strong first half for CME’s existing cryptocurrency derivatives business.
CME reported an average daily volume of 279,800 crypto futures and options contracts in the first half of 2026, or about $8.3 billion in daily notional value. Average open interest reached 264,600 contracts, representing approximately $15.4 billion in notional exposure.
Its 2026 expansion into Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui futures has also generated more than $1 billion in combined notional value year to date.
CME moved its crypto futures and options market to 24/7 trading in June, and the first weekend generated about $50 million in trading volume across more than 7,200 contracts.
What CME Futures Mean for Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap
A CME futures listing gives professional traders another regulated way to gain or hedge exposure to BCH and UNI without necessarily buying the underlying tokens directly.
Futures contracts let participants agree on exposure to an asset’s future price. Depending on the trader’s position, they can hedge against falling prices, take a directional view, or manage risk alongside spot holdings.
For institutions, CME also provides centralized clearing and the potential for margin efficiencies across positions in different contracts.
CME says the new BCH and UNI products will trade within its 24/7 crypto marketplace and may offer margin offsets with other products in its crypto suite.
Uniswap Futures Extend CME Further Into DeFi
The addition of UNI is notable because it gives CME another derivatives product tied directly to the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector.
Uniswap operates as a decentralized exchange (DEX), allowing users to swap tokens through onchain liquidity rather than a traditional centralized order book. The UNI token serves as the protocol’s governance token.
CME already offers futures linked to infrastructure-focused crypto assets such as Chainlink, but a UNI contract gives traders more direct exposure to one of DeFi’s largest exchange ecosystems.
Bitcoin Cash Gets Another Institutional Trading Route
Bitcoin Cash will also gain a new derivatives venue through CME. BCH has traded on crypto exchanges for years, but CME’s product gives institutional market participants access through a derivatives infrastructure already used for Bitcoin, Ethereum and other crypto futures.
That could make BCH easier to incorporate into existing institutional hedging and trading systems without requiring firms to custody the underlying asset.
It does not necessarily indicate institutions are accumulating BCH itself. Futures can support both long and short positions, and trading volume can reflect hedging as well as directional demand.
What Comes Next
The next milestone is the planned October 19 launch. After trading begins, volume and open interest will more clearly indicate how much demand exists for regulated BCH and UNI derivatives. The Micro contracts will also show whether traders favor smaller position sizes over the larger standard products.
CME’s broader crypto business is already handling billions of dollars in daily notional activity, while its newer altcoin contracts have surpassed $1 billion in year-to-date notional value.
BCH and UNI will now test whether that demand extends further into payment-focused cryptocurrencies and DeFi tokens.
What this means for you: CME currently lists October 19 as the planned launch date for both Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures, but the exchange notes that the products remain subject to regulatory review. If the launch proceeds as planned, BCH and UNI will become the latest additions to a single-asset cryptocurrency derivatives lineup that has expanded quickly during 2026.
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