CFTC seeks public comment on the listing of cryptocurrency derivatives contracts

On August 19, 2026, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a request for comments to better understand and regulate the compute derivatives market. CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig stated that for the U.S. to win the AI race, a robust compute derivatives market is needed, just as the U.S. market once established standards for commodity trading required by the industrial economy, it will also establish corresponding markets for core commodities of the intelligent economy. This request for comments is the first step in establishing clear rules for the U.S. computing market.

The request for comments focuses on the scale, liquidity, and other considerations of the compute spot market, as well as issues related to market regulation and manipulation risks, customer protection, perpetual compute futures, and welcomes opinions on all aspects of the compute market. The comment period is 60 days from the publication in the Federal Register.