CME Group will launch Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures on 19 October, as BCH jumped against Bitcoin and whales accumulated UNI ahead of the news.
Wall Street's biggest derivatives exchange is widening its crypto menu again. CME Group said on 22 September 2026 that it will launch Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Uniswap (UNI) futures on 19 October, pending regulatory review, in response to what it called strong client demand for institutional-grade risk management tools.
Both tokens moved as the news landed, and they did so in a market already in recovery mode. Bitcoin hit an eight-month high of $85,134 on 21 September, according to Yahoo Finance data.
A futures contract lets traders bet on or hedge an asset's future price without holding the asset itself. CME's crypto futures settle in cash, so no tokens change hands at expiry.
The new products come in two sizes. Bitcoin Cash futures will cover 250 BCH, with Micro Bitcoin Cash futures at 25 BCH. Uniswap futures will cover 10,000 UNI, with Micro Uniswap futures at 1,000 UNI, according to CME's announcement.
The contracts are "designed for greater versatility and capital efficiency," said Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group.
They join a lineup that already covers Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui. The altcoin futures CME added this year have generated more than $1 billion in total notional value year to date, and its crypto futures and options averaged 279,800 contracts a day in the first half of 2026, worth about $8.3 billion in notional value, according to the company.
A CME listing matters because it opens a regulated route for institutions. Funds that cannot touch offshore crypto exchanges can hedge through a venue they already use.
Bitcoin Cash, the 2017 fork of Bitcoin built for cheaper, faster payments, traded at $270.14 on 22 September 2026, according to CoinMarketCap data.
The token gained about 10.4% against Bitcoin in 24 hours and about 11.8% over the week, according to CoinGecko data, a sign the move was specific to BCH rather than just the wider market lifting everything.
The level to watch is $250, where BCH traded before the announcement. Holding above it keeps the reaction intact. On the upside, $300 is the next round-number test.
The long view is sobering. BCH remains roughly 93% below its all-time high of $3,785.82, according to CoinGecko. A futures listing adds a new class of participant, but it does not reverse a multi-year downtrend on its own.
UNI, the governance token of the largest decentralized exchange on Ethereum, traded at $8.69 on 22 September, according to Coinbase data. That is about 30% higher than a week earlier, when it sat near $6.73.
Large holders appear to have moved first. Three newly created wallets accumulated a combined 782,130 UNI, worth about $6.97 million, according to on-chain analytics platform Lookonchain.
One wallet received 130,000 UNI from Galaxy Digital. Another withdrew 221,955 UNI from Bybit and OKX, and a third pulled 430,174 UNI from Binance and Gate over three days. Tokens moved off exchanges into fresh wallets are generally being held rather than readied for sale.
For UNI, $8 is the first support, and holding above the week's gains depends on it. A break back toward $6.73 would erase the rally. On the upside, $10 is the next psychological level, and the token remains about 81% below its May 2021 record of $45.02, according to Coinbase.
The launch date is not final. CME's 19 October start remains subject to regulatory review, and the contracts will not trade until that clears.
The bigger test comes after launch. CME's earlier altcoin listings drew real volume, and whether BCH and UNI follow will show how much institutional demand sits behind the announcement. Early open interest in the first weeks of trading will be the clearest signal.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice.
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