Blockchain.com Files for Two CFTC Licenses to Bring Prediction Markets and Crypto Derivatives to US Users

Blockchain.com has applied to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for two licenses that would allow it to offer event contracts and cryptocurrency derivatives to retail and institutional customers in the United States. The company has filed for a designated contract market license, which would designate it as a futures exchange, and for futures commission merchant registration, which would allow it to act as a broker for derivatives contracts.

Blockchain.com already offers prediction markets through a partnership with Polymarket and perpetual futures powered by Hyperliquid to non-US international customers. CEO and co-founder Peter Smith said the applications aim to let users manage digital assets, trade derivatives, and take positions on real-world events without switching between platforms, all within appropriate US regulatory frameworks.

The CFTC filings come as Blockchain.com is also pursuing a public listing, having confidentially filed for an IPO with a reported target valuation of 4 billion to 6 billion dollars and a fundraising goal of around 500 million dollars. The move places Blockchain.com in a growing field of companies seeking futures exchange designations to capitalize on the US prediction markets boom, alongside competitors such as Gemini, which operates its own event contract marketplace, and Coinbase, which offers prediction markets through a partnership with Kalshi.