CME Group Crypto Derivatives Volume Surges 129% in April, Led by Ether Futures

CME Group reported a sharp rise in cryptocurrency derivatives trading in April 2025, with average daily volumes (ADV) soaring 129% year-over-year to $8.9 billion in notional value. The surge was driven largely by ether (ETH) futures, which saw a 239% jump to 14,000 contracts per day.

Micro ether futures also surged 165%, reaching 63,000 contracts, while micro bitcoin futures climbed 115% to 78,000. The exchange’s crypto ADV hit 183,000 contracts for the month, signaling growing institutional interest despite relatively modest gains in #ETH🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 TH prices.

While ether’s price rose just 1.1% in April, #bitcoin gained 15.8% and the CoinDesk 20 index rose 12.1%, showing increased investor activity even amid mixed market performance.

CME’s broader derivatives business also posted strong growth, with overall ADV reaching 35.9 million contracts in April—up 36% year-over-year.