Blockchain.com Applies for CFTC Licenses to Bring Prediction Markets and Crypto Derivatives to U.S. Customers

Published October 9, 2026, 12:01 UTC. Reported first by CNBC; additional details from The Block and CoinTelegraph.

Blockchain.com wants a federal license to sell prediction markets and crypto derivatives to Americans. The crypto wallet and trading platform has applied to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission for two licenses covering event contracts and cryptocurrency derivatives, CNBC reported on Friday, October 9. If approved, the licenses would let Blockchain.com offer those products to U.S. retail and institutional customers for the first time.

A futures exchange license and a broker license

The applications cover two distinct permissions. Designation as a contract market, known as a DCM license, would authorize Blockchain.com to operate its own futures exchange for event contracts, which are the building blocks of prediction markets. Registration as a futures commission merchant, an FCM license, would let it act as a broker for derivatives contracts, according to CNBC. Approval falls entirely under the CFTC's purview, and both filings remain pending, with no U.S. launch date announced.

Peter Smith wants everything in one app

Chief executive and co-founder Peter Smith framed the move as product consolidation. "Users should be able to manage their digital assets, trade derivatives and take positions on real-world events easily, without jumping between different apps," Smith said in a statement cited by CNBC. The company already sells both products abroad: it integrated Polymarket's prediction markets into its app in July, ahead of the FIFA World Cup semifinals, and offers perpetual futures through Hyperliquid, but both are restricted to non-U.S. customers. A federally licensed marketplace would let Blockchain.com list its own event contracts instead of routing through Polymarket.

A prediction market land rush under legal fire

The timing lands in the middle of a regulatory fight. Prediction market oversight is being tested in U.S. courts, with many states pursuing cases against platforms over alleged sports and election betting, according to CoinTelegraph. Last month, New Jersey officials petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on their case against Kalshi, a ruling that could settle the dispute between federal and state regulators. Against that backdrop, a CFTC-licensed venue would give Blockchain.com the strongest possible legal footing: contracts traded on a registered exchange claim federal preemption over state gambling laws, a doctrine that courts are actively testing right now.

The $4 to $6 billion IPO plan

The licensing push comes as Blockchain.com prepares to go public. The company confidentially filed for an IPO in May, and Bloomberg reported last week that it is seeking to raise roughly $500 million at a valuation of between $4 billion and $6 billion, targeting a listing before the end of 2026, according to The Block. It is a long-running ambition: in April 2022, Blockchain.com raised funding at a $14 billion valuation and had discussed going public that year. The run-up to the listing has been busy, with a May launch of SnapMarkets for short-term crypto price speculation and a September agreement with the New York Stock Exchange to give its users access to tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs through the exchange's planned digital trading platform.

This article is news reporting and is not investment advice.

Sources

• CNBC (via The Block), Blockchain.com seeks CFTC greenlight for US prediction markets, crypto derivatives trading (Oct. 9, 2026), primary source (first report)
• CoinTelegraph, Blockchain.com Applied for CFTC Licenses for Prediction Markets, Derivatives: Report (Oct. 9, 2026), secondary source
• CryptoTimes, Blockchain.com Seeks CFTC Nod for Prediction Markets (Oct. 9, 2026), secondary source