CME Logs First Trades in Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap Futures With FalconX-GSR Debut Block Trade
Published October 21, 2026, 5:30 AM PKT. Based on CME Group's October 20, 2026 press release (primary source), with additional reporting from CoinMarketCap Academy, TokenPost, ethnews and cryptotimes.io (secondary sources).
CME Group has confirmed the first block trade in its new Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Uniswap (UNI) futures, executed by crypto firm FalconX and liquidity provider GSR, the exchange announced on October 20, 2026. The announcement, issued from Chicago at 8:52 AM ET, says trading is now underway in the two new contracts on the world's largest derivatives marketplace.
The first block trade
FalconX and GSR executed the debut trade as a block trade, a privately negotiated transaction that counts as the first recorded deal in the contracts, according to the CME Group release. The release did not disclose the trade's notional value, execution prices or the resulting open interest.
"With trading now underway in our Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures, we are providing clients with more versatility to manage cryptocurrency risk and exposure through our robust 24/7 marketplace," said Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group's Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products. "As institutional demand for digital assets continues to grow, we are pleased that investors are turning to CME Group to expand their crypto trading strategies with our regulated and capital-efficient tools."
Griffin Sears, Head of Derivatives at FalconX, said the firm was pleased to execute the first trade alongside GSR: "Institutional demand is moving beyond the largest digital assets toward tokens with distinct use cases, like Bitcoin Cash in payments and Uniswap in decentralized finance. Bringing these assets onto a regulated venue like CME Group gives institutions the hedging and capital-efficient exposure they've been asking for, and we look forward to supporting liquidity in these markets as they grow."
GSR chief executive Xin Song said liquidity provision in crypto derivatives has long been a cornerstone of the firm's business: "We have long believed that expanding institutional-grade derivatives will supercharge institutional adoption of digital assets, and CME Group plays a central role in making that vision a reality."
UNI becomes the first DeFi token on CME
The launch makes UNI the first decentralized finance protocol token with standalone futures on CME Group, according to cryptotimes.io. CME lists two contract sizes: a standard UNI future representing 10,000 UNI and a micro future covering 1,000 UNI. Both products offer cash settlement, so traders get UNI price exposure without holding the token, and both trade 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The BCH and UNI contracts began trading on October 19, the day after the September 22 announcement that had been "pending regulatory review," according to ethnews. CME confirmed the transactions publicly on October 20, one day after trading began.
Eleven tokens and $7.9B a day
The two new contracts extend CME's single-asset crypto futures lineup to 11 tokens. The existing suite, before the launch, covered Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui, according to the CME release.
The scale of the venue behind the launch is large. CME's cryptocurrency futures and options have averaged more than 242,000 contracts in daily volume so far in 2026, representing about $7.9 billion in notional value, the company said, with average daily open interest of almost 240,000 contracts. CME said its expansion into five other altcoin futures earlier this year, Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui, has added nearly $2 billion in year-to-date notional value. TokenPost notes the open interest figure covers CME's broader crypto derivatives business rather than the two new contracts alone.
Announcement gains faded before the debut
BCH and UNI both gave up much of their September announcement-driven gains before trading began on October 19, ethnews reported. The observation matters because an inaugural block trade shows that professional counterparties are willing to transact, but the size and pricing of the first trades, which CME did not disclose, are what will show how much liquidity the new markets can support.
The launch lands as CME is separately suing the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in court over the agency's approval of crypto perpetual futures, according to CoinMarketCap Academy, a legal fight that sits at the center of how crypto derivatives are regulated in the United States.
This article is news reporting and is not investment advice.
Sources
- CME Group, "CME Group Announces First Trade for Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap Futures," October 20, 2026, primary source: FalconX and GSR executing the first block trade, trading now underway, the 24/7 marketplace, Giovanni Vicioso's remarks, the existing suite of Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui futures, and the more than 242,000 contracts a day, about $7.9 billion in notional value, with almost 240,000 contracts of average daily open interest
- CoinMarketCap Academy, "CME Logs First Trade in Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap Futures," October 20, 2026, secondary source: the 11-token lineup, the first block trade in the contracts, the September announcement for an October 19 launch pending regulatory review, and CME's court challenge to the CFTC over crypto perpetual futures
- ethnews, "CME's BCH and UNI Futures Draw First FalconX-GSR Block Trades," October 20, 2026, secondary source: trading began October 19 with confirmation on October 20, the retreat of BCH and UNI from their September announcement-day closes before trading began, the undisclosed notional values, execution prices and open interest, and the reading that the block trade proves professional willingness to transact but not yet the depth of liquidity
- cryptotimes.io, "Uniswap Becomes First DeFi Token to Launch Futures on CME Group," October 19, 2026, secondary source: UNI as the first DeFi protocol token with standalone CME futures, the standard 10,000-UNI and micro 1,000-UNI contract sizes, 24/7 trading and cash settlement
- TokenPost, "FalconX and GSR Execute First Block Trade in CME's Bitcoin Cash, Uniswap Futures," October 20, 2026, secondary source: the 242,000-contract daily volume figure, the $7.9 billion notional value, the nearly $2 billion in year-to-date notional added by the Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui futures expansion, and the note that the volume and open interest figures cover CME's broader crypto derivatives business
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