CME BCH Futures Plan Sends Bitcoin Cash Higher

Published: 2026-09-23 16:17:17 |

CME Group plans to launch regulated Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Uniswap (UNI) futures on 19 October, subject to regulatory approval. Standard BCH futures will represent 250 BCH, while Micro BCH futures will represent 25 BCH. Standard UNI futures will cover 10,000 UNI, with Micro contracts covering 1,000 UNI. After the announcement, BCH rose as much as 30%, briefly breaking above $340 and reaching $358. Its weekly gain exceeded 50% at one point. Bitcoin SV (BSV) also climbed about 20%, while Bitcoin (BTC) traded near $84,000 after retreating. The BCH futures plan could improve institutional access, price discovery, hedging and liquidity for BCH, although regulatory approval and actual trading demand remain key risks. CME’s crypto derivatives business averaged 279,800 contracts per day in the first half of 2026, with $8.3 billion in daily notional volume and average open interest of $15.4 billion. Its single-asset crypto futures range includes Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Cardano, Chainlink, Stellar, Avalanche and Sui. Separately, Grayscale applied to convert its Bitcoin Cash Trust into a spot BCH exchange-traded fund on NYSE Arca.

Bullish

The immediate market reaction was bullish for BCH, with the token rising as much as 30% and posting a weekly gain of more than 50%. CME’s planned BCH futures could attract institutional traders, improve price discovery and provide regulated hedging tools. Grayscale’s separate spot BCH ETF conversion application adds another potential institutional access route. In the short term, traders may continue to price in stronger liquidity and increased demand, but the sharp rally also raises the risk of profit-taking and volatility. The launch remains conditional on regulatory approval, and trading volumes may fall short of expectations. Over the longer term, successful BCH futures trading and a potential spot ETF could support deeper markets and broader adoption. The overall impact is therefore bullish, but it is not a guarantee of sustained price gains.