CME Group's (CME) cryptocurrency derivatives trading volume surged to record highs last year, with average daily volume jumping 139% year-over-year to 278,000 contracts even as the largest tokens fell.
The volume equates to roughly $12 billion in daily notional value, according to data released by the company, and marks the crypto products' strongest annual performance since their debut in 2017.
The exchange pointed to its micro-ether and micro-bitcoin futures contracts as record performers, with average daily volumes of 144,000 and 75,000 contracts, respectively. Full-size ether futures also posted strong gains, with average daily volume rising to 19,000 contracts.
The growing volumes came in a negative year for the cryptocurrency market’s price performance. The price of bitcoin BTC$92,931.95 dropped around 6.3% in 2025, while ether ETH$3,150.41 lost 11% and the broader CoinDesk 20 (CD20) index dropped roughly 17%.
Crypto was just one slice of CME’s record-breaking year. Overall, the exchange hit an all-time high of 28.1 million contracts in average daily volume across asset classes, including interest rates, energy and metals, it said.