CME Group began trading Uniswap (@Uniswap) $UNI futures on October 19, making UNI the first DeFi token with futures on the exchange. The launch gives traders a regulated way to gain price exp
CME Group began trading Uniswap (@Uniswap) $UNI futures on October 19, making UNI the first DeFi token with futures on the exchange. The launch gives traders a regulated way to gain price exposure to Uniswap's governance token without holding UNI directly.
CME is offering two contract sizes. According to Crypto Times, the standard contract represents 10,000 tokens and the Micro contract covers 1,000 tokens, with both offering 24/7 trading. Settlement is in cash, so no UNI changes hands when a contract expires.
Both versions are cash-settled against the CME CF Uniswap-Dollar Reference Rate, Crypto Briefing reported. Gains and losses are paid in dollars based on that benchmark price.
The smaller contract widens the pool of potential users. FinanceFeeds noted that the 1,000-UNI Micro contract allows for more precise hedging and smaller position sizes than the standard contract. At a UNI price of $7.49 on October 16, Cryptoticker calculated that a standard contract represented about $74,900 and a Micro contract about $7,490, which points to professional accounts as the main audience.
CME first outlined the plan on September 22, alongside Bitcoin Cash futures, subject to regulatory review, according to Crypto Times. Bitcoin Cash futures began trading a day before UNI, Coin Edition reported.
UNI reacted to the announcement. Crypto Briefing said the token rose roughly 15% to 19% on the day of the announcement, then retraced to the $7.30 to $7.50 range before the contracts went live.
The derivatives market for UNI already exists offshore, but it is small relative to spot trading. Cryptoticker's survey of five venues found open positions of $185.6 million against a market capitalisation of $4.68 billion. A regulated CME contract adds a route for desks that are restricted to regulated venues.
The listing also fits CME's wider push beyond Bitcoin and Ether. Crypto Briefing reported that CME's crypto futures and options averaged 279,800 contracts per day in the first half of 2026, equal to about $8.3 billion in notional value.
What the launch means for UNI's price will depend on trading volume in the coming weeks rather than the listing date itself.
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