- Polymarket acquires CFTC-regulated QCEX for $112M to relaunch in the U.S. legally.
- With the purchase, Polymarket ends its two-year exit, securing regulated market access.
- Regulatory clearance follows the DOJ and CFTC dropping probes into Polymarket operations.
The world’s largest prediction market, Polymarket, announced its acquisition of QCEX, a CFTC-licensed derivatives exchange, for $112 million on Monday, marking a strategic re-entry for Polymarket into the U.S. market after its exit in 2022. The purchase signals a revival of how decentralized tools can operate under regulatory oversight.
In his X post, Shayne Coplan, CEO of Polymarket, shared the news, captioning it as ‘Polymarket is coming home.’ He strongly asserted that the purchase would pave the way for American traders again. Using the QCEX’s existing compliant regulatory framework, Polymarket can now start offering event-based trading within a compliant framework.
CFTC Approval Clears Regulatory Path for U.S. Relaunch
QCEX, based in Boca Raton, Florida, operates both a CFTC-licensed derivatives exchange (QCX LLC) and clearinghouse (QC Clearing LLC). With the acquisition, Polymarket will have direct access to a regulated venue to trade overseen by the CFTC, and the license will enable the platform to provide binary options and event-based contracts within the United States to participants in the country legally.
In January 2022, Polymarket exited the market after resolving charges with the CFTC, which accused it of operating without a proper registration. The platform was fined $1.4 million at the time and agreed to restrict the activity of American users.
Following the incident, regulators like the Department of Justice and the CFTC later monitored the platform’s compliance, which even included a CBI search of the residence of founder Shayne Coplan. The investigation concluded in July 2025, paving the way for this strategic comeback.
Coplan stated that acquiring QCEX “lays the foundation to bring Polymarket home.” He emphasized that the platform’s focus remains on enabling users to trade opinions backed by transparent regulatory oversight.
Prediction Markets Gain Legitimacy Through Institutional Structure
By 2025, Polymarket has expanded rapidly with over $6 billion in user predictions in the first half of the year, according to company statistics. The platform enables traders to bet on real-time events such as politics, finance, sports, and culture. Users leverage crypto assets to express views on outcomes, providing real-time insights into public sentiment.
The latest purchase occurs during a time of increased attention on prediction markets. Apart from Polymarket, Kalshi, and Crypto.com have also expanded their prediction services in the U.S. this year. Kalshi, a CFTC-regulated platform, recently collaborated with Robinhood to provide retail-oriented prediction contracts. In June, Polymarket and Kalshi had individually announced major fundraising events, reflecting optimism among investors in the industry.
Polymarket’s return is not merely a relaunch, but an evolving regulatory posture toward decentralized forecasting platforms. The process of QCEX integration is an unusual convergence of crypto-native innovation and U.S. financial legislation, marking the emergence of prediction markets as tools for understanding future outcomes within a regulated environment.
Related: DOJ and CFTC Drop Investigations Into Polymarket Election Betting
Partnerships and U.S. Demand Set Growth Trajectory
Moreover, the announcement of QCEX integration follows Polymarket’s collaboration with X (formerly Twitter), which has established the platform within mainstream digital ecosystems, amplifying its reach and data visibility.
Sergei Dobrovolskii, founder of QCEX, welcomed the merger, noting that his company spent four years building a regulated foundation for retail trading. “Shayne has built a cultural phenomenon,” he said. “I am excited to bring our companies together and leverage our licenses, technology, and expertise in the retail trading sector to help Polymarket reach its full potential.”
The return to the U.S. market will allow American users to participate in event forecasting without legal ambiguity. It marks a transition from regulatory uncertainty to institutional legitimacy for prediction markets. Polymarket has not announced a specific launch date for U.S. services under QCEX, but the acquisition offers a clear framework for compliant operation in the future.
