Coinbase Seeks CFTC Approval for Cardano, Natural Gas Futures

- Coinbase may launch Cardano and Natural Gas futures by March 2025 if it is approved.
- Cardano futures may boost market strength and drive increased trading activity.
- Natural Gas futures may help Coinbase reach markets beyond crypto to traditional finance.
Coinbase Derivatives has applied for Commodity Futures Trading Commission approval to introduce Cardano and Natural Gas futures. This move marks a shift beyond cryptocurrencies, integrating the platform with traditional energy markets. Subject to approval, those futures will be launched on March 31, 2025, opening up new opportunities for traders. Interest in ADA’s future surged following the announcement, fueling speculation about improved market depth and regulatory compliance.
Cardano Futures: Strengthening Market Liquidity and Exposure
Cardano is recognized for its scalability, security, and sustainability, making it a highly desired digital asset. The introduction of ADA futures will allow traders to speculate and manage risk and leverage without even holding the underlying asset.
Moreover, self-certification with the CFTC ensures compliance, enabling Coinbase to accelerate the listing process unless the regulator raises concerns. This step is seen as a potential gateway for broader institutional participation, which could significantly improve ADA’s liquidity and market efficiency.
At the time of writing, the token has a market cap of $25.89 billion, and a value of 0.7390, a 3.06% increase in its price over the last 24 hours according to coinmarketcap. The coin’s daily trading volume has decreased by 16.38% to $990.71 million, and its fully diluted value stands at $33.07B.
Related: Coinbase Plans to Tokenize Stock for On-chain Stock Trading
Natural Gas Futures: Expanding Into Traditional Commodities
Coinbase’s launch of Natural Gas (NGS) futures marks its expansion into non-crypto commodities, aligning with a broader industry trend. The inclusion of NGS signals the platform’s goal of becoming a full-fledged derivatives exchange catering to both digital and traditional assets.
Natural gas ranks as one of the most important energy resources in the world, vital to economic stability and industrial production. The provision of futures contracts, therefore, aims to attract traders who are looking for opportunities to profit from fluctuations in commodity prices, putting the exchange in competition with well-established futures exchanges.
The extension comes on the heels of several other regulatory conversations regarding crypto ETFs because futures contracts offer a regulated method for price discovery and risk mitigation. Will it have an impact on the SEC’s viewpoint toward cryptocurrency ETFs? The launch of ADA and NGS futures should further support the legitimacy of cryptocurrency markets, thus paving the way for acceptance in regulated financial markets.