Bitnomial Launches US-Regulated Aptos Futures

Chicago-based crypto change Bitnomial has launched month-to-month futures contracts tied to the Layer-1 blockchain Aptos’ native token, marking the primary APT derivatives product regulated below the US oversight.

The contracts will likely be obtainable to institutional purchasers by means of Bitnomial’s clearing members, with retail entry anticipated within the coming weeks through the corporate’s Botanical platform.

In keeping with an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, the contracts characteristic month-to-month expirations and settle in both US {dollars} or Aptos’ native APT (APT) token, relying on the place. Month-to-month futures are standardized derivatives that enable merchants to achieve worth publicity over an outlined interval with out holding the underlying asset.

“A regulated futures market is a prerequisite for spot crypto ETF approval below the SEC’s generic itemizing requirements,” Bitnomial president Michael Dunn mentioned, including that the contracts let establishments acquire APT publicity utilizing the identical derivatives infrastructure they use for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), together with portfolio margining throughout positions.

The launch marks Aptos’ first derivatives market regulated by the US Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee (CFTC), in line with the corporate, whereas different Aptos-linked derivatives obtainable to US merchants are listed as offshore merchandise.

Associated: CFTC issues no-action letter to Bitnomial, clearing way for event contracts

The sluggish enlargement of US-regulated crypto futures

US-regulated crypto futures markets past the most important digital property stay restricted, with Bitnomial rising as one of many few venues providing exchange-native futures tied to altcoins. Bringing these merchandise to market, nevertheless, has concerned navigating a fancy and evolving regulatory panorama.

In August 2024, Bitnomial filed to checklist XRP (XRP) futures by means of a self-certification with the CFTC, however was challenged by the US Securities and Change Fee (SEC), which mentioned the contracts required Bitnomial to register as a securities exchange.

After filing a lawsuit against the SEC in October 2025, Bitnomial dropped the case in March and went on to launch regulated XRP futures for US customers later that month, citing “the SEC’s evolving insurance policies on crypto.”