Blockchain.com Seeks U.S. Approval for Prediction Markets and Crypto Derivatives

Blockchain.com is asking the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission for designation and registration that would allow it to offer event contracts and cryptocurrency derivatives to American customers. Both steps would place the company's products under federal oversight instead of leaving them in the gray area that has surrounded many crypto offerings for years.

The two product types are different. Event contracts are the core of prediction markets, where traders take positions on whether a defined outcome will happen, such as an election result or a measurable economic figure. Crypto derivatives are contracts tied to the price of an underlying digital asset, such as bitcoin or ether, so that traders can take a position on price movements without holding the coins themselves. Offering either to U.S. users typically requires CFTC approval, which is why the filing matters: it is the formal route for a crypto company to bring these products onshore.

The timing also reflects a broader push. Crypto exchanges have been looking at prediction markets as a new source of trading activity, and the sector has attracted attention from traders and investors. It has also drawn scrutiny from state regulators and lawmakers, some of whom question whether certain event contracts function like unlicensed gambling. A CFTC designation would not settle those debates, but it would give Blockchain.com a federal framework to operate within and a clearer answer on the regulatory question for its own products.

Approval is not guaranteed, and the review process can take a long time. Even if the CFTC grants the designation and registration, the company would still need to meet ongoing obligations, including compliance programs, market surveillance and rules covering how customer funds and positions are handled.

This report covers the filing itself. It does not say when Blockchain.com expects to launch these products or which specific event contracts and derivatives it plans to list. Those details will matter for U.S. users who want to know what would actually be available and when, and they are the next things to watch as the application moves through the regulator's review.