Crypto.com said on 26 September that it has secured key U.S. regulatory approvals to expand its derivatives business, receiving Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) clearance to offer margined derivatives and a National Futures Association (NFA) registration that lets it operate as a futures commission merchant.
The approvals center on two affiliated entities. Crypto.com | Derivatives North America (CDNA), a CFTC-registered exchange and clearinghouse, received an amendment to its derivatives clearing organization (DCO) registration that authorizes cleared margined derivatives on cryptocurrencies and other asset classes. Separately, Foris DAX FCM LLC, doing business as Crypto.com | FCM, was approved as an FCM by the NFA, enabling Crypto.com to intermediate CFTC-regulated products for both customers and institutions.
The move broadens Crypto.com’s existing derivatives capabilities. CDNA already offers fully collateralized derivatives through its prediction markets and will now add cleared, margined products, including, the company said, crypto perpetuals, to its suite.
“The full stack of CFTC-approved derivatives licenses allows Crypto.com to seamlessly provide clients with the most comprehensive and integrated derivatives experience, alongside Crypto.com’s additional product offerings, including spot markets, prediction markets, stocks, qualified custody, credit and debit cards, and more,” said Kris Marszalek, Co-Founder and CEO of Crypto.com. “We sincerely appreciate the partnership with Acting Chairman Pham and the CFTC, who are working hard to carry out the crypto agenda of President Trump. We will soon bring regulated, leveraged derivatives to retail customers in the U.S. through one interface.”
“We want to thank Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham for her extraordinary leadership in delivering on the promise she made to get ‘back to basics’ and move forward with approvals that had been languishing before her tenure,” said Steve Humenik, Head of Clearing for CDNA. “With our amended order, we will be able to deliver cleared margined derivatives, including crypto perpetuals, to our customers in order to do our part to make the United States ‘the crypto capital of the world.’ Today’s approvals are proof that Acting Chairman Pham is delivering in real-time on President Donald J. Trump’s pledge.”
The Most Regulated Financial Services Platform
Crypto.com said CDNA began discussions with CFTC staff in 2023 and filed its request to amend its DCO order on June 7, 2024. The company provided extensive documentation and performed multiple trading and clearing system demonstrations as part of the CFTC’s review. Foris DAX FCM filed its FCM application on April 13, 2022, and likewise performed documentation and demos with NFA staff.
“We acquired a CFTC-registered clearinghouse in order to advance our mission to be the most regulated financial services platform in the world. Today marks an important step for our company,” said Nick Lundgren, Chief Legal Officer of Crypto.com.
Travis McGhee, Managing Director and Global Head of Capital Markets at Crypto.com, added that CDNA has been “building a robust clearinghouse for multiple products” and is focused on “state of the art technology” and best-in-class risk management as it prepares to launch margined derivatives.
CDNA said it will provide more details on the new margined product suite soon. The announcement follows a string of regulatory milestones for Crypto.com, which highlighted its emphasis on compliance, security and privacy. The company, founded in 2016 and known for the slogan Cryptocurrency in Every Wallet™, reiterated that product availability will depend on legal terms and jurisdictional approvals.
Product and service availability and terms are subject to legal terms and jurisdiction restrictions, the company noted, adding that certain products will only be offered in markets where regulators have granted approval.
