Bitnomial Launches First U.S.-Regulated Aptos Futures Contracts

Chicago-based crypto exchange Bitnomial has launched the first U.S.-regulated futures contracts for Aptos (APT), marking another milestone in bringing altcoin derivatives to American traders under federal oversight.

The contracts went live on January 14, 2026, on Bitnomial Exchange, providing both institutional and retail traders with a regulated way to trade APT price movements. This launch expands the limited options for U.S. traders who want exposure to alternative cryptocurrencies through regulated channels.

What Makes These Futures Special

The new APT futures contracts feature monthly expirations and offer a unique dual-settlement structure. Traders can settle their positions in either U.S. dollars or in APT tokens, depending on their position direction. This flexibility allows traders to manage their exposure more efficiently than traditional cash-only contracts.

Another key feature is the margin system. Traders can post either cryptocurrency or USD as collateral through Bitnomial Clearinghouse, which provides more capital efficiency compared to traditional derivatives platforms that only accept cash. This crypto-margining capability puts Bitnomial ahead of most U.S. exchanges, as it remains the only CFTC-regulated venue offering this option.

Source: @Aptos

“These are the first U.S. APT futures, and a regulated futures market is a prerequisite for spot crypto ETF approval under the SEC’s generic listing standards,” said Michael Dunn, President of Bitnomial Exchange. He added that institutions can now gain APT exposure using the same infrastructure they use for Bitcoin and Ethereum derivatives, including portfolio margining across multiple positions.

Why Aptos Matters

Aptos is a Layer 1 blockchain that has attracted significant attention for its technical architecture. The network uses the Move programming language, originally developed for Meta’s Diem blockchain project, and employs a parallel execution engine to deliver sub-second finality and high transaction throughput.

The blockchain was founded in 2021 by Mo Shaikh and Avery Ching, both former Meta employees who worked on Facebook’s cryptocurrency initiatives. Over 350 developers worldwide have contributed to Aptos over the past three years, creating an ecosystem with more than 192 projects spanning security, gaming, DeFi, and NFT applications.

Solomon Tesfaye, Chief Business Officer at Aptos Labs, emphasized the importance of regulated infrastructure for institutional adoption. “Bitnomial’s CFTC-regulated exchange and clearinghouse provide the institutional framework that sophisticated market participants need to gain exposure to Aptos while meeting their compliance and risk management requirements,” he stated.

Trading Access and Future Plans

The APT futures are currently available to institutional clients through Bitnomial’s Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) clearing members. Retail traders will gain access in the coming weeks through Botanical, Bitnomial’s retail trading platform.

Bitnomial has announced plans to expand its Aptos offerings beyond monthly futures. The exchange intends to launch APT perpetual futures and options in the future, though specific timelines were not provided. These additional products would give traders more ways to manage risk and gain exposure to the Aptos ecosystem.

Bitnomial’s Growing Altcoin Portfolio

This launch adds to Bitnomial’s expanding Crypto Complex, which offers the broadest range of digital asset derivatives in the U.S. by number of underlying assets. The exchange was the first to launch perpetual futures in the United States in April 2025 and has since added futures contracts for multiple altcoins.

Bitnomial’s product lineup includes the first U.S. futures for XRP, Cardano (ADA), and USDC, along with contracts for Solana, Ethereum, Avalanche, Chainlink, and other major cryptocurrencies. The exchange also offers Bitcoin-focused products, including BTC futures, options, and even Bitcoin hashrate futures.

The company’s path to launching these products hasn’t been without challenges. In August 2024, Bitnomial filed to list XRP futures through a self-certification with the CFTC, but the SEC objected, claiming the contracts required Bitnomial to register as a securities exchange. After filing a lawsuit against the SEC in October 2024, Bitnomial voluntarily dismissed the case in March 2025, citing the “SEC’s evolving policies on crypto.” The exchange proceeded to launch regulated XRP futures that same month.

The Path to Potential ETF Approval

The launch of regulated futures markets is widely seen as an important step toward potential spot ETF approvals. The SEC has historically required robust futures markets as part of its surveillance-sharing agreements before approving spot cryptocurrency ETFs.

Investment manager Bitwise filed for the first Aptos ETF in March 2025, though the application remains under SEC review. The company had previously launched an Aptos Staking ETP on Switzerland’s SIX Swiss Exchange in November 2024, which trades under the ticker APTB and offers approximately 4.7% annual staking rewards.

If approved, an Aptos ETF would allow traditional investors to gain exposure to APT through their regular brokerage accounts without directly holding cryptocurrency. However, the SEC typically takes months to review such applications and has moved cautiously on altcoin ETFs beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum.

The regulatory landscape for crypto derivatives continues to evolve. Other U.S. exchanges like Coinbase Derivatives and Kraken have also entered the regulated crypto futures market, though Bitnomial remains the leader in offering futures for alternative cryptocurrencies. CME Group, the largest U.S. derivatives exchange, currently offers futures for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP, along with benchmark trading data for other digital assets including APT.

The Bottom Line

Bitnomial’s launch of APT futures represents another step forward in bringing regulated crypto derivatives to U.S. markets. The exchange continues to push boundaries by offering products for alternative cryptocurrencies under CFTC oversight, providing traders with compliant options beyond the limited Bitcoin and Ethereum offerings available at most venues. Whether this leads to broader institutional adoption of Aptos remains to be seen, but the infrastructure is now in place for those who want regulated exposure to the blockchain’s ecosystem.