Key Highlights
- •Bitnomial is launching the first CFTC-regulated leveraged spot crypto exchange in the U.S.
- •The platform will integrate spot, perpetuals, futures, and options trading with unified portfolio margin.
- •This development introduces fully compliant, capital-efficient leveraged crypto trading for both retail and institutional investors.
Bitnomial is preparing to launch the first-ever leveraged retail spot crypto exchange to operate under the complete oversight of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). This launch signifies a significant regulatory advancement for digital asset trading within the United States. The platform is scheduled to go live the week of December 8, 2025, and will bring leveraged spot crypto trading under the same regulatory structure that currently governs U.S. futures, perpetuals, and options markets.
Bitnomial launches the first CFTC-regulated spot crypto exchange in the U.S. Leveraged spot, perpetuals, futures, options are all on one, federally regulated platform.
CFTC Framework Enables Unified, Regulated Crypto Trading
Through its Designated Contract Market (DCM) and Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) operations, Bitnomial's new platform will provide both retail and institutional traders with access to leveraged spot trading, complete with the protections afforded by U.S. derivatives market infrastructure.
The exchange is designed to offer net settlement and unified portfolio margin across spot, perpetuals, futures, and options. This integration aims to eliminate redundant collateral requirements and enable traders to effectively offset risks across all product types on a single trading venue.
Bitnomial states that this model mitigates counterparty risk through broker intermediation and clearinghouse settlement, while also ensuring that all orders are treated equally. Both retail and institutional trades will be executed without any preferential routing or information advantages.
Industry Credits Regulatory Breakthrough for New Market Access
Bitnomial attributes this regulatory opening to the efforts of CFTC Acting Chair Caroline Pham, whose support was instrumental in allowing retail commodity transactions to be offered on a DCM and cleared by a DCO. This development effectively removes the long-standing dependency on state-level money transmitter licensing for spot crypto platforms, a barrier that had previously hindered institutional participation.
CEO Luke Hoersten commented that the launch will reintroduce leveraged spot crypto trading to the U.S. market under a regulatory framework robust enough to support capital-efficient and risk-managed activities.
Bitnomial presently operates CFTC-regulated exchange, clearing, and brokerage subsidiaries. The company lists perpetuals, physical futures, and options that are linked to its Bitcoin Complex® and Crypto Complex®, which encompass assets such as BTC, Hashrate, XRP, ADA, USDC, and others.
In a related development, Bitnomial has also self-certified the first-ever perpetual futures contracts to be listed on a U.S. exchange, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of regulated crypto markets.