The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today issued a policy statement describing the views of the Commission concerning the listing of perpetual contracts. This policy statement was issued contemporaneously with an order permitting the listing of a perpetual contract, which references the spot price of bitcoin, by a DCM as a futures contract.
The policy statement makes clear that, given the unique characteristics of perpetual contracts, which tend to vary based on the underlying asset they reference, the Commission is of the view that the case-by-case review process detailed in Commission Regulation 40.3 is appropriate for the listing of perpetual contracts that reference asset classes that are not contemplated in the Order.
The policy statement will be published in the Federal Register.