Caroline Pham, acting chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), confirmed reports that the agency is in active talks with major regulated exchanges to launch spot crypto trading — including leveraged products — as early as next month. Pham verified the CoinDesk report on X, saying “True,” even as other crypto policy efforts face delays due to the government shutdown.
Discussions reportedly include major players such as CME, Cboe Futures Exchange, ICE Futures, Coinbase Derivatives, and prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket. The initiative aims to use existing CFTC authority under the Commodity Exchange Act to allow leveraged trading of digital assets like bitcoin and ether on regulated U.S. platforms — a move expected to boost transparency, oversight, and investor protection.
The plan marks a turning point for U.S. crypto regulation, signaling a proactive approach by the CFTC. Offering leveraged crypto trading under federal supervision could make institutional-grade access to digital assets more secure and mainstream.

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