Blockchain.com, a digital asset platform, wants to tap into the prediction market boom in the US
The company has filed for two licenses with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to display event contracts as well as cryptocurrency derivatives for retail and institutional customers in the US, Blockchain.com told CNBC.
Blockchain.com asked the CFTC – the federal regulator for futures and derivatives – to designate it as a futures exchange by receiving a designated contract market license. It also asked to be registered as a futures commission trader, which is a broker for derivative contracts.
“Users should be able to manage digital assets, trade derivatives, and take positions in real-time events with ease, without jumping between multiple applications,” said Peter Smith, CEO and co-founder of Blockchain.com, in a statement. “Our DCM and FCM applications build towards a future in the US through an appropriate regulatory framework.”
Blockchain.com earlier this year began offering a prediction market through a partnership with Polymarket, as well as futures powered by Hyperliquid, to a number of international customers.
Crypto related companies are increasingly looking to participate in the prediction market, and vice versa. Crypto.com digital asset exchange and Gemini Space Station have their own event contract market, when Coinbase offers mainly through partnership with Kalshi. Meanwhile, Kalshi and Polymarket have launched perpetual futures – one of the most popular crypto trading products – for US and international customers.
Blockchain.com also joins 11 other companies that have filed this year for DCM license approval. The CFTC has approved six new DCMs by 2026.
The company is also in the midst of a move to the public market. It secretly filed for an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission in May, and Bloomberg reported last month that it plans to go public this year with a target valuation of between $4 billion and $6 billion.
Disclosure: CNBC and Kalshi have a commercial relationship that includes customer acquisitions and minority investments.