Share this article

CFTC Launches Online Resources for Bitcoin Investors

The top derivatives regulator in the U.S. has created a new information portal for cryptocurrencies, a move that came just days ahead of a major bitcoin futures launch.

Updated Sep 13, 2021, 7:17 a.m. Published Dec 18, 2017, 6:15 p.m.
shutterstock_678506725

The top derivatives regulator in the U.S. has created a new information portal for cryptocurrencies, a move that came just days ahead of a major bitcoin futures launch.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) unveiled its new cryptocurrency resource website, which is aimed at educating the public about these wholly digital commodities. The site features links to a range of CFTC releases, including an October primer from its LabCFTC arm and information about futures launches from firms like Cboe and CME Group.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

The agency wrote:

"[Financial] technologies have the potential for significant or even transformational impact on CFTC regulated markets and the agency itself. One of the most recent marketplace developments driving a lot of interest is the rise in prominence of virtual currencies, specifically bitcoin."

The information portal was launched on Friday, the same day the CFTC released its proposed definition for "delivery" in the context of cryptocurrency assets. The agency has since embarked on a 90-day comment period regarding the proposal, soliciting feedback from the public on an issue that had stoked criticism and beguiled regulators working on possible solutions.

The release perhaps represents a kind of normalization for bitcoin at the agency, which moved to classify bitcoin as a kind of commodity in 2015. Indeed, the CFTC's chief remarked earlier this month that, in his view, bitcoin is an unusual kind of commodity by the agency's standards.

"I have said consistently that virtual currencies are unlike any commodity that the CFTC has dealt with in the past, and I know they pose challenges for the SEC as well," he said last week following remarks from the head of the SEC, Jay Clayton.

Disclosure: CME Group is an investor in Digital Currency Group, CoinDesk's parent company.

Bitcoin on keyboard image via Shutterstock

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

Bitcoin Plunges Below $90K as AI Worries Drag Nasdaq, Crypto Stocks Down

Bitcoin (BTC) price (CoinDesk)

Chipmaker Broadcom's 10% slide weighs on the market as Chicago Fed's Goolsbee signals more cuts than the median for 2026.

What to know:

  • Bitcoin drops below $90,000 as ongoing AI related jitters weighed on U.S. stock market indices.
  • Broadcom shares fell 10% on Friday after earnings outlook disappointed investors' high expectations.
  • Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee, who opposed a rate cut in December, said he is projecting more interest rate cuts in 2026 than the current median outlook.