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BitMEX Ether Futures Trading Contracts Fall by Half in Wake of US Charges
Open interest on the Seychelles-based cryptocurrency exchange is down nearly 50% from the $125 million observed Oct. 1.
Updated Mar 6, 2023, 3:29 p.m. Published Oct 5, 2020, 11:26 p.m.
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Investor interest in ether futures traded on BitMEX has declined sharply since the Seychelles-based cryptocurrency exchange was charged Thursday with illegally operating an unregistered derivatives-trading platform that accepted U.S. customers.
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- At press time, ether futures contracts worth $63 million (179,000 ETH) are open or active on BitMEX, the lowest since May 15, according to data source Skew.
- Open interest is down nearly 50% from the $125 million observed on Oct. 1.
- Last week, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed civil charges against BitMEX, and the Department of Justice brought criminal charges against BitMEX's owners for facilitating money laundering and other illegal transactions.
- Open interest in ether futures on BitMEX was declining even before last week’s charges, in line with a downdraft witnessed across the industry. It had peaked at $214 million on Sept. 1.
- September's 17% decline in ether's price likely dented short-term optimism, causing a slide in the open interest across all exchanges.
- Notably, since Thursday, open positions in BitMEX bitcoin futures have also declined by over 20% from $592 million to $456 million.
Also read: Open Interest in CME Bitcoin Futures Slides as Market Sapped by Surging DeFi
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- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
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- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
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Bitcoin’s weakness versus gold and equities puts quantum computing fears back in focus
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