CME Goes 24/7 on Bitcoin Futures as Strategy Sale Sparks $50M Polymarket Dispute

Bitcoin News

CME Group flipped the switch on continuous cryptocurrency derivatives trading this past weekend, launching 24/7 futures and options on its Globex platform at 4:00 p.m. Central Time on Friday, May 29. The structural overhaul closes a long-standing weekend gap that previously left regulated traders unable to hedge while spot markets churned. Over the inaugural weekend, more than 7,200 contracts changed hands across the venue's Bitcoin and crypto product suite, generating roughly $50 million in notional value. The move aligns the world's largest regulated derivatives exchange with the always-on cadence of digital asset markets and reflects sustained institutional demand for uninterrupted access.

The launch arrives on the back of record participation. Notional crypto derivatives volume at the venue reached $3 trillion in 2025, and 2026 average daily volume now sits at 407,200 contracts, a 46% year-over-year increase. Average daily open interest stands at 335,400 contracts, up 7% from the prior year. Alongside the 24/7 schedule, the operator introduced new Bitcoin volatility-linked contracts designed to give traders exposure to implied volatility rather than directional price. Robinhood, Ripple Prime, and Wedbush Securities each confirmed support, with executives framing the rollout as the first opportunity for regulated weekend hedging in the asset class and a maturation milestone for institutional-grade exposure.

A prediction market asking whether Strategy would liquidate any of its Bitcoin holdings before May 31 has descended into a $50 million resolution dispute. The Polymarket contract drew aggressive late volume after the firm disclosed on Monday morning that it had sold 32 BTC for $2.5 million during the May 26 to May 31 window — the first divestment by the corporate Bitcoin treasury since 2022. Because the announcement landed after the market's headline cutoff, two proposed "No" resolutions were challenged by traders holding "Yes" positions, who argue the rules require the sale to have occurred during the window, not be publicly confirmed within it.

With the proposed outcome contested twice, final adjudication now passes to a vote by UMA tokenholders, the governance participants of the decentralized oracle underpinning the prediction venue and a notable test case for DAO-style arbitration. The contract currently reads 99.9% in favor of "No," even as displaced "Yes" buyers flood the comment thread arguing the market language tracked the event itself rather than its disclosure timing. Similar disputes have produced controversial outcomes in the past, including last year's $237 million market on a presidential wardrobe choice. The review window can extend across two trading days, and the platform itself is barred from direct intervention.

Shares of Strategy slid more than 6.5% at Monday's open before paring losses through the afternoon, as investors digested the company's first Bitcoin disposal since adopting its "never sell" stance. Analysts argue the 32 BTC sale, while a fraction of the firm's $60 billion holdings, materially reframes how the Tysons Corner-based business is valued. Research commentary out Monday described the company as no longer a pure one-way accumulation vehicle, but rather a leveraged corporate treasury whose decisions are shaped by preferred-share obligations, market-to-Bitcoin net asset value, equity issuance, and broader balance-sheet pressures. The old "never sell" framing, in their view, is now broken in practice.

Executive chairman Michael Saylor publicly framed the divestment as a deliberate balance-sheet maneuver in support of STRC, the firm's yield-bearing preferred stock that distributes income backed by its Bitcoin holdings. According to Saylor, the move reflects an active approach to capital management aimed at maximizing the company's Bitcoin-per-share ratio, a metric tracking how much BTC supports each fully diluted equity share. Chief executive Phong Le echoed the framing in subsequent commentary, signaling that selective trimming could become a recurring tool. The episode marks an inflection point for the corporate Bitcoin treasury narrative across publicly traded miner and accumulator equities.

Bitcoin trades at $71,572 with a 24-hour drawdown of 2.90%, extending a corrective leg as macro pressure and supply-side narratives collide. Market capitalization sits near $1.43 trillion against $24.2 billion in daily turnover, signaling continued participation rather than capitulation. With price consolidating in a sideways regime, the immediate read is range-bound until momentum resolves; a reclaim of the prior $74,000 shelf would re-engage bullish continuation, while sustained acceptance under $70,000 risks deeper retracement toward late-spring lows and a potential test of bear market dynamics. Corporate flow and spot ETF redemptions remain the dominant variables to watch.