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.
By Wolfie Zhao
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 7:17 a.m. Published Dec 18, 2017, 6:15 p.m.
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
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
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates 25 Basis Points, With Two Voting for Steady Policy
The anticipated move comes as policymakers are still operating without several key economic data releases that remain delayed or suspended due to the U.S. government shutdown.
What to know:
- As expected, the Federal Reserve trimmed its benchmark fed funds rate range by 25 basis points on Wednesday afternoon.
- Today's cut is notable given the unusually large amount of public dissension among Fed members for further monetary ease.
- Two Fed members dissented from the rate cut, preferring instead to hold rates steady, while one member voted for a 50 basis point rate cut.
Top Stories
