Blockchain.com, the London-founded cryptocurrency exchange and wallet operator, is pursuing approval from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission to operate prediction markets in the United States, according to a CNBC report republished by Cryptonews.net.

The filing, as described by CNBC, would extend Blockchain.com's regulated US footprint beyond spot crypto trading and custody into event-contracts — a product category that has drawn intense regulatory and political scrutiny over the past 18 months.

What is Blockchain.com proposing?

The application centers on CFTC registration that would allow Blockchain.com to intermediate contracts tied to real-world outcomes. Prediction markets function as exchanges where users trade contracts that pay out based on the result of specific events — elections, economic data releases, sporting contests, or macroeconomic benchmarks.

If approved, Blockchain.com would join a small cohort of CFTC-supervised event-contract venues. Kalshi, a New York-based exchange, has operated as a CFTC-regulated designated contract market since 2020 and processed election-cycle trading volume that the company has publicly disclosed in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Polymarket, the blockchain-native venue, acquired a CFTC-licensed entity and reopened to US users in 2025 after a multi-year regulatory standoff with the agency.

Why is the CFTC the relevant regulator?

Prediction markets fall under CFTC jurisdiction when contracts are structured as event derivatives and traded on a designated contract market. The commission holds authority over swaps, futures, and options on commodities and has interpreted certain political and economic event contracts as falling within that derivatives mandate.

Acting CFTC Chair Caroline Pham has publicly committed to reviewing the agency's event-contract framework, and the commission has opened comment periods on prediction market rules in 2024 and 2025. State gaming regulators and the Department of Justice have separately challenged event contracts tied to election outcomes, creating overlapping jurisdictional pressure on the agency.

How does this fit Blockchain.com's strategy?

Blockchain.com operates one of the original bitcoin wallet services, launched in 2011, and runs a US-regulated exchange under state money-transmission and federal Bank Secrecy Act frameworks. The company has historically avoided derivatives, focusing on spot trading, custody, and on-chain wallet infrastructure.

Adding a CFTC-regulated event-contract venue would give Blockchain.com a new revenue line in a category where retail trading volumes have surged. Rival retail broker Robinhood began offering event contracts in early 2025, and traditional asset managers have filed public comments asking the CFTC to clarify whether single-event contracts constitute gaming or derivatives.

What does the application process involve?

A firm seeking to operate a designated contract market must file an application with the CFTC's Division of Market Oversight, demonstrate operational and surveillance capability, and satisfy capital and segregation requirements. Approval timelines vary: Kalshi's initial DCM application took roughly 18 months, and Polymarket's acquisition of QCX LLC shortened its path to US reentry.

The CFTC has 180 days to act on a complete application, though it can extend review or request amendments. The agency has not publicly disclosed the status or completeness of any Blockchain.com filing.

What changes if the application clears?

A successful Blockchain.com application would add a well-capitalized, brand-recognized crypto-native operator to a market currently anchored by Kalshi and the relaunched Polymarket. For retail users, the entry could mean tighter spreads, deeper liquidity on certain event contracts, and wallet-to-contract integration without third-party transfers.

For incumbents, the move signals that established crypto exchanges — not just specialist venues — view prediction markets as a core US product line rather than an experiment.

The CFTC's next scheduled open meeting on event-contract rulemaking is a likely inflection point. The agency has signaled that updated guidance on political and economic event contracts will arrive before the end of the current fiscal year.