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Chicago-based crypto exchange Bitnomial has launched monthly futures contracts tied to the Layer-1 blockchain Aptos1 native token, marking the first APT derivatives product regulated under the US oversight. The contracts will be available to institutional clients through Bitnomial1s clearing members, with retail access expected in the coming weeks via the company1s Botanical platform. According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, the contracts feature monthly expirations and settle in either US dollars or Aptos1 native APT (APT) token, depending on the position. Monthly futures are standardized derivatives that allow traders to gain price exposure over a defined period without holding the underlying asset. “A regulated futures market is a prerequisite for spot crypto ETF approval under the SEC1s generic listing standards,” Bitnomial president Michael Dunn said, adding that the contracts let institutions gain APT exposure using the same derivatives infrastructure they use for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), including portfolio margining across positions. The launch marks Aptos1 first derivatives market regulated by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), according to the company, while other Aptos-linked derivatives available to US traders are listed as offshore products. The slow expansion of US-regulated crypto futures US-regulated crypto futures markets beyond the largest digital assets remain limited, with Bitnomial emerging as one of the few venues offering exchange-native futures tied to altcoins. Bringing those products to market, however, has involved navigating a complex and evolving regulatory landscape. In August 2024, Bitnomial filed to list XRP futures through a self-certification with the CFTC, but was challenged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which said the contracts required Bitnomial to register as a securities exchange. After filing a lawsuit against the SEC in October 2025, Bitnomial dropped the case in March and went on to launch regulated XRP futures for US users later that month, citing “the SEC1s evolving policies on crypto.” Other US exchanges have taken a more incremental approach to regulated crypto futures. Coinbase Derivatives Exchange launched institutional futures contracts tied to Bitcoin and Ether under CFTC regulation in June 2023, but did not expand access to retail-sized contracts until May 2025. In July 2025, Kraken launched a US derivatives platform that gives domestic traders access to cryptocurrency futures listed on CME Group. The exchange also offers an APT perpetual futures contract on its global platform. In March 2025, Kraken announced plans to acquire NinjaTrader for about $1.5 billion, a deal aimed at expanding its derivatives capabilities through NinjaTrader1s CFTC-registered infrastructure.
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