Key points
- Blockchain.com has applied to the CFTC for DCM and FCM licences, CNBC reported on 9 October 2026.
- The platform wants to offer prediction markets and crypto derivatives to US retail and institutional customers.
- It runs prediction markets for some customers outside the US through a Polymarket partnership.
- CNBC says 11 other companies have filed for DCM licences this year and the CFTC has approved six.
Blockchain.com has applied for CFTC licences from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission as a designated contract market (DCM) and futures commission merchant (FCM), CNBC reported on 9 October. The crypto platform wants to offer prediction markets and crypto derivatives to US retail and institutional customers.
What the CFTC licences cover
A DCM licence would let Blockchain.com run its own exchange for event contracts. An FCM registration would let it act as a derivatives broker. Both are requests for approval, and the company cannot launch the US services until the CFTC grants them.
Peter Smith, CEO and co-founder of Blockchain.com, told CNBC the company wants users to manage digital assets, trade derivatives and take part in prediction markets without switching apps. The company lists more than 44 million confirmed accounts.
Prediction markets outside the US
Blockchain.com added prediction markets for some international customers this year through a partnership with Polymarket, which it announced in July, according to Cointelegraph’s report. CNBC also reported that it offers perpetual futures powered by Hyperliquid to some customers outside the US.
Bloomberg reported in September that Blockchain.com is targeting an initial public offering in 2026 at a valuation of $4 billion to $6 billion, according to CNBC.
A crowded licensing queue
CNBC reported that 11 other companies have filed for DCM licences this year and that the CFTC has approved six new DCMs in 2026. CFTC Chair Michael Selig has said the agency has exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets, according to Cointelegraph.
State regulators dispute that position. They have sued operators including Kalshi and Polymarket, Decrypt reported, and New Jersey officials petitioned the US Supreme Court in September in their case against Kalshi. EpicWins covered the CFTC swap rule that excludes sportsbooks and casinos on 13 October, and tracks the wider prediction markets fight in its hub.
