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According to the New York Post, citing informed sources, Matthew Modabber, who has served as the Chief Marketing Officer of the prediction market platform Polymarket since January 2024, has been fired. Previously, the company conducted an internal investigation into a series of events that raised public concern and worried investors.One of the issues involved Modabber's team being accused of creating fake webpages to promote staged videos, which showed users profiting from fake trades. This situation was exposed in a June report by the Wall Street Journal, which subsequently triggered an investigation by the U.S. CFTC. The investigation is still ongoing, and no violations have been determined yet.Informed sources stated that Modabber was a confidant of 28-year-old CEO Shayne Coplan, and during his tenure as an executive, he often made impulsive decisions that led the company into a public relations crisis. Polymarket is finalizing Modabber's departure agreement, and both parties are maintaining mutual respect during the process.

According to Bloomberg, the Commodity Markets Council, representing derivatives exchanges such as the CME Group and commodity traders, has informed the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that perpetual futures pose a significant risk to market integrity and urged regulators not to approve the perpetual oil futures contract proposed by the prediction market platform Kalshi.The organization also called on the CFTC to close regulatory loopholes to prevent retail investors from accessing offshore trading platforms.

David Hoffman, the founder of Bankless, retweeted the compliance updates of the perpetual contract trading platform Lighter on X, stating, "Lighter's big market is back." During the Lighter third-quarter investor conference call the previous night, Hoffman, as an investor, asked whether, given that Lighter has had extensive prior communication with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the approval for the Designated Contract Market (DCM) and Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) licenses is expected to be granted earlier than the stipulated 180-day review period.Lighter's founder and CEO Vladimir Novakovski responded that extensive prior communication would make the process much smoother. He stated that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission currently has a lot on its plate, so he could not provide a specific timeline, but internally there is a fast-acting team, and the approval process is expected to go relatively smoothly. Previously, Hoffman had liquidated his ETH holdings and shifted to tokens like LIT, ZEC, and NEAR, which have all significantly outperformed ETH since then.

According to Crypto Briefing, the decentralized perpetual contract trading platform Lighter stated during its Q3 investor call that it plans to submit a derivative brand license application to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in November 2026, aiming to become the first on-chain perpetual contract DEX approved by the CFTC. Founder Vladimir Novakovski mentioned that the team has been in communication with regulators for about 11 months.Currently, Lighter has integrated with Robinhood Chain to provide perpetual contract trading, and the number of Lighter Core accounts has exceeded 1 million. OKX market data shows that LIT has risen 22.26% in the past 24 hours, currently priced at $3.89.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced the agenda for its inaugural "Frontier Forum." The forum, hosted by the CFTC Innovation Working Group, is scheduled for October 28 and will invite leaders in the field of artificial intelligence to discuss how AI may change the operation of the U.S. derivatives market.CFTC Chairman Mike Selig stated in a statement that super intelligence will transform our financial markets. This forum will focus on how the derivatives market can respond to the influx of machine intelligence and the potential impact of this technology on price discovery and risk management. The forum agenda adopts the term "super intelligence," preferred by U.S. President Trump.The Innovation Working Group indicated that the event will hear insights from leaders of companies such as Ornn, Architect, and Liquid Compute. Additionally, the forum will explore how traders' own AI agents might operate under the CFTC regulatory framework. This is the first event in the "Frontier Forum" series launched by the CFTC Innovation Working Group.

Bitcoin News posted on platform X, stating that as the Clarity Act is stalled, regulators are independently formulating rules for the digital asset market based on existing authorities. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has solicited opinions on a framework for retail digital asset trading, which includes a new category of "crypto asset market" exchanges, with the comment period ending on December 14.The comment period for the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposed Regulation Crypto Assets will close on October 20. The pace at which regulators are crafting rules is faster than congressional legislation, but the relevant rules may face challenges in court or be rescinded by future commissions; a lasting regulatory framework still requires legislation.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) stated in its latest court filing that CME only claims increased competition without reasonably explaining the existence of imminent financial harm, which is insufficient to qualify for a lawsuit challenging its perpetual contract policy. The CFTC pointed out that after the policy adjustment, CME's cryptocurrency futures trading volume has actually increased.In May of this year, the CFTC approved Kalshi's first Bitcoin perpetual contract and stated that it would regulate such products on a case-by-case basis under futures regulations. CME, on the other hand, believes that perpetual contracts do not have an expiration date and should be classified as swaps rather than futures, subject to a different regulatory framework. Last month, the CFTC requested a federal judge to dismiss the case, and this filing further elaborated on its rebuttal to CME's standing in the lawsuit.The CFTC also noted that CME had previously informed investors that it had not heard customer demand for perpetual contracts, and that such products could not replace its existing futures, and that it should not take different positions in court and during earnings calls. TD Cowen policy analyst Jaret Seiberg believes that CME may still have the upper hand regarding its standing in the lawsuit and the argument that the products should be classified as swaps. However, he is concerned that if the perpetual contract market continues to grow during the litigation, it may become more complicated to dismantle this market if CME wins.

Michael Passalacqua, Senior Advisor to the Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Head of the Innovation Working Group, introduced that after the Clarity Act was stalled, the CFTC is advancing Reg CAM, the "Crypto Asset Market" framework, which aims to provide a voluntary path for cryptocurrency trading platforms to come under the CFTC's nationwide unified regulation.This arrangement is primarily aimed at platforms that offer leveraged, margin, or financing trading to retail customers, allowing them to escape the patchwork of state money transmission licensing regulations; pure spot trading without leverage generally remains outside this mandatory framework. Passalacqua stated that the relevant rulemaking is currently in the public comment phase, and there is still no conclusion on whether the industry finds this proposal attractive.

According to Cointelegraph, a recent poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos shows that a majority of American respondents oppose betting on U.S. elections and other government actions through prediction markets. The survey indicates that 69% of Democratic respondents and 61% of Republican respondents oppose using prediction markets to bet on election outcomes. The survey was conducted from September 30 to October 5, covering 4,506 adults nationwide.Aside from elections, even regarding betting on professional sports events, 43% of respondents expressed opposition, while only 29% indicated support. The prediction market industry is currently dominated by platforms such as Polymarket and Kalshi, which allow users to bet on U.S. elections, government policy trends, and sports events, and has sparked multiple lawsuits regarding regulatory authority.The Trump administration is pushing for federal regulation of the industry through the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), while several states have expressed opposition to this. Previously, on October 8, Cointelegraph reported that 39 states and the District of Columbia submitted an amicus brief, indicating that the conflict between the CFTC and state authorities over prediction market issues has created a "national turf war" that cannot be resolved without a Supreme Court ruling.

On October 15, 2026, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein denied the motion to revoke the $5 million settlement agreement reached between the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), with the fines paid and permanent injunctions remaining in effect. Previously, the CFTC had stated that the original lawsuit should not have been filed. The controversy stemmed from Gemini's involvement in proposed Bitcoin futures contracts.The CFTC filed the lawsuit in June 2022, accusing it of misleading regulators regarding trading safeguards, customer financing, special rate arrangements, and activities that could affect contract pricing; the parties settled in January 2025, with Gemini neither admitting nor denying the related allegations. In May 2026, after an internal review, the CFTC jointly filed a motion with Gemini to revoke the settlement, citing issues with whistleblower credibility, evidence, and enforcement practices. The judge found that the relevant circumstances existed prior to the settlement, and the change in enforcement focus was insufficient to revoke a binding court order; the CFTC still retains enforcement discretion.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) reported that as of the week ending October 13, stock fund speculators reduced their net short positions in CME S&P 500 index futures by 5,804 contracts, to 390,896 contracts.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) reported that as of the week ending October 13, stock fund managers increased their net long positions in CME S&P 500 futures by 8,186 contracts, reaching a total of 912,542 contracts.

According to The Defiant, the perpetual contract for Sei Network's native token SEI has been launched for trading on OG.com Markets. The exchange is operated by the North American Derivatives Exchange (Nadex) and is regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), providing U.S. investors with a compliant channel to access SEI with leverage. Sei officially stated that this is "another compliant way to acquire SEI."The contract was self-certified by the exchange on October 8, and the CFTC product registry has listed it as a certified product, originally scheduled to be listed on October 12. Trading records from October 16 show two transactions of 100 SEI each at 4:54 PM Eastern Time on that day. The contract is settled in U.S. dollars and has no expiration date, allowing traders to maintain long or short positions without rolling over. Clients must access through a CFTC-registered futures commission merchant or an associated introducing broker.Each contract represents 1 SEI, with a minimum trading unit of 100 contracts, and trading occurs around the clock. The funding fees for both long and short positions are calculated every eight hours, with a maximum rate of 2% per period, aimed at aligning the futures price with the CF Sei-Dollar spot rate managed by CF Benchmarks. The contract is settled twice daily at noon and 5 PM Eastern Time. Traders are required to pay the initial margin based on the risk benchmark in U.S. dollars, and the exchange's notification indicates that the initial margin range for its crypto perpetual contract product line is between 15% and 30%.

Federal District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in New York dismissed the joint application of Gemini and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to revoke the $5 million settlement agreement. Gemini and the CFTC had stated in May that the settlement agreement reached in January 2025 violated the fundamental principles of fair enforcement.The judge ruled that the aforementioned reasons were insufficient to support the revocation of the settlement and noted that Gemini voluntarily signed the agreement three weeks before the trial.

On October 13, Paul S. Atkins, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), issued a statement announcing that the Commission voted that day to approve a proposed rule change by a certain securities exchange, allowing for the listing of binary options based on specific key performance indicators (KPIs) reported by certain stock issuers.According to the approval order, these binary KPI options will be listed and traded on the securities exchange, classified as cash-settled, European-style, standardized options, and recognized as NMS securities, protected under securities law. Their listing and trading methods will be largely similar to existing standardized non-binary options and will be subject to the exchange's rules regarding customer accounts, margin, trading halts, auction mechanisms, market maker designations and quoting obligations, order types, validity periods, and order instructions.The approval order only covers the aforementioned specific binary option contracts traded on exchanges that comply with securities law and the listing and trading of standardized securities options, and does not involve similar products that are based on the same KPIs but have different structures. The statement also noted that the approval order does not address or exclude the jurisdiction of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over contracts based on the same KPIs but designed to fall under its jurisdiction.

Cryptocurrency exchange Blockchain.com is applying for a license from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to seek both exchange registration and futures broker registration in order to offer derivatives and prediction market services in the United States.The aforementioned services will be aimed at retail and institutional clients, and the business planned to be launched in the United States still requires regulatory approval.

On September 30, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released final rules adjusting the quorum requirement to only one commissioner in most cases to constitute a quorum, which took effect on October 2. The SEC stated that this move aims to enhance the flexibility and finality of institutional rule-making. Earlier this month, Commissioner Hester Peirce resigned, leaving only Chairman Paul Atkins and former Acting Chairman Mark Uyeda as the two remaining commissioners, while the agency's statutory seats are five.The leadership vacancy at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is even more pronounced, as Michael Selig has been the only Senate-confirmed chairman and commissioner since December 2025. Both agencies were originally set to have five commissioners. In terms of rule-making, the SEC proposed in August to provide a safe harbor for tokens not to be classified as "investment contracts," and the CFTC followed up in October, with Selig stating that he would utilize existing statutory authority to advance cryptocurrency regulation through proposed rules regarding exchanges; Atkins also mentioned on October 2 that more regulatory proposals would be forthcoming.On October 5, the Financial Times published a commentary by Robin Wigglesworth, pointing out that with only two commissioners, if one needs to recuse themselves or is unable to perform their duties, a single commissioner can pass formal rules applicable to a securities market worth trillions of dollars. Uyeda subsequently responded in the Financial Times, stating that the SEC's commitment to its mission has not changed, and the rule modification merely clarifies that when all but one commissioner must recuse themselves, the commission can still constitute a quorum.

According to The Block, Chicago Mercantile Exchange CEO Terrence Duffy stated that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is facing an issue of "overreach" in its attempt to expand regulatory authority over prediction markets, and the related regulatory disputes may ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court.Duffy mentioned during the DC Fintech Week event on Tuesday that the struggle for regulatory authority over prediction markets could evolve into a legal battle between state governments, tribal governments, and the federal government, stating, "This will go to the Supreme Court, and I believe state governments and tribal governments will have the advantage."