CFTC to host public roundtable on 24/7 derivatives trading on Dec. 15

The derivatives regulator wants industry input on overnight trading, tokenization, and what it would take to keep markets open around the clock The Commodity Futures Trading Commission will hold a public roundtable on Dec. 15 to examine whether derivatives markets could run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The session will take place at the CFTC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., and will be livestreamed for anyone who wants to watch. It follows a Request for Comment the agency issued over the summer, which means this is the second formal step in the process, not the first. What’s on the agenda The CFTC has flagged three main discussion areas. Overnight trading comes first. This covers the mechanics of keeping contracts trading through hours when activity has traditionally slowed or stopped altogether. Tokenization is the second topic. Tokenization means representing an asset, or a claim on it, as a digital token on a blockchain-style ledger. Infrastructure and staffing round out the list. A market that never closes needs systems that never go down, and people available to watch them at 3 a.m. on a Sunday. The agency’s framing centers on operational, structural, and risk-managem...