Crypto exchange Gemini today received approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to operate as a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO), marking its entry into regulated clearing for derivatives markets.
According to the official announcement, the license was granted to its affiliate, Gemini Olympus, LLC, allowing the firm to clear trades in products such as futures, options, and prediction market contracts.
Co-Founder Cameron Winklevoss commented on the approval in an X post, stating, “This marks a major milestone in our marketplace expansion. In addition to our crypto spot marketplace, Gemini now has a full-stack, end-to-end marketplace for predictions as well as futures, options, and more. This is also a major building block for our super app, where users will be able to fulfill their existing and future financial needs all in one place. Onward!”
Building on earlier market designation
The approval follows a prior designation for another affiliate, Gemini Titan, LLC, which was approved as a Designated Contract Market (DCM) in December 2025. That designation enabled Gemini to launch a prediction market platform, with the new clearing license completing another layer of regulated infrastructure required to support derivatives trading.
With DCO status, Gemini can act as a clearinghouse, handling trade settlement and counterparty risk, for derivatives executed on its platform. This function is central to operating regulated derivatives markets in the United States. The company indicated it is exploring expansion into crypto-linked derivatives, including futures, options, and perpetual contracts, for U.S. users.
Agentic trading push adds automation layer
Separately, Gemini said on April 27 that it rolled out a feature called Agentic Trading, aimed at automating trading activity through artificial intelligence tools. The system allows users to connect AI agents directly to their trading accounts, enabling automated execution of tasks such as placing trades, tracking market conditions, and managing risk without continuous manual input.
According to the company, the feature is built on the Model Context Protocol developed by Anthropic. This framework allows AI systems to interact with external tools and APIs. Gemini said it has integrated its trading API into this protocol, allowing AI tools to access core exchange functions through modular components it refers to as “Trading Skills.”
Positioning beyond spot crypto trading
The latest approval extends Gemini’s operations beyond spot cryptocurrency trading into a broader financial market structure that includes both execution and post-trade services. By combining exchange and clearing capabilities, the firm is aligning with models used in traditional derivatives markets, where integrated infrastructure supports trading, settlement, and risk management.
The approval places Gemini among a smaller group of firms with multiple licenses from the CFTC, reflecting a shift among crypto companies toward regulated derivatives offerings. It also comes as prediction markets and crypto-linked derivatives continue to draw regulatory scrutiny in the U.S., particularly around market structure and consumer protections.
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