CBOE to launch Bitcoin futures on December 10, ahead of CME

On December 5, the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) announced that it will officially start trading Bitcoin futures products at 5 pm Central Time on December 10. In other words, the exchange will surpass CME and become the world's first mainstream exchange to launch Bitcoin futures.

In a statement released today, the company also added that in order to facilitate trading, its bitcoin futures products will waive trading fees until the end of this month.

The announcement is notable as CBOE competitor CME Group announced it would launch bitcoin futures trading on December 18.

CBOE Chairman and CEO Ed Tilly said in a statement:

“Given the unprecedented interest in Bitcoin among our customers, we are providing them with trading tools that help them express their views and hedge their risk. We are committed to encouraging fairness and liquidity in the Bitcoin market. To promote this goal, we will initially offer XBT futures trading for free.”

CBOE first detailed its plans to create a bitcoin futures product in August, when it partnered with New York-based bitcoin exchange Gemini.

The move comes as the price of Bitcoin is climbing, with the current market price of Bitcoin approaching $11,400.