Coinbase announced on March 10 that it plans to offer 24/7 trading for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) futures to US residents. The exchange is also launching perpetual futures trading with long-date expirations.
According to Coinbase, much of the current crypto derivatives market takes place outside of US borders, with American traders having to navigate fixed hours and expiring contracts, “which can create inefficiencies.”
Futures are a type of derivative that involves creating a contract to buy or sell an asset at a certain price and date. When the futures lack a date for the buying and selling of an asset, they are called perpetual futures, or “perpetuals” for short.
Regulatory uncertainty surrounding crypto perpetual futures has led many exchanges to disallow US residents from trading such products. In its announcement, Coinbase