Bitnomial Launches US-Regulated Aptos Futures

Chicago-based crypto exchange Bitnomial just dropped monthly futures contracts tied to Aptos' native token APT — and it's the FIRST US-regulated APT derivatives product ever. This is huge for institutional players who can now get APT exposure through the same CFTC-regulated infrastructure they use for BTC and ETH.

The contracts feature monthly expirations and settle in either USD or APT tokens (currently trading around $1.94). Institutional clients get access through Bitnomial's clearing members first, with retail access coming soon via their Botanical platform.

US-regulated crypto futures beyond the big dogs (BTC, ETH) are still rare AF. Bitnomial's emerging as one of the few venues offering exchange-native altcoin futures, but getting these products live has been a regulatory nightmare.

Remember when Bitnomial tried to launch XRP futures in August 2024? The SEC shut that down, saying they needed to register as a securities exchange. Bitnomial sued the SEC in October 2025, dropped the case in March, and finally launched regulated XRP futures for US users later that month — citing "the SEC's evolving policies on crypto."

Other exchanges are moving slower: Coinbase Derivatives launched institutional BTC/ETH futures in June 2023 but didn't add retail-sized contracts until May 2025. Kraken launched a US derivatives platform in July 2025 giving domestic traders access to CME Group crypto futures, plus they offer APT perpetual futures on their global platform.

And in March 2025, Kraken announced plans to acquire NinjaTrader for about $1.5 billion — a massive deal aimed at expanding derivatives capabilities through NinjaTrader's CFTC-registered infrastructure.