Binance.US plans to apply for a Designated Contract Market (DCM) license from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) next month, with the goal of offering prediction market products to its customers. CEO Stevie Gregory disclosed the plan while speaking on stage at the RareEvo Conference. Journalist Eleanor Terrett first reported the scoop on July 29, 2026:

🚨SCOOP: @BinanceUS plans to apply to the @CFTC for a Designated Contract Market (DCM) next month with the goal of offering prediction markets to customers, CEO @Stevie_Satoshi just told me on stage at @RareEvo Conference. The move is part of the exchange's broader comeback… — Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) July 29, 2026

A DCM license would enable Binance.US to offer futures, options, and other derivatives under CFTC regulations. Designated contract markets must satisfy 23 federal core principles, which cover trading surveillance, financial resources, customer safeguards, and controls against market manipulation. The CFTC's public application list does not currently include Binance.US, corroborating Gregory's description of the filing as forthcoming.

There is no guarantee of approval. Binance.US has not made any public announcements regarding a launch date or the specific types of event contracts it intends to list.

Strategic Context Behind the Expansion

The planned filing aligns with the exchange's broader strategy. Gregory has previously highlighted lower transaction fees and services beyond spot crypto trading as growth areas, with retail derivatives and event-based products identified as key segments under consideration.

Binance.US once accounted for approximately 20% of the total U.S. crypto exchange market in 2022, a figure that has since fallen to near zero. The entity operates independently of Binance.com.

The global operations of Binance reached a $4.3 billion settlement with U.S. regulators in 2023, admitting to violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, money transmission registration requirements, and U.S. sanctions regulations. The Department of Justice named Binance Holdings Limited, the owner of Binance.com, as the pleading entity in that case.

Competitor Coinbase has already moved beyond traditional crypto exchange services with its "Everything Exchange" plan, which encompasses crypto assets, stocks, derivatives, and prediction markets. The prediction market category itself has expanded as platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket have drawn interest from retail traders in political, sports, and financial events, making it one of the fastest-growing segments adjacent to crypto trading. Binance.US has yet to announce a comparable initiative.

Prediction Markets Face State-Level Legal Challenges

Prediction markets involve event contracts tied to outcomes in sports, politics, and financial data. The CFTC classifies registered exchanges offering such products as derivative markets. Kalshi, which already operates as a CFTC-registered DCM, illustrates the regulatory pathway Binance.US would follow, though even licensed platforms face ongoing jurisdictional disputes. Certain states argue that contracts related to sporting events fall under their gambling jurisdiction.

A court granted Wisconsin permission to enforce its gambling regulations on sports prediction markets, refusing the CFTC's request to halt state enforcement during ongoing legal proceedings. The CFTC filed lawsuits against Wisconsin, Kalshi, Polymarket, Crypto.com, Robinhood, and Coinbase, asserting that federal law grants the commission exclusive jurisdiction over listed event contracts.

Binance.US must submit its application and demonstrate full compliance before it can offer products through a designated contract market. The CFTC has not yet disclosed any information about the company's filing. As a result, the prediction market expansion remains an idea without a concrete timeline.