Kalshi Plans Regulated Crude Oil Perpetuals After Bitcoin Success

Kalshi is preparing to submit a filing with the CFTC for a new type of oil trading contract. They want to launch perpetual futures for WTI crude oil, which would be the first time this type of product is available on a regulated US exchange. The filing is expected as early as next week and proposes trading five days a week, 24 hours a day.

Standard futures contracts have an expiration date, but perpetuals never expire. This allows traders to hold a position for as long as they want without the need to settle or move into a new contract each month. This style of trading is already very popular in the crypto market, and Kalshi is now working to bring that model to the energy sector.

This new push follows the successful launch of a Bitcoin perpetual contract earlier this year. That product was the first of its kind to be approved by US regulators and managed to clear over 16 billion dollars in volume by the start of July. Since then, the platform has also looked into offering similar contracts for gold, silver, and copper.

The CFTC has been careful about round the clock trading for energy products in the past, even blocking a similar attempt by the CME recently. Kalshi says it has designed this new oil contract to address the specific concerns raised by regulators. If approved, it would mark a significant expansion for the platform as it prepares for a potential public listing in the future.