Abaxx Exchange
Abaxx Exchange, a Singapore‑based Recognised Market Operator, launched in June 2024 offering centrally‑cleared, physically deliverable LNG futures across three regional contracts. Since then it has expanded its suite to include nickel‑sulphate, gold kilobar, carbon‑offset and the world’s first exchange‑traded solar futures, diversifying into metals and environmental markets. The platform secured MAS licensing, EU OMP registration and attracted StoneX as its first clearing and trading member, while also acquiring a stake in digital‑supply‑chain firm MineHub. These moves position Abaxx as a multi‑commodity hub with integrated ESG and risk‑management tools.
US Probes Suspicious Oil Trades Made Before Trump Iran Pivots
John Lothian News is rolling out “Auditions,” a new JLN topic page that invites market‑related entertainment creators to showcase scripts, books, documentaries and poems to its audience. The inaugural offering is a feature‑film script titled “The Front Runner,” dramatizing a...
Coinbase’s ‘Everything Exchange’ Strategy Bets on 24/7 Crypto, Derivatives and Deribit Integration
Coinbase announced an "Everything Exchange" that will combine 24‑hour spot trading, crypto derivatives and an integration with Deribit’s futures platform. The unified product is designed to give retail and institutional users a single interface for trading, clearing and margin across...
Berkovitz Recalls CFTC’s Scramble to Build Swaps Regime After Dodd-Frank
Former CFTC commissioner Dan Berkovitz reflected on the agency’s rapid construction of a swaps regime after Dodd‑Frank, emphasizing the philosophical rather than partisan nature of internal debates. Meanwhile, U.S. futures commission merchants face a record $49.1 billion capital requirement by January 2026, up...
Australian Securities Exchange
Australia’s primary securities market, the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), operates an integrated trading, clearing and settlement platform serving more than 2,200 listed entities and handling roughly $1 trillion USD in annual turnover. Originating from the 1987 merger of six regional exchanges,...
Power & Consequences: Gensler and Nobel Laureate Johnson Take MIT Policy Debates to Podcast Listeners
Former SEC and CFTC chair Gary Gensler warned that political pressure is eroding the independence of key U.S. regulators, threatening market integrity. At the same time, CQG announced its sale to Broadridge Financial Solutions, positioning the combined entity as a...
Nodal Clear
Nodal Clear, founded in 2014 and based in Tysons Corner, Virginia, operates as a CFTC‑regulated derivatives clearing organization for Nodal Exchange and the newer FairX platform. The CFTC expanded its registration in November 2020, permitting the firm to clear contracts...
Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) has placed 25 companies under supervision, marking the final phase of a broader delisting wave. This action follows the end of a grace period in March for firms that failed to meet the exchange’s tightened...
Bitcoin Faces $14 Billion Options Expiry While Middle East Turmoil Mounts
John Lothian News is preparing to launch “Auditions,” a new platform on its website and newsletter for market‑related entertainment creators. The venue will accept TV scripts, movies, documentaries, short stories, books and poems that weave finance topics into narrative form....
Cboe’s Kinahan Bets Simple, Risk-Defined Prediction Markets Will Draw a New Wave of Retail Traders
Cboe’s CEO Kinahan is launching simple, risk‑defined prediction‑market products aimed at retail traders, leveraging the growing appetite for options among younger investors. The exchange plans to offer binary contracts with clear payoff structures, differentiating from traditional futures and gambling‑style markets....
BlockFills
BlockFills has entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States, aiming to restructure its balance sheet and stabilize operations. Court documents reveal the company holds assets estimated between $50 million and $1 billion, while its liabilities fall between $100 million and $500 million....
Vermiculus CEO Says Clean-Sheet Tech Is Key as Prediction Markets Push Markets Toward 24/7
Travis Schwab, CEO of Eventus, unveiled “Frank AI,” an English‑language chat interface that lets compliance and surveillance teams query platform data directly. The tool is part of a broader push toward clean‑sheet technology that can support 24/7 prediction‑market trading, reducing...
John Lothian: Week in Review (March 9th – 13th, 2026)
The Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has launched a Binary Order Entry API that represents a structural shift in how participants connect, moving performance‑critical paths to client‑side design rather than merely reducing latency. This change alters development skill requirements, certification processes, and...
Terrence A. Duffy – CME Group
At the Futures Industry Association conference in Boca Raton, CME Group CEO Terry Duffy warned that any U.S. administration effort to artificially lower oil prices would constitute a “biblical disaster.” He argued that intervening in derivatives markets amid the Iran...
Options Traders Are Pricing in ‘Disaster’ as Iran Conflict Intensifies. Here’s How Investors Might Profit.
Options traders are pricing in heightened risk as the Iran‑Israel conflict escalates, driving premiums on oil‑related contracts. CME Group’s CEO Terry Duffy warned that any U.S. attempt to directly intervene in oil futures could trigger a “biblical disaster,” potentially destabilizing...
A Golden Age, or Just Another Accord? The SEC-CFTC MOU and the Long History of Regulatory Turf Wars
The SEC and CFTC have formalized a memorandum of understanding and launched rulemaking to bring prediction markets under a coordinated regulatory framework, ending a decades‑long jurisdictional tug‑of‑war. Simultaneously, fantasy‑sports platform Underdog completed the acquisition of Aristotle Inc.’s regulated derivatives exchange...
Quanta Exchange, Inc.
Quanta Exchange, Inc. announced Monday that it will operate a CFTC‑designated Designated Contract Market (DCM) dedicated to climate‑related and energy‑transition risk. By establishing a futures platform, the firm intends to shift exposure that currently trades over‑the‑counter into a regulated, standardized...
Smarkets Board of Trade Exchange LLC
Smarkets Board of Trade Exchange LLC filed a petition with the CFTC on March 3, 2026 to become a designated contract market (DCM). The filing marks the thirteenth pending DCM application the regulator has received since July 2025. If approved,...
John Lothian: Week in Review (February 23rd – 27th, 2026)
Broadridge Financial Solutions announced the acquisition of futures‑technology provider CQG, aiming to build a more integrated trading ecosystem. The deal combines Broadridge’s extensive client‑service platform with CQG’s advanced market‑data and execution tools. Both firms emphasized preserving their distinct strengths while...
Wall Street Turns to Complex Trades to Dodge AI ‘Implosions’
An options trader who heavily bought Netflix call options is now sitting on an estimated $16 million unrealized profit. The profit materialized after Warner Bros. withdrew its proposed acquisition of Netflix, triggering a sharp rally in Netflix shares. The trader’s bet...
Broadridge Eyes Synergy, Client Focus After Acquiring CQG
A record influx of Designated Contract Market applications is straining an already depleted CFTC staff, marking the fastest cadence of new exchange filings in modern history. Meanwhile, the London Stock Exchange completed its first transaction under the new PISCES framework,...
Bitcoin
Bitcoin’s push into mainstream finance has stumbled as institutional investors fled, driving the cryptocurrency’s price down more than 40% since October. The retreat triggered a collapse of futures positions on the CME Group, eroding market liquidity. Simultaneously, investors pulled $8.5 billion...