Key Takeaways
- • The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has allowed perpetual futures contracts linked to individual stocks, known as Equity Perps, to trade on CFTC-registered exchanges for the first time, according to Finance Magnates.
- • Chairman Michael S. Selig announced the development on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, extending US perpetual futures beyond digital assets into traditional securities.
- • Equity Perps are treated as security futures products under the Commodity Exchange Act and US federal securities laws, placing them under joint CFTC and SEC oversight.
- • The approval follows the CFTC's earlier 2026 approval of the first Bitcoin perpetual futures contract on a CFTC-regulated exchange and is intended to reduce US market reliance on offshore venues.
Summary
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has permitted perpetual futures contracts linked to individual stocks to trade on CFTC-registered exchanges for the first time, according to Finance Magnates. CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig announced the development on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, saying it extends the availability of perpetual futures in the US beyond digital assets and into traditional securities.
The contracts, known as Equity Perps, were deemed approved under Commission Regulation as security futures products. They are subject to the Commodity Exchange Act, US federal securities laws, and the regulatory frameworks of both the CFTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The move follows the CFTC's approval earlier in 2026 of the first Bitcoin perpetual futures contract on a CFTC-regulated exchange. In his inaugural remarks, Selig directed the agency to use its existing powers to bring perpetual derivatives into US markets, subject to appropriate safeguards. He said the latest approval would allow US market participants to use perpetual futures for risk management and price discovery within the country's regulatory framework, and that it could reduce reliance on offshore venues.
The approval builds on the Commodity Futures Modernization Act (CFMA), which established a framework for joint regulation of security futures products by the CFTC and SEC. Earlier this year, the two agencies signed a memorandum of understanding to improve coordination and cooperation. Selig said the framework addresses regulatory uncertainty that had left products such as security futures and equity perpetual futures in what SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins described as a regulatory "no man's land."
The contracts, known as Equity Perps, were deemed approved under Commission Regulation as security futures products. They are subject to the Commodity Exchange Act, US federal securities laws, and the regulatory frameworks of both the CFTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The move follows the CFTC's approval earlier in 2026 of the first Bitcoin perpetual futures contract on a CFTC-regulated exchange. In his inaugural remarks, Selig directed the agency to use its existing powers to bring perpetual derivatives into US markets, subject to appropriate safeguards. He said the latest approval would allow US market participants to use perpetual futures for risk management and price discovery within the country's regulatory framework, and that it could reduce reliance on offshore venues.
The approval builds on the Commodity Futures Modernization Act (CFMA), which established a framework for joint regulation of security futures products by the CFTC and SEC. Earlier this year, the two agencies signed a memorandum of understanding to improve coordination and cooperation. Selig said the framework addresses regulatory uncertainty that had left products such as security futures and equity perpetual futures in what SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins described as a regulatory "no man's land."
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