Kalshi Launches First CFTC-Regulated Chainlink Futures Contract for U.S. Traders
New York, NY – Kalshi, a regulated exchange for event contracts, has launched LINKPERP, the first perpetual futures contract for Chainlink (LINK) that is regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and available to American traders. The launch coincides with institutional Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) net assets in LINK surpassing $101.21 million, with no days of outflow recorded since their inception on December 2.
This significant regulatory development arrives as LINK is trading near $7.88, a recent low. The situation presents a dichotomy for traders, balancing bullish infrastructure developments with bearish chart patterns.
KalshiEX LLC, a CFTC-registered Designated Contract Market (DCM), self-certified LINKPERP under CFTC Regulation 40.2(a). This expedited process mirrors the one used for its Bitcoin perpetual futures contract, BTCPERP, which debuted on May 29, 2026, marking Kalshi as the first U.S. entity to offer regulated perpetual futures.
The self-certification process signifies Kalshi’s attestation that the contract adheres to core DCM principles, including market surveillance, position limits, and customer protection, without necessitating a separate commission vote. This approach leverages the precedent established by the BTCPERP order (Release 9240-26).
Chainlink perpetual futures are now live for trading exclusively on Kalshi.
The newly launched contract is cash-settled, has no expiration date, and trades 24/7. It references the CME CF Chainlink-Dollar Real Time Index, provided by CF Benchmarks. Each contract represents 10,000 LINK, quoted in U.S. dollars per LINK, with a minimum tick size of $0.0001 per LINK, equivalent to $1 per contract.
Central clearing is managed through Kalshi Klear, featuring funding rate caps and lower leverage limits compared to offshore exchanges. This design choice is intended to attract compliant institutional capital rather than purely speculative, high-leverage trading.
Chainlink’s official X account hailed LINKPERP as “an industry first for a U.S. regulated market and a major step for compliant access to Chainlink exposure.”
Kalshi has positioned this launch as the precursor to a broader suite of U.S.-regulated cryptocurrency derivatives. The exchange has indicated that Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and Litecoin (LTC) could be candidates for future perpetual contracts, contingent on the trading volumes generated by LINKPERP.
The introduction of regulated onshore derivatives is occurring within a competitive landscape that includes offshore liquidity providers such as Binance and Bybit, which typically feature less stringent Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements and higher leverage options.
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