Payward Completes Bitnomial Deal to Secure CFTC-Licensed U.S. Crypto Derivatives Stack

The acquisition gives Payward control of a U.S. derivatives infrastructure that supports CFTC (U.S. derivatives regulator)-regulated spot margin, perpetuals (futures without expiry), and options through Kraken and NinjaTrader.

Summary

Payward said it has completed its acquisition of Bitnomial, giving the company what it described as the first fully CFTC (U.S. derivatives regulator)-licensed crypto-native derivatives stack in the United States. According to the announcement, the deal gives Payward ownership of a full U.S. derivatives setup that enables CFTC-regulated spot margin, perpetuals (futures without expiry), and options on Kraken and NinjaTrader. The transaction is significant because regulated derivatives infrastructure is a key part of expanding crypto trading access in the U.S., where compliance requirements for leveraged and structured products are stricter than for standard spot trading.

Terms & Concepts
  • CFTC: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. regulator that oversees derivatives markets, including futures, options, and certain crypto-related trading products.
  • Perpetuals: A type of derivatives contract similar to futures, but without a fixed expiration date, commonly used in crypto trading.
  • Spot margin: A trading mechanism that allows investors to borrow funds to trade assets in the spot market with leverage.