CFTC Extends Comment Period for 24/7 Futures Trading Proposal

CFTC pushes comment deadline to August 26 for 24/7 futures and energy perpetual contracts rule. Here’s what changed and why.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has extended the public comment period for its proposed rule on 24/7 futures trading. 

The agency also covered potential perpetual contracts tied to energy commodities. 

Commenters requested more time to respond. The CFTC added several new questions to the original request. The new deadline now falls on August 26, 2026.

CFTC 24/7 Futures Trading Proposal Explained

The proposal addresses two separate but related issues in energy derivatives markets. The first concerns standard futures contracts moving to round-the-clock trading. 

These contracts would keep their fixed expiration dates. However, delivery and settlement terms could see material changes under the new structure.

The second issue involves perpetual contracts. 

Specifically, the CFTC is examining perpetuals that reference physically delivered or storable energy commodities. Unlike standard futures, perpetuals carry no expiration date. That distinction has shaped much of the debate around the proposal.

.@CFTC Extends Public Comment Period on Proposed Rule on the Extension of Standard Futures Contracts to 24/7 Trading and on Perpetual Contracts Referencing Physically Delivered or Storable Energy Commodities: https://t.co/oLNsHe0NGH

— CFTC (@CFTC) July 23, 2026

Extra Questions Added After Industry Talks

The Commission held extensive conversations with industry stakeholders before extending the deadline. Those discussions led regulators to add fresh questions to the original request for comment. 

CFTC said this step would help it fully understand the issues at hand. It also wants to complete proper due diligence before moving forward.

The original request already carried a wide scope. 

Extending it by 30 days gives market participants more room to weigh in. Energy firms, exchanges, and trading platforms now have until late August to submit responses.

Chair Addressed Perpetual Contract Criticism

CFTC Chair Mike Selig had addressed several misconceptions about perpetual futures contracts, according to a June report from LiveBitcoinNews. He briefly touched on claims tied to contract law, leverage limits, and funding rate costs, pushing back on each.

Read more: 

CFTC Chair Moves to Correct Perpetual Futures Misconceptions

One claim involved public comment. Critics argued the CFTC gave the industry no chance to weigh in on perpetual contract structure before approval. 

Selig disputed this directly. He pointed to a public request for comment the agency issued in April 2025, covering both perpetual contracts and 24/7 trading, the same proposal now getting its comment window extended.

That April 2025 request forms the backbone of the current rule under review. The extended deadline builds directly on that earlier public input process, giving the industry additional time to respond to the CFTC’s questions on both fronts.

Energy market participants, exchanges, and other stakeholders now have until August 26, 2026, to submit their input before the Commission moves toward a final rule.