Story Highlights
- SGX Bitcoin perpetual futures will be available to institutional investors only.
- The offering is pending approval by Singapore’s financial authority.
- SGX intends to provide a regulated alternative to the offshore derivatives market.
Singapore Exchange Ltd. (SGX) intends to list Bitcoin perpetual futures for institutional traders in the second half of 2025. Listing awaits approval by the Monetary Authority of Singapore but, if approved, would be a milestone for regulated trading of crypto derivatives.
Unlike conventional futures, perpetual contracts don’t expire, and investors can take positions on the price of Bitcoin perpetually. The product is only addressed to professional and institutional investors, and retail traders are excluded from accessing it.
SGX Enters Crypto with Bitcoin Perpetual Futures
The move comes as the trend for large financial groups to venture into the market of cryptocurrency derivatives continues to grow. Japan’s Osaka Dojima Exchange, too, has approached regulators with an application for approval to trade Bitcoin futures, following increasing demand for regulated investment vehicles in cryptocurrency among institutions.
A SGX spokesperson noted that the new futures contracts would allow institutional investors to chart the risks on unregulated platforms such as Binance and OKX. Offshore exchanges already dominate the perpetual futures market, but SGX wants to offer a regulated, safe alternative.
Singapore has become an international hub of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, partly due to the country’s definitive regulatory environment as well as policy towards institutions. Robinhood Crypto is strengthening its foothold in the region after acquiring Bitstamp for $200 million in 2024. Bitstamp, which was in-principle approved in Singapore, would serve as a market entry point for Robinhood.
Pending approval, SGX’s Bitcoin perpetual futures will provide institutions with a safer and more transparent platform to trade crypto derivatives. The launch would also further establish Singapore as a leading player in the convergence of traditional finance and digital assets.
By offering a regulated counter to exchanges such as Binance and OKX, SGX’s Bitcoin perpetual futures would be able to draw institutions looking for a safe trading environment. With high demand for crypto derivatives, the launch would be able to establish SGX as a prime player in the institutional digital asset market.
