The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) is launching a Micro Bitcoin futures contract on May 3, pending approval from regulators.

This will expand its current futures offering, where each contract is made up of 5 Bitcoin ($295,000). In contrast, the contracts for the new Micro Bitcoin futures will be 0.1 Bitcoin each ($5,900), according to a release today.

The Bitcoin market is very volatile. Image: Shutterstock.

These micro Bitcoin futures will be far more accessible to smaller traders and offer a wider variety of use-cases, including hedging trades or executing certain trading strategies.

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Tim McCourt, CME Group global head of equity index and alternative investment products, said that the product is being introduced because of increased demand for smaller contracts from a range of clients.

The CME recently introduced Ethereum futures into its lineup, which have seen an average of 38,400 Ethereum traded daily ($70 million). That pales in comparison to its main Bitcoin futures, which have seen an average of 69,000 Bitcoin traded daily—worth $4 billion.

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