UPDATED: March 20, 2024, 5:26PM EDT
Dogecoin 
DOGE
+19.41%
might have begun as a joke, but this April Fool’s Day, it’s getting serious attention. Coinbase Derivatives plans to kick off futures trading for the top dog in memecoins, alongside litecoin and bitcoin cash.
On March 7, through three separate letters to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the crypto exchange announced its intention to launch monthly cash-settled futures contracts for dogecoin, litecoin and bitcoin cash. These communications, directed to CFTC Secretary Christopher Kirkpatrick, detailed the proposed contracts’ sizes, settlement methods (leveraging a benchmark rate by Market Vector), and structure.
Coinbase highlighted in these letters that it’s leveraging the self-certification route under CFTC Regulation 40.2(a) to list these futures contracts. This procedure permits exchanges to introduce new offerings without awaiting direct CFTC approval, provided they affirm the product’s adherence to the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations.
Given that all three cryptocurrencies stem from bitcoin, which the Securities and Exchange Commission recognizes as a commodity, their classification raises interesting regulatory questions. Bloomberg Intelligence ETF research analyst James Seyffart posted on X.com, “This is interesting… wonder if the SEC objects to these being classified ‘commodities futures’ versus ‘securities futures’. Given their origins from Bitcoin, arguing these as securities would be challenging, especially after spot #Bitcoin ETF approvals. Coinbase’s selection might be strategic.”
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About Author
Lawrence Lewitinn is the Managing Editor for North America at The Block. Lewitinn brings extensive experience as a financial journalist, with stints at CoinDesk, CNBC, TheStreet, Yahoo Finance, the Observer, and Modern Consensus. His career also includes years on Wall Street, where he traded fixed income, currencies, and commodities for Millennium Management and MQS Capital. Lewitinn is an alumnus of New York University and has earned an MBA from Columbia Business School, along with a Master of International Affairs from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. He is a CFA Charterholder.