CFTC Chairman Reiterates Belief For Ether Futures Launch

On January 30, the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) chairman Heath Tarbert stated that Ether (ETH)-based futures contracts may soon be a reality.

In an interview with Bloomberg Tarbert said:

“We have seen bitcoin futures, both cash-settled as well as physically-delivered. My guess is we are going to see ether futures as well.”

The chairman covered the question of the futures for the first time in October 2019, stating that he ”absolutely” believes thata futures pegged to the Ethereum-based token could appear during the following 6 to 12 months.

Tarbert went on to say in the interview that he wants to see the U.S. leading the progress of blockchain technology and digital assets.

He noted:

“I want to encourage innovation and it’s interesting because commodities are what we regulate, particularly derivatives on commodities.”

After speaking about Ether futures, Tarbert once again maintained that Bitcoin and Ether are commodities, therefore fall under the purview of the CFTC. Speaking about XRP, he stated that its status still requires clarification.

In the past he viewed XRP in the commodity-security context, noting, that the organization was collaborating closely with the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) in order to determine the areas of responsibility for various cryptocurrencies.