CFTC Opens Comment Period on 24/7 Futures and Energy 'Perpetual' Contracts

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is asking the public what it thinks about two changes that would push regulated derivatives markets closer to the always-on structure crypto traders already know: continuous 24/7 trading of standard futures, and perpetual contracts referencing physically delivered or storable energy commodities.

The agency announced the request for comment on June 22, 2026, in press release 9259-26, and posted it to its official account the same day (CFTC, Jun 22, 2026). Per the CFTC's own description, the request seeks "public input on two related developments in the energy derivatives markets": extending standard futures contracts to 24/7 trading, and perpetual contracts tied to physically delivered or storable energy commodities.

That's the substance of what has been made public in the material available here. A request for comment is an information-gathering step, not a rule, an approval, or a listed product — no contract has been authorized, and the notice does not itself change any exchange's trading hours. The extracted source does not include the comment deadline, the specific questions posed, the CFTC vote (if any), or which commissioners supported it; those would be in the full Federal Register notice, which is not reproduced here.

The framing matters. "Perpetual" contracts — futures with no expiry, held open via a periodic funding payment between longs and shorts — are a native crypto-exchange instrument. The CFTC floating them for energy commodities, alongside round-the-clock trading, is regulators examining a market structure that began offshore in crypto rather than in traditional commodities pits.

Key facts

• The CFTC issued a request for public comment on two energy-derivatives developments on June 22, 2026 (CFTC press release 9259-26; CFTC official account, Jun 22, 2026).
• Item one: extending standard futures contracts to 24/7 trading (CFTC).
• Item two: perpetual contracts referencing physically delivered or storable energy commodities (CFTC).
• Status: a comment request only — no rule, product approval, or effective date is established by this notice.

The real-world read This is early-stage and non-binding; treat any coverage suggesting the CFTC is "approving" 24/7 or perpetual energy futures as overstating it. What's notable is direction, not decision — a U.S. regulator soliciting comment on instruments (perpetuals, continuous trading) that migrated in from crypto venues. Read the deadline and the specific questions before drawing conclusions; they're the parts that reveal whether this is a genuine rulemaking track or a scoping exercise. Everything above traces to the CFTC's own release and post — a single primary source, secondhand via a Nitter mirror; we have not independently reviewed the underlying Federal Register notice, and the comment period, vote breakdown, and detailed questions were not in the extracted material.

Opinion, and whose None is offered in the source, and we add none. No party is quoted forecasting adoption, timelines, or market impact.

Sources

• CFTC official account (via Nitter), Jun 22, 2026 — announced the request for comment and linked press release 9259-26; provided the scope (24/7 futures; energy perpetuals). Not marketing. Primary regulator statement accessed through a secondary mirror; full notice not reviewed here.

This is news reporting, not financial advice.