ChainCatcher message: On Monday, CME Group officially launched two multi-asset crypto benchmark indices—one covering a broad market and another specifically measuring “emerging crypto assets” beyond large crypto assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum. The CME CF Emerging Crypto Index excludes Bitcoin and Ethereum and tracks 10 assets: BNB, XRP, SOL, HYPE, LINK, XLM, SUI, UNI, AVAX, and AAVE. The CME CF Crypto Market Index, meanwhile, includes Bitcoin and Ethereum on top of the same 10 assets.

Both indices use free-float market-cap weighting. They undergo constituent adjustments and rebalancing every six months. The real-time versions calculate once per second and run 24/7; the settlement versions calculate once per day and are published at 4:00 p.m. London, New York, and Singapore/Hong Kong time. The methodology for the emerging index requires that constituent assets be eligible for custody, exclude meme coins, and set a protocol usage-rate screening threshold based on the proportion of total locked value relative to total market cap. At initial inclusion, assets that have not yet met the general listing standards for crypto ETFs under the U.S. National Securities Exchange, but are expected to become compliant within 30 days, may temporarily be added to the index with a maximum combined weight of 10%.

This index is designed to be investable and can be used for passive replication by funds and for derivatives settlement. It builds on CME’s previous launch in June of Nasdaq CME crypto index futures. CF Benchmarks states that the emerging index may be licensed for use in financial products, investment funds, or derivative instruments.