Bullish Exchange Lists Memecoin Perpetual Futures as CoinDesk Indices Expands Industry Benchmarks

 CoinDesk Indices launches CoinDesk 100 and Memecoin indices as demand surges for highly liquid, institutional-grade digital asset benchmarks

NEW YORK, Feb. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The crypto derivatives market is entering a new phase of maturity with the introduction of a memecoin perpetual futures contract, now listed on Bullish, one of the fastest-growing regulated digital asset exchanges. This listing follows today's announcement from CoinDesk Indices, which has launched two new benchmarks:

• CoinDesk Memecoin Index – a broad-based index tracking the 50 most liquid memecoins, providing traders and institutions with structured exposure to one of the fastest-growing and volatile segments of the digital asset market.
• CoinDesk 100 Index – a comprehensive benchmark covering the top 100 digital assets, offering deeper market exposure and a single benchmark for institutional investment products and trading strategies.

Bullish has listed perpetual futures on both indices, allowing traders to gain exposure to these benchmarks with deep liquidity and 24/7 trading.

This launch builds on the success of the CoinDesk 20 and CoinDesk 80 perpetuals, which have collectively driven over $13.5 billion in volume, with the CoinDesk 80 index perpetual future trading millions daily since January 2025.

"CoinDesk Memecoin Index responds to traders' need for liquidity and volatility while the CoinDesk 100 provides one-stop access to the most liquid tokens," said Chris Tyrer, VP, Head of Institutional at Bullish. "We are thrilled to continue providing our clients access to the broader digital asset landscape, complementing these indices with our robust regulatory framework."

Why It Matters: The Growing Institutionalization of Crypto Indices

CoinDesk Indices' latest benchmarks come at a time when institutions are looking for trusted, rules-based exposure to crypto markets beyond bitcoin and ether. With over $30 billion in benchmarked assets, CoinDesk Indices has established itself as the leading provider of institutional-grade digital asset indices.

The CoinDesk Memecoin Index provides a structured, equal-weighted measure of the 50 most liquid memecoins. This segment has seen explosive growth in trading volume and derivatives interest, yet lacked a transparent benchmark for price discovery and risk management—until now.

"The digital asset market is evolving beyond single-token exposure," said Alan Campbell, President of CoinDesk Indices. "These indices provide the liquidity and transparency needed for sophisticated trading strategies while enabling institutional market participants to engage with these assets in a structured way."

About the Indices

The CoinDesk Memecoin Index: The Institutional-Grade Memecoin Benchmark

• Tracks the 50 most liquid memecoins, providing structured exposure to a previously unstructured market.
• Equal-weighted and rebalanced monthly, ensuring representation of both emerging and established tokens.
• Pulls pricing from both centralized and decentralized exchanges for a comprehensive market view.
• Perpetual futures now available on Bullish, offering highly liquid derivative trading for the memecoin sector.

The CoinDesk 100 Index: The Broadest Tradable Digital Asset Benchmark

• Combines the CoinDesk 20 (large-cap assets) and CoinDesk 80 (mid- & small-cap assets) into a single benchmark for institutional investors, hedge funds, and trading desks.
• Market cap-weighted with liquidity screening, designed to be a tradeable and representative benchmark.
• Provides a single reference point for structured products, ETFs, and risk management strategies.

Bullish Expands Crypto Derivatives Offerings

Bullish Exchange, which has surpassed $1.1 trillion in cumulative trading volume since its launch, continues to expand its derivatives suite. In the second half of 2024, Bullish averaged over $2 billion in daily trading volume, reinforcing its position as a major player in institutional crypto trading.

"We understand that some Memecoins can be an emerging asset class with some real liquidity and institutional interest," said Edmond Goh, Head of Trading at B2C2. "Despite their speculative nature, we expect indices and perpetual futures to quickly become core trading instruments in the digital assets space. A CoinDesk index that tracks these tokens is an important milestone in building the overall market structure, giving products like derivatives a benchmark to be settled and priced against."

Looking Ahead: The Rise of Index-Based Crypto Trading

With the launch of the CoinDesk 100 and Memecoin indices, alongside their corresponding perpetual futures, the market is entering a new phase of structured crypto trading. Whether through futures, structured products, or other investment vehicles, these indices lay the groundwork for a more mature and tradable crypto ecosystem.

For more information on CoinDesk Memecoin Index and CoinDesk 100 Index offered by CoinDesk Indices, please visit coindesk.com/indices.

For more information on CoinDesk Memecoin and CoinDesk 100 perpetual futures offered by Bullish, please get in touch with a Bullish Relationship Manager.

About CoinDesk Indices 

Since 2014, CoinDesk Indices has been at the forefront of the digital asset revolution, empowering investors globally. A portfolio company of the Bullish Group, our indices form the foundation of the world's largest digital asset products. Through the recent addition of CC Data Limited, an FCA regulated benchmark administrator, CoinDesk Indices now offers BMR-compliant products across multi-asset indices, reference rates, and strategies. Flagships such as the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index and the CoinDesk 20 Index set the industry standard for measuring, trading, and investing in digital assets. With tens of billions of dollars in benchmarked assets, CoinDesk Indices is a trusted partner. 

About Bullish 

With a focus on developing products and services for the digital assets sector, Bullish has rewired the traditional exchange to benefit asset holders, enable traders and increase market transparency. Supported by the Group's well-capitalized treasury, Bullish's digital asset trading services utilize central limit order matching and proprietary market making technology to deliver deep liquidity and tight spreads within a compliant framework. 

Launched in November 2021, the exchange is available in 50+ select jurisdictions in Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Bullish prioritizes compliance and safeguarding customer assets through robust security measures and regulatory oversight. The business is licensed by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission. For more information on Bullish, please visit bullish.com and follow LinkedIn and X.

Disclaimer  

CoinDesk is a portfolio company of the Bullish Group. CoinDesk Indices, Inc., including CC Data Limited, its affiliate which performs certain outsourced administration and calculation services on its behalf (collectively, "CoinDesk Indices"), does not sponsor, endorse, sell, promote, or manage any investment offered by any third party that seeks to provide an investment return based on the performance of any index. CoinDesk Indices is neither an investment adviser nor a commodity trading advisor and makes no representation regarding the advisability of making an investment linked to any CoinDesk Indices index. CoinDesk Indices does not act as a fiduciary. A decision to invest in any asset linked to a CoinDesk Indices index should not be made in reliance on any of the statements set forth in this document or elsewhere by CoinDesk Indices. All content displayed here or otherwise used in connection with any CoinDesk Indices index (the "Content") is owned by CoinDesk Indices and/or its third-party data providers and licensors, unless stated otherwise by CoinDesk Indices. CoinDesk Indices does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, adequacy, validity, or availability of any of the Content. CoinDesk Indices is not responsible for any errors or omissions, regardless of the cause, in the results obtained from the use of any of the Content. CoinDesk Indices does not assume any obligation to update the Content following publication in any form or format. © 2025 CoinDesk Indices, Inc. All rights reserved. 

Bullish Exchange is operated by Bullish (GI) Ltd which is licensed by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (DLT license: FSC1038FSA).  High risk product.  Only available to eligible professional investors in select locations.  Not available to persons located in the United Kingdom unless they are investment professionals or high net worth entities, as defined in Article 19 and 49 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotions) Order 2005 (as amended).  Important info and risk warnings here: bullish.com/legal. 

Forward-Looking Statements 

This press release may include "forward-looking statements" relating to future events or the Bullish Group's future financial or operating performance, business strategy, and potential market opportunity. Such forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Bullish Group, are inherently uncertain and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made, and the Bullish Group undertakes no duty to update these forward-looking statements. 

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