CME Group saw its international trading volumes jump to record levels during the second quarter, with foreign exchange (Forex) products showing particularly strong growth in Latin America.

CME International Volume Climbs 18% to Record on FX Surge

The Chicago-based derivatives exchange reported international average daily volume (ADV) of 9.2 million contracts in Q2, an 18% increase from the same period last year and last quarter. The figures exclude trading activity within the United States.

Foreign exchange trading stood out in Latin America, where daily volumes surged 30% compared to 2024. The region's FX products hit quarterly records, though CME didn't provide specific contract numbers for currency trading.

Europe, the Middle East and Africa drove much of the overall growth, with daily volumes reaching 6.7 million contracts, up 15% year-over-year. Asia Pacific volumes climbed even faster, jumping 30% to 2.2 million daily contracts.

"During this period of heightened volatility , a broad range of market participants again turned to CME Group to manage risk and pursue opportunities across asset classes," said Julie Winkler, the CME’s Chief Commercial Officer.

CME’s New FX Spot Marketplace

CME's foreign exchange momentum got another boost from its recently launched FX Spot+ platform, which has already attracted significant institutional interest since debuting in late April.

The new marketplace hit $1.4 billion in daily trading volume within its first month, drawing over 40 active clients. More than half of those clients were banks that had never previously traded FX futures, suggesting the platform is successfully bridging traditional spot and futures markets.

"The launch of FX Spot+ has gotten off to a strong start, with the first month of trading seeing participation from a diverse set of global clients with different trading strategies and across the full range of currency pairs available on the platform," said Paul Houston, CME's global head of FX products.

The platform uses implied matching technology to connect traders through a central order book, giving them access to more than $100 billion in daily FX futures liquidity packaged in familiar spot market terms. This approach appears to be resonating with institutions that want deeper liquidity without changing their existing trading workflows.

Equity and Energy Volumes

The numbers suggest traders have been more active in currency markets amid ongoing economic uncertainty. While CME didn't break out specific FX volume figures globally, the Latin American surge indicates renewed interest in hedging currency exposure.

Equity products showed the strongest growth across regions, with index futures volumes jumping 43% in EMEA and 35% in Canada. Energy contracts also performed well, climbing 67% in Asia Pacific and 15% in Europe.

CME's global trading volume hit 30.2 million contracts daily in Q2, up 16% from last year. The company operates exchanges for futures, options and over-the-counter products across major asset classes.

The exchange has been expanding its international presence as traders seek round-the-clock access to risk management tools. CME operates trading platforms in multiple time zones and offers products denominated in various currencies.