Pepperstone has expanded its perpetual CFD offering beyond digital assets to traditional asset classes including Gold, Silver, Nasdaq, the S&P 500, WTI Crude and Brent Crude, positioning itself among the first regulated CFD brokers to bring perpetual market mechanics to conventional financial instruments. The move reflects investor demand for continuous market access as crypto-native trading structures migrate into regulated finance. Perpetual futures, which allow traders to maintain leveraged exposure indefinitely without expiry dates, generated more than US$90 trillion in trading volume during 2025 and are now influencing traditional market infrastructure as capital and information flow continuously across global markets.
Crypto Perpetual Futures Generated Over US$90 Trillion Volume In 2025
Perpetual futures first emerged in the cryptocurrency market in 2016, allowing traders to gain leveraged exposure without the expiry dates associated with traditional futures contracts. Instead of rolling positions every month or quarter, traders can maintain exposure indefinitely while funding payments keep perpetual prices aligned with the underlying market. Industry estimates suggest perpetual futures generated more than US$90 trillion in trading volume during 2025, making them one of the largest derivatives markets globally by turnover. Tokenised assets are projected by several industry forecasts to grow from roughly US$2 trillion today to as much as US$16 trillion by 2030.
Pepperstone Expands Perpetual CFDs To Gold, Silver, Equity Indices And Energy
Following the launch of SPCX.US-PERP, a synthetic perpetual CFD referencing SpaceX, Pepperstone plans to introduce perpetual CFDs linked to Gold, Silver, Nasdaq, the S&P 500, WTI Crude and Brent Crude. Unlike perpetual futures traded on cryptocurrency exchanges, Pepperstone's products operate entirely within its existing CFD infrastructure. Clients continue using their existing trading accounts, familiar trading platforms and regulated brokerage relationship without requiring crypto wallets, exchange collateral or separate onboarding procedures.
Group CEO Tamas Szabo said the expansion reflects a broader transformation underway across financial markets: "The concept of markets opening and closing at fixed hours is becoming increasingly outdated. Capital, information and risk now move continuously, and we believe perpetual markets will become a standard feature of modern finance. Our focus is on bringing that future into a regulated environment that traders already know and trust."
Chris Weston, Pepperstone's Head of Research, added that information now moves independently of exchange trading hours: "Major market-moving developments no longer wait for opening bells. Information is global, instantaneous and continuous, and traders increasingly want access to markets when opportunities emerge. We see that demand for continuous access becoming a defining feature of the next generation of financial markets."
CFTC Halted CME's 24/7 Crude Oil Futures Contract Launch Last Week
Over the past year, several major exchanges have announced initiatives aimed at extending trading hours or introducing products inspired by crypto market structure. CME Group recently unveiled Treasury Link, a platform designed to seamlessly connect U.S. Treasury futures with cash Treasury markets, while also expanding its broader strategy around continuous market access.
Last week, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission halted CME's attempt to self-certify a 24/7 crude oil futures contract only one day before launch. The regulator said it was still evaluating whether continuous trading in energy futures complies with statutory core principles and highlighted concerns around market integrity, surveillance and operational resilience. The decision illustrates challenges facing the industry's move toward always-on markets as regulators focus on whether liquidity, price discovery, clearing systems and investor protection can evolve at the same pace as technology.
AI, Geopolitical Developments And Tokenization Drive Continuous Trading Demand
Artificial intelligence increasingly generates trading signals around the clock. Geopolitical developments regularly occur outside traditional market hours. Retail investors now participate globally rather than locally, while institutional firms increasingly manage portfolios across multiple time zones. As financial assets become digitally native and blockchain settlement reduces dependence on traditional exchange infrastructure, the distinction between trading sessions and market closures becomes increasingly difficult to justify. For CFD brokers, perpetual products offer another advantage by providing uninterrupted exposure through products designed specifically for continuous trading rather than requiring clients to roll expiring futures positions or wait for markets to reopen.
Brokers Compete On Market Access Rather Than Spreads Alone
For years, competition in the retail brokerage industry centred on spreads, execution speed and platform features. Increasingly, however, differentiation is moving toward market access. Brokers are expanding into tokenised assets, AI-powered trading tools, portfolio automation and perpetual products that blur the traditional boundary between crypto markets and conventional financial instruments. Pepperstone serves more than 400,000 clients across 160+ countries. If investor demand continues moving toward continuous trading, the competitive advantage may belong not to firms offering the lowest spreads, but to those capable of providing seamless market access regardless of the time of day.
FAQ
What did Pepperstone announce regarding perpetual CFDs?
Pepperstone expanded its perpetual CFD offering beyond digital assets to traditional asset classes including Gold, Silver, Nasdaq, the S&P 500, WTI Crude and Brent Crude. Following the launch of SPCX.US-PERP referencing SpaceX, the broker plans to introduce these perpetual CFDs within its existing regulated CFD infrastructure without requiring clients to use crypto wallets or separate onboarding procedures.
How much trading volume did crypto perpetual futures generate in 2025?
Industry estimates suggest perpetual futures generated more than US$90 trillion in trading volume during 2025, making them one of the largest derivatives markets globally by turnover. Perpetual futures first emerged in the cryptocurrency market in 2016 and quickly became the dominant crypto derivatives product.
Why did the CFTC halt CME's 24/7 crude oil futures contract?
Last week, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission halted CME's attempt to self-certify a 24/7 crude oil futures contract only one day before launch. The regulator said it was still evaluating whether continuous trading in energy futures complies with statutory core principles and highlighted concerns around market integrity, surveillance and operational resilience.
