Fireside Chat with Giovanni Vicioso (CME Group) and Joshua Lim (FalconX) at ETHConf

Sun, Aug 2, 2026, 12:00 AM

In this fireside chat, Joshua Lim, who runs the trading division at prime brokerage FalconX, sits down with Giovanni Vicioso, global head of cryptocurrency products at CME Group, to discuss the state of the derivatives market across both institutional and onchain venues. Giovanni notes CME is the world's leading derivatives marketplace, having entered crypto in 2016 with a reference rate, launched Bitcoin futures in December 2017, Ether futures in January 2021, and now lists futures and options on nine cryptocurrencies. They open on CME's newer volatility indices, 30-day forward-looking products referencing implied volatility from Bitcoin options (analogous to the equity VIX), which let institutions trade volatility directly rather than trading and delta hedging a series of options. Joshua explains these let firms take a view on uncertainty rather than direction, citing how summer option sellers were caught as uncertainty around Michael Saylor's MSTR holdings spiked implied vol from the 30s into the 50s. Giovanni shares striking growth data: Bitcoin futures volume decreased in 2025 for the first time after seven years of growth, while Ether futures volume tripled, now around 40% of Bitcoin futures volume (up from under 20% in 2024) with open interest around 45% of Bitcoin's, which he attributes to Ethereum's proof-of-stake upgrades, staking yield, and the Genius Act driving stablecoin settlement interest. Joshua notes more altcoin tooling (Solana, XRP, Stellar) helps token-picking and long-short funds express dispersion views in a regulated format, and that as the basis trade compressed below 5%, capital still chasing yield moved into options overwriting and onchain farming rather than leaving. On the convergence of DeFi and traditional markets, Giovanni argues it is not winner-take-all but coexistence with hybrid models, noting newer protocols like Hyperliquid remain relatively untested for large institutions who need someone to call when code breaks. He covers CME's new 24/7 trading (closing the CME gap, over $300 million traded on a recent weekend with strong retail microcontract activity), the tokenized cash collateral solution being built with Google Cloud Universal Ledger and BMO to move value on weekends, and how expanding the tradable universe depends on regulatory clarity and customer demand. 00:00 Introduction 00:40 Introducing the Panelists 00:58 Why the Ether Conference Energy Is Different 01:18 CME as the Leading Derivatives Marketplace 01:59 FalconX and the Prime Brokerage View 02:34 What Volatility Indices Are 02:58 CME's Regulated Volatility Product 03:38 How Bitcoin Volatility Futures Work 04:05 Bringing Operational Simplicity to Volatility 04:30 Trading Uncertainty, Not Direction 04:45 How the MSTR Story Spiked Implied Vol 05:21 The Cost of Holding Crypto and Staking Rates 05:55 Is CME Exploring a Staking Rate Product 06:16 Why Bitcoin Futures Volume Fell as Ether Tripled 06:51 The Genius Act and Growing Ether Interest 07:18 Ether Notional Volume Reaches 40% of Bitcoin 07:46 Why Ethereum Upgrades Drive Institutional Demand 08:13 How Altcoin Tooling Helps Token-Picking Funds 08:46 Dispersion and Long-Short Opportunities 09:14 The Basis Trade and Spot ETFs 09:35 Why Basis Compressed Below 5% 10:02 Why Volume and Open Interest Still Grew 10:27 Where Yield-Seeking Capital Is Going Now 11:02 The Convergence of DeFi and Traditional Markets 11:35 How CME Coexists With Hyperliquid 12:38 Why Institutions Need Someone to Call 13:11 Why CME Moved to 24/7 Trading 14:07 Strong Volume on the Second Weekend 14:55 Closing the CME Gap and Arbitrage Opportunities 15:16 A Mix of Retail and Institutional Participants 15:38 The Need for Weekend Collateral Movement 16:23 The Tokenized Cash Solution With Google and BMO 17:06 Why This Benefits Onchain Stablecoin Firms 17:48 Expanding the Universe of Tradable Assets 18:22 Why Regulatory Clarity Comes First 19:05 Why Customer Demand Drives New Listings 19:32 The Rise of Crypto Indices 19:56 Closing _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ *ETHConf 2026* ETHConf is a 3 day event for founders, industry leaders, and builders who are excited about the possibilities of building on top of Ethereum. Connect with 2,000+ top innovators in crypto, finance, technology, and policy at our inaugural three-day event packed with showcases, demos, partnerships, and conversations shaping the future of the global economy. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow ETHConf* X: https://x.com/ethconf Website: https://ethconf.com _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🎟️ Get your early bird tickets for ETHConf 2027: https://ethconf.com/2027#tickets 🎤 View the full ETHConf 2026 Speaker Schedule: https://ethconf.com/schedule _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _