Kalshi and Polymarket Enter the Crypto Race to Launch Perpetual Futures

Kalshi and Polymarket are racing to launch crypto perpetual futures, signaling a shift from event-based betting to continuous derivatives trading. Two of the largest prediction market platforms in the United States are set to enter the crypto derivatives space within days of each other, marking a shift in how these platforms compete for traders. Kalshi, the CFTC-regulated prediction market valued at $11 billion, will launch cryptocurrency perpetual futures on April 27 in New York City.

The company teased the product under the codename “Timeless” — a name that maps onto the contract’s core feature: no expiration date . CEO Tarek Mansour revealed the launch date through a cryptic LinkedIn video featuring a rotating torus shape. S.

dollars as the initial accepted collateral . Hours before that announcement spread across crypto media on April 21, rival Polymarket made its own move. The platform, valued at $9 billion, announced the launch of perpetual futures trading today on X, letting users go long or short on prediction market outcomes around the clock without waiting for event contracts to expire .

The timing was not coincidental. Polymarket framed its product as a way to “go long or short the markets you know 24/7,” in a direct bid to establish a position before Kalshi’s April 27 event. The mechanics of perpetual futures differ from standard event contracts.

Traders can hold positions on asset prices without owning the underlying token, and a funding rate keeps the contract price aligned with spot markets. For Kalshi, the product represents its first venture beyond event-based binary contracts. For Polymarket, it adds a continuous trading layer to a platform that has operated on a resolution-based model.

Both platforms have posted strong numbers heading into this product race. Prediction market transactions hit a record 192 million in March 2026. Kalshi reported monthly crypto trading volumes above $1 billion in March for the first time, based on user-compiled data from Dune Analytics.

Kalshi processes more than $100 billion in annualized trading volume, while Polymarket reported weekly notional volume above $1 billion through the first quarter of 2026. Kalshi’s regulatory standing under the CFTC gives it a structural advantage over offshore derivatives platforms. The CFTC chair has said the agency plans to bring perpetual futures under its oversight, a development that could favor regulated venues.

Kalshi also plans to introduce stablecoin collateral for its perpetual products in the second quarter. Earlier today, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a lawsuit against Coinbase and Gemini, alleging their prediction market platforms operate as unlicensed gambling services under state law. The lawsuits claim the platforms allow betting on event outcomes without proper approval and may expose underage users to financial risk.

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