CME Group Posts Record Q1 Revenue as Trading Volumes Surge 22%

Gate News message, April 23 — CME Group reported record first-quarter 2026 financial results, with revenue reaching $1.9 billion, a 14% increase year-on-year, as trading volumes surged across all asset classes. The derivatives exchange posted net income of $1.2 billion and diluted earnings per share of $3.18, both up 20% compared to Q1 2025.

Average daily volume hit a quarterly record of 36.2 million contracts, up 22% year-on-year, with growth recorded across all six asset classes. Non-U.S. activity drove expansion, with volumes outside the United States rising 30% to 11.4 million contracts. Asia-Pacific led regional growth with a 33% increase, followed by Europe, the Middle East and Africa with a 29% rise.

Clearing and transaction fee revenue totaled $1.5 billion, also a record, supported by higher volumes and a stable average rate per contract of $0.652. Market data revenue reached $224 million. CME also delivered over $85 billion in average daily margin savings during the quarter. The company returned $2.7 billion to shareholders through dividends and repurchased $536 million in shares, while maintaining $2.6 billion in cash and $3.4 billion in total debt.

CME Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy said, "In a world in which risk has become the new normal, 2026 is off to a record-breaking start as clients around the world turn to CME Group's trusted, regulated markets to hedge across asset classes." The company plans to extend its fixed income and commodities cross-margining agreement to end-user clients later this month.