Emre Yumlu 
USDC, the US dollar-pegged stablecoin developed through a partnership between Circle and Coinbase (COIN), is on track to become eligible collateral in the US derivatives market. This strategic step is part of an expanded collaboration between Coinbase Derivatives and clearinghouse Nodal Clear.
According to the official announcement, USDC will be accepted as margin collateral for leveraged futures trading. This move aims to boost the use of regulated stablecoins in the derivatives sector. However, the initiative is still pending approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Both Coinbase Derivatives and Nodal Clear are working closely with the agency to push this plan forward.
First Regulated Use of USDC as Futures Collateral?
Coinbase Derivatives believes this will mark the first regulated use case for USDC as trading collateral. The stablecoin will be securely held by Coinbase Custody Trust, reinforcing its reliability and credibility. According to the company, this development represents a major step in recognizing USDC as a true cash-equivalent asset in traditional finance.
The rollout of this new framework is targeted for 2026.
Backed by Deutsche Börse’s Infrastructure
Nodal Clear, a CFTC-regulated derivatives clearing organization, is part of EEX Group, a subsidiary of Germany’s Deutsche Börse. On the other side, Coinbase Derivatives operates as a registered contract market for various derivative products.
Back in May, Nodal Clear began clearing select cryptocurrency futures contracts offered by the Coinbase Derivatives Exchange (CDE), including Bitcoin Futures (BTI), Ether Futures (ETI), and smaller-sized contracts like nano BTC and nano ETH futures.
Paul Cusenza, CEO of Nodal Clear, commented: “Integrating USDC as collateral highlights our ongoing commitment to innovation and responsiveness to market demand. We look forward to working closely with our clearing members and the CFTC to bring this to life.”
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