CME Group's foreign exchange (FX) trading volumes experienced significant growth in 2024, marking a 10% increase in international markets amid heightened global economic uncertainty and market volatility.
Global FX Trading Surges at CME Group
The world's largest derivatives exchange reported that FX trading, a key component of its record-breaking year, saw particularly strong performance in Latin America, where volumes jumped 19% compared to 2023. This surge reflects growing demand for currency risk management tools in emerging markets.
"We were especially pleased to see so many clients outside the U.S. turning to CME Group to access the markets and trade products they needed to navigate through ongoing economic and geopolitical uncertainty last year," said Julie Winkler, Senior Managing Director and Chief Commercial Officer, CME Group. "Looking ahead, risk management will remain essential in 2025, and we are focused on helping our clients to manage risk and unlock opportunities."
The exchange's European, Middle East, and African (EMEA) operations recorded a 12% rise in FX trading activity, while Asia-Pacific markets showed more modest growth at 3%.
Earlier, in early January, CME Group reported a record FX average daily volume (ADV), which grew by 8% to 1 million contracts. This included: a record annual ADV for Japanese Yen futures at 182,000 contracts, CAD at 101,000 contracts, and MXN at 73,000 contracts.
International Volume Hits Record
These figures contributed to CME's overall international ADV reaching an unprecedented 7.8 million contracts in 2024, up 14% from the previous year.
The strong FX performance was part of a broader success story for CME Group, which saw total global ADV climb to 26.5 million contracts in 2024, marking a 9% increase from 2023.
Beyond foreign exchange, the group reported substantial growth across its product suite, with notable strength in interest rates, metals, and agricultural commodities.
Although CME has not yet released financial results for Q4 and the full year 2024, the previous quarter's report indicates that net income rose to over $910 million, with revenues reaching $1.6 billion.
“Q3 2024 was the best quarter in CME Group history, with records across volume, revenue, adjusted operating income, adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share,” said Terry Duffy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at CME Group.
