CME Ventures
CME Ventures is the strategic corporate venture capital arm of CME Group, making minority equity investments in companies adjacent to CME's global derivatives marketplace across agriculture, energy, equities, FX, rates, and metals.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1848
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CME Ventures does
CME Ventures is the strategic corporate venture capital arm of CME Group Inc., a publicly listed (NASDAQ: CME) derivatives marketplace founded in 1848 and headquartered in Chicago. The CVC was established in 2014 to manage a portfolio of external minority equity investments, typically in fintech, market infrastructure, and technology companies adjacent to CME Group's core derivatives business. The parent operates four Designated Contract Markets — CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX — offering futures and options across six major asset classes: agriculture, energy, equity indices, FX, interest rates, and metals, alongside BrokerTec (U.S. Treasury/repo), EBS (FX), OTC clearing, cryptocurrency futures, and a growing Micro Futures Suite.
The underlying platform technology is an electronic derivatives trading system with real-time market data, near-24/6 trading access, and proprietary tools including CME Direct (execution platform), CME Liquidity Tool (liquidity analytics), a customizable Trading Simulator, and the CME Institute (education). CME Group monetizes primarily through transaction and clearing fees on trillions of dollars in average daily notional value (e.g., Equity Index $2.1T, Interest Rates $10.3T, BrokerTec $906.6B as of June 2026), supplemented by recurring market data subscriptions and OTC clearing fees. Distribution is global across North America, Latin America, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific, delivered through direct electronic platforms, a network of futures commission merchants and clearing firms, and a mobile application.
CME Ventures itself is a small team (1–10 employees) led by Jennifer McKellar, Josh Kravitt, Brian Zboril, and Danny Slutsky, and operates as a strategic-investment function rather than a revenue-generating business unit. Its portfolio holdings are not publicly disclosed in the source data, and its economic returns accrue to the parent rather than being captured as standalone revenue.
CME Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CME Ventures
- Legal name
- CME Group Inc.
- Website
- https://cmegroup.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1848
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CME Ventures is the strategic corporate venture capital arm of CME Group, making minority equity investments in companies adjacent to CME's global derivatives marketplace across agriculture, energy, equities, FX, rates, and metals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CME Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Corporate Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) (FSANAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Corporate Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Investment Arms (FSANAHAF), Corporate Innovation & Technology Scouting Units (with investment mandate) (FSANAHAI)
Keywords
Where CME Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CME Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Futures and Options Trading Fees: Transaction and clearing fees generated from trading futures and options contracts across all asset classes including agriculture, energy, equity indices, FX, interest rates, and metals. Volume-based revenue from market participants trading global benchmark products.
- Market Data Services: Revenue from providing market data including real-time quotes, historical data, and analytics to traders and institutions.
- BrokerTec and EBS Trading Platforms: Revenue from electronic trading platforms for fixed income (BrokerTec) and foreign exchange (EBS) with substantial daily notional volumes.
- OTC Clearing Services: Clearing services for over-the-counter derivatives including bilateral swaps with significant cleared notional value.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Trading Access |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
CME Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CME Ventures is the strategic investment arm of CME Group, focused on managing a portfolio of external minority equity investments in companies aligned with CME Group's derivatives marketplace and broader financial services ecosystem. The unit deploys CME Group capital into strategic minority stakes, with operations headquartered in Chicago and a lean team of 1-10 professionals.
Product overview
CME Group is the world's leading derivatives marketplace, comprising four Designated Contract Markets (DCMs): CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX. The company operates a platform-plus-services model offering futures and options trading across six major asset classes (Agriculture, Energy, Equity Index, FX, Interest Rates, and Metals), plus cryptocurrency products. Key product components include: (1) Core futures and options contracts across all asset classes for risk management and speculation; (2) Micro Futures Suite for smaller-sized, capital-efficient contracts; (3) BrokerTec and EBS platforms for fixed income and FX trading; (4) OTC Clearing services for over-the-counter derivatives; (5) CME Direct trading platform for market access; (6) Market Data Services for analytics and insights; and (7) CME Institute for trading education and simulators. The company also offers cryptocurrency derivatives including Micro Bitcoin, Micro Ether, and Micro SOL futures. Trading access is available nearly 24 hours a day, six days a week.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Industry-leading daily volumes across all major asset classes with trillions in notional value
Companies that use CME Ventures
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
CME Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
CME Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Partner ExchangescoreCME Group maintains relationships with international partner exchanges globally. The company operates four Designated Contract Markets (DCMs): CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX. Global offices are maintained across regions including Latin America, Europe/Middle East/Africa, and Asia-Pacific.
- CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEXcoreCME Group comprises four Designated Contract Markets (DCMs): CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange), CBOT (Chicago Board of Trade), NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange), and COMEX (Commodity Exchange). Each exchange specializes in different asset classes and together form the comprehensive CME Group derivatives marketplace.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
CME Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Intercontinental Exchange (ICE): ICE operates multiple global exchanges and clearinghouses (NYSE, ICE Futures, ICE Clear) covering derivatives, equities, and fixed income — directly comparable to CME Group's four-DCM franchise. ICE also runs ICE Ventures as its CVC arm, the closest structural peer to CME Ventures within a global exchange operator.
- Nasdaq, Inc. Nasdaq operates U.S. equity exchanges and a growing derivatives franchise (Nasdaq Futures, NFX), plus Nasdaq Ventures as its CVC arm. Comparable to CME on exchange operations and on running a strategic-investment program tied to market infrastructure.
- Deutsche Börse: Deutsche Börse operates Eurex (one of CME's primary global derivatives competitors) and a broad cash-equity/post-trade franchise. Directly comparable on derivatives marketplace scale, cross-asset product breadth, and European regulatory complexity.
- CBOE Global Markets: CBOE operates U.S. options and futures exchanges (Cboe Options Exchange, Cboe Futures Exchange) and offers volatility products and equities derivatives — directly overlapping CME's listed-derivatives franchise and serving similar institutional hedging customers.
Emerging players
- Coinbase: Coinbase is a leading U.S. crypto exchange and one of CME's primary competitors in regulated crypto derivatives via Coinbase Derivatives (formerly FairX). Comparable in digital-asset trading focus; partial overlap with CME's crypto futures franchise.
Others
- CME Group: CME Ventures is the CVC arm of CME Group; the parent itself is included as a 'self-reference' for clarity since the CVC's strategic mandate and resource base derive entirely from CME Group's derivatives-marketplace operations.
Broad incumbents
- London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG): LSEG operates a global exchange and data-services franchise (including FTSE Russell and Refinitiv), competing with CME Group across multiple asset classes. Comparable on exchange-operations scale but broader in scope (data, indices, analytics) than CME's derivatives focus.
Regional players
- Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX): HKEX operates a major Asian derivatives and securities exchange with comparable cross-asset product offerings (futures, options, commodities). Comparable on exchange operations but geographically focused on Asia rather than competing head-to-head in CME's core U.S. markets.
- Singapore Exchange (SGX): SGX operates Asia's leading multi-asset derivatives exchange with comparable cross-asset futures products (FX, equity index, commodities). Comparable on derivatives-exchange model but geographically focused on ASEAN rather than competing directly in U.S./European markets.
- Japan Exchange Group (JPX): JPX operates Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Exchange (JPX-run derivatives exchange covering Nikkei 225 and other Japanese futures). Comparable on derivatives-exchange model but regionally focused on Japan.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CME Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceCME Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CME Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
CME Ventures subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
CME Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CME Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments32 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CME Ventures
What does CME Ventures do?
CME Ventures is the strategic investment arm of CME Group, focused on managing a portfolio of external minority equity investments in companies aligned with CME Group's derivatives marketplace and broader financial services ecosystem. The unit deploys CME Group capital into strategic minority stakes, with operations headquartered in Chicago and a lean team of 1-10 professionals.
Is CME Ventures a public or private company?
CME Ventures is a public company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was CME Ventures founded?
CME Ventures was founded in 1848. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CME Ventures based?
CME Ventures is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does CME Ventures make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Futures and Options Trading Fees are the primary driver. The others are market Data Services, brokerTec and EBS Trading Platforms and OTC Clearing Services.
Who are CME Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), Nasdaq, Inc., Deutsche Börse and CBOE Global Markets. Coinbase is listed as an emerging player. CME Group is listed as an others. London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) is listed as a broad incumbent. Regional players are Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), Singapore Exchange (SGX) and Japan Exchange Group (JPX).
Does CME Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for CME Ventures.
What industry is CME Ventures in?
CME Ventures's product category is Corporate Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAF, Corporate Venture Capital (CVC), with a secondary code of FSANAHAF, Corporate Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Investment Arms. Its NAICS code is 523 and its SIC code is 6200.