NHL and FutureSports Launch Performance-Based Futures Contracts

FutureSports, a Chicago-based firm specializing in sports-to-financial data conversion, will utilize official NHL data to build the CME FutureSports Performance Indexes (FSPI). These benchmarks are engineered to track team and athlete performance throughout the season, providing a new asset class for risk management and speculative trading.

CME Group will facilitate the rollout by listing monthly and quarterly cash-settled futures contracts. According to FutureSports co-founder Rhett Dinsdale, the collaboration offers institutional and individual investors a transparent method to hedge sports-related exposure. While the NHL provides the underlying statistical data, it remains separate from the index calculation and governance processes. The league has implemented layered monitoring to ensure the integrity of both the games and the associated financial products, which are expected to attract participants ranging from sports apparel manufacturers and insurers to pension funds.