Kalshi Seeks Regulatory Green Light for WTI Oil Perpetual Futures

The proposed contract would trade 24 hours a day, five days a week. By removing the traditional monthly expiration associated with standard WTI futures, Kalshi aims to allow traders to maintain positions indefinitely, provided they meet collateral and margin requirements. While the exchange has not disclosed the specific funding mechanism to keep the contract price aligned with the underlying benchmark, the move represents a significant expansion of its perpetual offerings beyond the Bitcoin product launched in June 2026.

Regulatory scrutiny will likely focus on how the contract handles price discovery and liquidity during non-standard hours. This development places Kalshi in direct competition with traditional energy markets, including the CME Group, which currently dominates WTI trading. CME has previously challenged the regulator’s classification of perpetual instruments as futures, arguing they should instead fall under the swap framework established by the Dodd-Frank Act. As of September 3, no formal filing appeared in the CFTC database, leaving critical details—such as settlement methods and position limits—subject to the upcoming application process.