Polymarket Is Back: Crypto Prediction Giant Relaunches in U.S. With CFTC Green Light
The crypto prediction market just got its biggest legitimacy boost yet. Polymarket—the platform that lets you bet on everything from elections to weather—is officially back in the U.S. after regulators gave it a cautious nod.
CFTC's Surprise Stamp of Approval
Forget the usual regulatory roadblocks. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission just handed Polymarket a formal blessing to operate stateside. This isn't a quiet settlement or a slap-on-the-wrist fine—it's a structured agreement that lets the platform run its event contracts under the watchful eye of U.S. oversight. The move cuts through years of legal gray area and sets a precedent other prediction markets will scramble to follow.
What This Means for Crypto's Edge
Polymarket's relaunch bypasses traditional financial gatekeepers entirely. It taps into crypto's core promise: decentralized, global, and permissionless access to financial instruments. Now, with a U.S. license in hand, it can onboard mainstream users who've been sidelined by regulatory uncertainty. The platform's model—using crypto to settle real-world outcomes—just became a lot harder for Wall Street to ignore.
A New Playbook for DeFi Compliance
This isn't just a win for Polymarket. It's a blueprint. The CFTC's approval shows that even the most innovative crypto projects can find a path to compliance without gutting their core functionality. Expect a wave of similar applications from other prediction markets and decentralized finance platforms. Regulators are finally starting to engage—not just enforce.
Of course, some finance veterans will scoff. They'll call it legalized gambling dressed up as innovation—another cynical attempt to bypass securities laws. But in a world where traditional markets often feel rigged, maybe a transparent, on-chain prediction market is exactly what we need. Polymarket's return proves crypto's niche experiments can graduate to the mainstream. The only question now is who follows next.
With CFTC Nod and QCX Deal, Polymarket Prepares U.S. Relaunch
Under the terms of the letter, the CFTC said it WOULD not recommend enforcement action against the two entities or their participants for failing to comply with specific swap-related reporting obligations, so long as the activity falls within narrow conditions outlined in the approval.
Additionally, the relief does not exempt the companies from broader regulatory compliance but removes a key barrier to launching compliant prediction markets in the U.S.
Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan confirmed the development in a post on X, stating that the platform had received “the green light to go live in the USA.”
Polymarket has been given the green light to go live in the USA by the @CFTC.
Credit to the Commission and Staff for their impressive work. This process has been accomplished in record timing.
Stay tuned https://t.co/NVziTixpqO
He credited the CFTC and its staff for completing the process in what he described as record time, adding that the company would share further updates soon.
The clearance caps a long regulatory journey for Polymarket. In 2022, the CFTC fined the platform $1.4 million for operating an unregistered derivatives exchange and ordered it to block U.S. users.
While Polymarket officially exited the U.S. market, regulators later investigated whether Americans continued accessing the site through VPNs.
That probe escalated in November 2024, when the FBI raided Coplan’s Manhattan residence and seized electronic devices.
FBI agents have reportedly seized Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan’s phone and electronics, following a raid at his Manhattan residence.#FBIraid #Polymarket #ShayneCoplanhttps://t.co/FoAECymNsu
In July, both the Department of Justice and the CFTC closed their investigations into Polymarket without pursuing further enforcement action.
The conclusion of those probes removed the final legal overhang blocking Polymarket’s U.S. return.
Days after the investigations ended, Polymarket acquired Florida-based derivatives exchange QCX and its clearing arm QC Clearing for $112 million.
@Polymarket has acquired Florida-based derivatives exchange QCX and its affiliated clearinghouse QC Clearing, together known as QCEX.#Polymarket #QCEXhttps://t.co/HjbqfUxhSD
The acquisition gave Polymarket a licensed designated contract market and a regulated clearinghouse, allowing it to operate within the same framework as federally supervised U.S. trading venues.
Despite the U.S. ban, Polymarket expanded rapidly overseas. In the first half of 2025 alone, users placed roughly $6 billion in wagers on outcomes.
Polymarket Quietly Begins U.S. Trading After Receiving CFTC Designation
The platform gained global attention during the 2024 U.S. election cycle after its markets closely tracked Donald Trump’s winning odds.
In November, Polymarket disclosed that it had received an amended designation order from the CFTC, formally allowing it to operate as a regulated U.S. exchange.
Prediction market platform Polymarket says it has received an Amended Order of Designation from the CFTC.#Crypto #CFTChttps://t.co/H44tIIxPaz
The approval allows intermediated trading through futures commission merchants and allows brokerages to onboard customers directly, placing Polymarket within the same regulatory framework as other federally supervised trading venues.
The company also said it has implemented upgraded market surveillance, clearing procedures, and regulatory reporting systems ahead of a full public relaunch.
The platform has also continued to attract institutional and political attention. In August, Donald TRUMP Jr. joined Polymarket’s advisory board after his venture firm, 1789 Capital, invested tens of millions of dollars into the company.
Polymarket has received investment from @1789Capital, with @DonaldJTrumpJr joining its advisory board. #Trup #polymarkethttps://t.co/71jO0emJHh
Polymarket has also entered a partnership with Elon Musk’s X platform to integrate prediction markets with xAI’s Grok chatbot.
By November, Coplan confirmed that Polymarket had begun live testing of its U.S. exchange in a limited beta, quietly onboarding selected users and matching real trades as it completed final regulatory steps.
More recently, the platform introduced a 4% annualized yield on certain long-term political and geopolitical contracts, including markets tied to the 2028 U.S. presidential election.
