CME Group said on Wednesday that its international average daily volume reached a record 11.4 million contracts in Q1 2026, up 30% from the same period last year.
The figure reflects all trading reported outside the United States. Interest rate products were the largest contributor at 5.7 million contracts, up 30% year-on-year, while metals and energy delivered the fastest growth at 116% and 62% respectively.
For the first time, quarterly international ADV hit record levels across all six major asset classes: interest rate, metals, energy, agricultural products, equity index and FX.
Regional records
EMEA remained the largest international region at 8.4 million contracts, up 29%. APAC posted the fastest regional growth at 33%, reaching an all-time high of 2.6 million contracts. Latin America and Canada also set records at 224,000 and 219,000 contracts respectively.
“This surge in trading activity demonstrates how our global client base is turning to CME Group to manage risk in real time, through our benchmark products and on a regulated marketplace,” said Julie Winkler, Senior Managing Director and Chief Commercial Officer at CME Group.
FX was the weakest growth category internationally, up just 1%, though it still set a quarterly record.
International growth outpaced the group-wide figure. CME reported on April 2 that global ADV reached 36.2 million contracts in Q1, up 22%, with a record monthly ADV of 41.1 million contracts in March.
