Polymarket in CFTC Talks to Lift U.S. Access Ban

Polymarket, a leading prediction market platform, has held recent discussions with Commodity Futures Trading Commission officials to lift a four-year ban preventing U.S. traders from accessing its main offshore exchange, according to people familiar with the matter.

The restriction stems from a 2022 enforcement action in which the CFTC charged the company, then known as Blockratize Inc., with offering unregistered event contracts to U.S. persons. Polymarket settled by paying a $1.4 million civil penalty and agreeing to block American users from its international platform, which operates on blockchain and settles trades using USD Coin on the Polygon network.

Since the settlement, Polymarket has pursued regulatory compliance. In July 2025, it acquired QCX LLC, a CFTC-registered derivatives exchange and clearinghouse, for about $112 million and rebranded it as Polymarket US. The CFTC issued an amended order of designation in late 2025, allowing limited intermediated access for U.S. users through licensed brokerages. The company soft-launched a domestic version focused on sports and select events, but trading volumes and liquidity there have lagged far behind the main exchange.