# CFTC Letter No. 25-44: No-action position with respect to Part 43 and 45 reporting, as well as related sections of Parts 38 and 39, for binary options and variable payout contracts executed on or pursuant to the rules of Gemini Titan LLC an..

> Federal · Agency guidance · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L25_44

## Section

- **Citation:** CFTC Letter No. 25-44
- **Heading:** No-action position with respect to Part 43 and 45 reporting, as well as related sections of Parts 38 and 39, for binary options and variable payout contracts executed on or pursuant to the rules of Gemini Titan LLC an..
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Agency guidance
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** CFTC Staff Letters (2008-present) / No-action position with respect to Part 43 and 45 reporting, as well as related sections of Parts 38 and 39, for binary options and variable payout contracts executed on or pursuant to the rules of Gemini Titan LLC an...

## Text

Summary: No-action position with respect to Part 43 and 45 reporting, as well as related sections of Parts 38 and 39, for binary options and variable payout contracts executed on or pursuant to the rules of Gemini Titan LLC and cleared through QC Clearing LLC.

CFTC LETTER NO. 25-44 NO-ACTION DECEMBER 11, 2025
1

Division of Market Oversight
Division of Clearing and Risk

Re:
No-Action Position with Respect to Commission Regulations 38.8(b), 38.10, 38.951
(in Part), 39.20(b)(2), and Parts 43 and 45, for Certain Contracts Traded on or
Pursuant to the Rules of Gemini Titan LLC and Cleared by QC Clearing LLC d/b/a
Polymarket Clearing

Introduction

The Division of Market Oversight (“DMO”) and the Division of Clearing and Risk (“DCR”
and, together with DMO, the “Divisions”) of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
(“CFTC” or “Commission”) are issuing this letter in response to a request1 (the “Request”) from
Gemini Titan LLC (“Titan”) and QC Clearing LLC d/b/a Polymarket Clearing (“QC”). Titan and
QC request a no-action position, on their own behalf and on behalf of their participants, from the
swap data reporting and recordkeeping requirements of regulations 38.8(b), 38.10, 38.951 (to the
extent that regulation 38.951 requires compliance with Part 45 of the Commission’s regulations),
39.20(b)(2), along with Parts 43 and 45 of the Commission’s regulations (collectively, the
“Relevant Regulations”). Titan and QC request a no-action position with respect to reporting
contracts with a binary payout structure and contracts with a variable payout structure with the
features described in this letter, traded and cleared pursuant to Titan and QC Clearing’s rules.
Gemini Titan LLC is a designated contract market (“DCM”) and QC Clearing LLC is a registered
derivatives clearing organization (“DCO”)
itan and QC request a no-action position with respect to reporting
contracts with a binary payout structure and contracts with a variable payout structure with the
features described in this letter, traded and cleared pursuant to Titan and QC Clearing’s rules.
Gemini Titan LLC is a designated contract market (“DCM”) and QC Clearing LLC is a registered
derivatives clearing organization (“DCO”).

Background

The Request states that Titan lists “contracts on the outcomes of various events” (the “Titan
Contracts”).2 The Request also states that Titan “intends to list contracts that have a settlement
structure that (i) can result in a payout to both counterparties to the contract (although by definition,
only one side of the contract can profit, meaning receive a payout in excess of basis) and (ii) whose
settlement obligations vary based on the amplitude by which the price at expiration exceeds the

1 Letter from N. Ignoffo and J. Hertzberg to R. Varma and R. Haynes re: No-Action Relief from Commission
Regulations 38.8(b), 38.10, 38.951 (only to the extent it requires compliance with Part 45 of the Commission’s
Regulations), 39.20(b)(2), and Parts 43 and 45, for Contracts Traded on or Pursuant to the Rules of Gemini Titan LLC
and QC Clearing LLC (Dec. 10, 2025) (the “Request”).
2 Request at 1.
CFTC Logo
U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
Three Lafayette Centre
1155 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20581
Telephone: (202) 418-5000
www.cftc.gov
es compliance with Part 45 of the Commission’s
Regulations), 39.20(b)(2), and Parts 43 and 45, for Contracts Traded on or Pursuant to the Rules of Gemini Titan LLC
and QC Clearing LLC (Dec. 10, 2025) (the “Request”).
2 Request at 1.
CFTC Logo
U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
Three Lafayette Centre
1155 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20581
Telephone: (202) 418-5000
www.cftc.gov

2

strike or strike price.”3 Titan and QC state that Titan Contracts “are fully collateralized” and that
“each party to a Titan Contract is required to pay at the time of the transaction sufficient funds to
cover the maximum possible loss that the party could incur upon liquidation or expiration of the
contract.”4 Titan and QC further state that the Titan Contracts will have “preset price caps and
floors that limit potential profit and loss.”5 In addition, the Request represented that Titan “intends
to permit participants to clear Titan Contracts through third-party clearing members who are
registered clearing members of QC.”6

In the Request, Titan and QC represented that Titan Contracts are swaps under the
Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) as these “provide for a payment that is dependent on the
occurrence, nonoccurrence, or the extent of the occurrence of an event or contingency associated
with a potential financial, economic, or commercial consequence.”7 However, the Request stated
that “the Titan Contracts share most of the characteristics of exchange traded futures or options
thereon (fungibility, offset, exchange traded with standardized terms on a single marketplace) with
few of the indicia of traditional swaps (bilateral, traded over-the-counter, and customized).”8 Titan
and QC further stated that “potential market participant exposures associated with the Titan
Contracts are anticipated to be far lower than those associated with traditional swaps and with
swaps market participants.”9 As such, Titan and QC believe that “the regulatory goals of Part 43
and Part 45 have limited to negl
itional swaps (bilateral, traded over-the-counter, and customized).”8 Titan
and QC further stated that “potential market participant exposures associated with the Titan
Contracts are anticipated to be far lower than those associated with traditional swaps and with
swaps market participants.”9 As such, Titan and QC believe that “the regulatory goals of Part 43
and Part 45 have limited to negligible application to Titan Contracts.”10

CEA section 4c(b), in relevant part, prohibits any person from offering, entering into, or
confirming the execution of a transaction involving any commodity regulated under the CEA that
“is of the character of, or is commonly known to the trade as, an ‘option’ . . .” contrary to any
Commission rule prohibiting the transaction or allowing it pursuant to specified terms and
conditions. When promulgating Commission Regulation 32.2, the Commission stated that “the
swap definition . . . includes options . . . (whether or not traded on a DCM)[.]”11 Commission
Regulation 32.2 states, in relevant part, that commodity option transactions must be conducted in
compliance with the CEA and the Commission’s regulations related to swaps.12

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”)13
amended the CEA by adding a definition of “swap.”14 The Dodd-Frank Act required the
Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission to further define jointly the term
“swap,” and in 2012, the Commissions jointly adopted such further definition.15

3 Request at 2.
4 Request at 1.
5 Request at 2.
6 Id.
7 Id.
8 Request at 4.
9 Id.
10 Id.
11 Commodity Options, 77 Fed. Reg. 25320, 25321, n.6 (Apr. 27, 2012).
12 17 C.F.R. § 32.2.
13 Public Law 111–203, 124 Stat. 1376 (2010).
14 7 U.S.C. § 1a(47).
15 Further Definition of “Swap,” “Security-Based Swap,” and “Security-Based Swap Agreement”; Mixed Swaps;
Security-Based Swap Agreement Recordkeeping, 77 Fed. Reg. 48207, 48236 (Aug. 13, 2012).
.
7 Id.
8 Request at 4.
9 Id.
10 Id.
11 Commodity Options, 77 Fed. Reg. 25320, 25321, n.6 (Apr. 27, 2012).
12 17 C.F.R. § 32.2.
13 Public Law 111–203, 124 Stat. 1376 (2010).
14 7 U.S.C. § 1a(47).
15 Further Definition of “Swap,” “Security-Based Swap,” and “Security-Based Swap Agreement”; Mixed Swaps;
Security-Based Swap Agreement Recordkeeping, 77 Fed. Reg. 48207, 48236 (Aug. 13, 2012).

3

Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, the Commission promulgated various regulations
applicable to swaps, including the Relevant Regulations. The Relevant Regulations apply swap
reporting and recordkeeping obligations to DCMs, DCOs, and other market participants. In
particular, Parts 43 and 45 require, respectively, real-time reporting of swap transaction and pricing
data to swap data repositories (“SDRs”) for purposes of public dissemination and reporting of
broader swap data to SDRs for the Commission’s use in fulfilling its surveillance and market
analysis missions.

No-Action Position Requested

Titan and QC requested that the Divisions not recommend the Commission take
enforcement action against Titan or QC or their participants for failure to report Titan Contracts to
an SDR or to fulfill any of the other requirements of the Relevant Regulations. Titan and QC
stated that the requested no-action position is comparable to the no-action positions concerning
reporting of similar contracts provided in Commission Letters Nos
ons not recommend the Commission take
enforcement action against Titan or QC or their participants for failure to report Titan Contracts to
an SDR or to fulfill any of the other requirements of the Relevant Regulations. Titan and QC
stated that the requested no-action position is comparable to the no-action positions concerning
reporting of similar contracts provided in Commission Letters Nos. 17-31, 17-32, 21-11, and 24-
09.16 Titan and QC make the following representations:

• Titan and QC will require that all Titan Contracts be fully collateralized;

• Titan will clear the Titan Contracts only through QC;

• Titan will publish on its website the following time and sales data for all Titan Contracts
transactions promptly after execution thereof: trade timestamp, contract, quantity, and
price (in USD);

• Titan shall provide the Commission with transactional information as described in
Commission Regulation 16.02;

• Titan and QC shall continue to comply with all swap reporting and recordkeeping
requirements of the CEA and Commission regulations, other than the Relevant
Regulations, including (without limitation) the applicable requirements of Parts 38 and 39
of the CFTC’s regulations (the “Required Records”); and

• Titan and QC shall keep the Required Records open to inspection upon request by any
representative of the Commission, the United States Department of Justice, the Securities
and Exchange Commission, or by any representative of a prudential regulator as authorized
by the Commission. Copies of all such records shall be provided at the expense of the
producing party (Titan or QC) to any representative of the Commission upon request. The
producing party (Titan or QC) shall provide copies of the Required Records either by
electronic means, in hard copy, or both, as requested by the Commission, with the sole
exception that copies of records originally created and exclusively maintained in paper
form may be provided in hard copy only
of the
producing party (Titan or QC) to any representative of the Commission upon request. The
producing party (Titan or QC) shall provide copies of the Required Records either by
electronic means, in hard copy, or both, as requested by the Commission, with the sole
exception that copies of records originally created and exclusively maintained in paper
form may be provided in hard copy only.

16 See Request at 4-5; see also CFTC Letter No. 17-31 (Jun. 30, 2017), available at https://www.cftc.gov/csl/17-
31/download; CFTC Letter No. 17-32 (Jun. 30, 2017), available at https://www.cftc.gov/csl/17-32/download; CFTC
Letter No. 21-11 (Apr. 22, 2021), available at https://www.cftc.gov/csl/21-11/download; and CFTC Letter No. 24-09
(July 12, 2024), available at https://www.cftc.gov/csl/24-09/download.

4

No-Action Position and Related Conditions

The Divisions have decided to take a no-action position consistent with Titan’s Request,
subject to certain conditions described below, based on Titan and QC’s representations and
statements in support of the Request. The Divisions note that this no-action position is similar to
previous no-action positions taken with respect to reporting certain binary options transactions and
similar transactions.17 The Divisions will not recommend that the Commission initiate an
enforcement action against Titan, QC, or their participants for failure to comply with Commission
regulations 38.8(b), 38.10, 38.951 (only to the extent that regulation 38.951 requires compliance
with Part 45 of the Commission’s regulations), 39.20(b)(2), as well as the applicable provisions of
Parts 43 and 45 of the Commission’s regulations, or the requirements of the relevant CEA
provisions pursuant to which the Relevant Regulations were promulgated, with respect to Titan
Contracts, subject to the following conditions:18

1)
Titan will require all Titan Contracts to be fully collateralized positions, as defined
by Commission regulation 39.2;19

2)
Titan will clear all Tita
of
Parts 43 and 45 of the Commission’s regulations, or the requirements of the relevant CEA
provisions pursuant to which the Relevant Regulations were promulgated, with respect to Titan
Contracts, subject to the following conditions:18

1)
Titan will require all Titan Contracts to be fully collateralized positions, as defined
by Commission regulation 39.2;19

2)
Titan will clear all Titan Contracts through QC and QC will clear all Titan
Contracts;

3)
Titan will publish on its website the following time and sales data for all Titan
Contract transactions promptly after execution thereof: trade timestamp, contract,
quantity, and price;

4)
Titan will provide the Commission with all transactional information as described
in Commission regulation 16.02;

17 See CFTC Letter No. 17-31 (June 30, 2017), available at https://www.cftc.gov/csl/17-31/download; CFTC Letter
No. 17-32 (June 30, 2017), available at https://www.cftc.gov/csl/17-32/download; CFTC Letter No. 21-11 (Apr. 22,
2021), available at https://www.cftc.gov/csl/21-11/download; CFTC Letter No. 24-09 (July 12, 2024), available at
https://www.cftc.gov/csl/24-09/download;
CFTC
Letter
No.
24-12
(Sept.
3,
2024),
available
at
https://www.cftc.gov/csl/24-12/download;
CFTC
Letter
No.
24-15
(Oct.
4,
2024),
available
at
https://www.cftc.gov/csl/24-15/download;

CFTC
Letter
No.
25-02
(Jan.
31,
2025),
available
at
https://www.cftc.gov/csl/25-02/download;
CFTC
Letter
No.
25-23
(Jul.
22,
2025),
available
at
https://www.cftc.gov/csl/25-23/download;
CFTC
Letter
No.
25-26
(Aug.
7,
2025),
available
at
https://www.cftc.gov/csl/25-26/download;
CFTC
Letter
No.
25-28
(Sept.
3,
2025),
available
at
https://www.cftc.gov/csl/25-28/download; and CFTC Letter No. 25-35 (Sept. 30, 2025), available at
https://www.cftc.gov/csl/25-35/download
Letter
No.
25-23
(Jul.
22,
2025),
available
at
https://www.cftc.gov/csl/25-23/download;
CFTC
Letter
No.
25-26
(Aug.
7,
2025),
available
at
https://www.cftc.gov/csl/25-26/download;
CFTC
Letter
No.
25-28
(Sept.
3,
2025),
available
at
https://www.cftc.gov/csl/25-28/download; and CFTC Letter No. 25-35 (Sept. 30, 2025), available at
https://www.cftc.gov/csl/25-35/download.
18 Some of these conditions regarding the no-action position may constitute a collection of information, as that term
is defined in the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. §§ 3501 et. seq. The Office of Management and Budget
(“OMB”)—in accordance with 44 U.S.C. § 3507(d) and 5 C.F.R. §§ 1320.8 and 1320.10—has approved collection
3038-0049, entitled “Procedural requirements for requests for interpretative, no-action and exemptive letters,” for
such purposes. This collection would encompass collections made as part of exemptive or no-action position from the
Commission or its staff. The public is not required to respond to a collection of information that does not have a valid
OMB control number.
19 Commission regulations define “fully collateralized position” as “a contract cleared by a derivatives clearing
organization that requires the derivatives clearing organization to hold, at all times, funds in the form of the required
payment sufficient to cover the maximum possible loss that a party or counterparty could incur upon liquidation or
expiration of the contract.” 17 C.F.R. § 39.2.
Commission regulations define “fully collateralized position” as “a contract cleared by a derivatives clearing
organization that requires the derivatives clearing organization to hold, at all times, funds in the form of the required
payment sufficient to cover the maximum possible loss that a party or counterparty could incur upon liquidation or
expiration of the contract.” 17 C.F.R. § 39.2.

5

5)
Titan and QC will comply with all reporting and recordkeeping requirements of the
CEA and CFTC regulations applicable to them in their respective capacities as a
DCM and a DCO, other than the Relevant Regulations, including, but not limited
to, the applicable requirements of Parts 38 and 39 of the Commission’s regulations
(the records required to be retained by this condition (5) are referred to below as
the “Required Records”); and

6)
Titan and QC keep the Required Records open to inspection upon request by any
representative of the Commission, the United States Department of Justice, or the
Securities and Exchange Commission, or by any representative of a prudential
regulator as authorized by the Commission. Copies of all such records shall be
provided, at the expense of Titan and QC, to any representative of the Commission
upon request. Titan and QC shall provide copies of the Required Records either by
electronic means, in hard copy, or both, as requested by the Commission, with the
sole exception that copies of records originally created and exclusively maintained
in paper form may be provided in hard copy only.
shall be
provided, at the expense of Titan and QC, to any representative of the Commission
upon request. Titan and QC shall provide copies of the Required Records either by
electronic means, in hard copy, or both, as requested by the Commission, with the
sole exception that copies of records originally created and exclusively maintained
in paper form may be provided in hard copy only.

6

This letter expresses a staff position only with respect to enforcement of the Relevant
Regulations. This letter does not state any legal conclusion regarding the characteristics or legality
of Titan Contracts or the conduct of any person covered by the no-action position.20 This letter
and the no-action position taken herein represent the views of the Divisions only, and do not
necessarily represent the positions or views of the Commission or of any other Commission
division or office. This letter and the no-action position taken herein are not binding on the
Commission.21 Except as explicitly provided in this letter, the no-action position taken herein does
not excuse persons from compliance with any applicable requirements of the CEA or Commission
regulations. Further, this letter, and the no-action position contained herein, are based upon the
representations made to the Divisions. Any different, changed, or omitted material facts or
circumstances may render this letter void. As with all no-action letters, the Divisions retain the
authority to, in their discretion, further condition, modify, suspend, terminate or otherwise restrict
the terms of the no-action position provided herein.

If you have any questions concerning this letter, please contact Paul Chaffin, Division of
Market Oversight, at (202) 418-5185 or pchaffin@cftc.gov; Alicia Viguri, Division of Market
Oversight, at (202) 418-5219 or aviguri@cftc.gov; Owen Kopon, Division of Market Oversight,
at (202) 418-5360 or okopon@cftc.gov; or Jon Kramer, Division of Clearing and Risk, at (312)
596-0563 or jkramer@cftc.gov
f you have any questions concerning this letter, please contact Paul Chaffin, Division of
Market Oversight, at (202) 418-5185 or pchaffin@cftc.gov; Alicia Viguri, Division of Market
Oversight, at (202) 418-5219 or aviguri@cftc.gov; Owen Kopon, Division of Market Oversight,
at (202) 418-5360 or okopon@cftc.gov; or Jon Kramer, Division of Clearing and Risk, at (312)
596-0563 or jkramer@cftc.gov.

Sincerely,

____________________
Rahul Varma
Acting Director
Division of Market Oversight

____________________
Richard Haynes
Acting Director
Division of Clearing and Risk

20 For the avoidance of doubt, this letter is not intended to address whether any of the Titan Contracts are consistent
with any statutory or regulatory requirement, including with respect to the requirements of CEA section 5c(c)(5)(C)
or Commission regulation 40.11. 17 C.F.R. § 40.11.
21 See 17 C.F.R. § 140.99(a)(2) (“A no-action letter binds only the issuing Division . . . and not the Commission or
other Commission staff.”).

## Nearby sections

- [CFTC Letter No. 08-03 Eurex Deutschlands Request for No-Action Relief in Connection with the Offer and Sale in the United States of Eight Futures Contracts Based on Security Indices Derived from the Dow Jones STOXX 600 Index.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L08_03.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 08-05 Eurex Deutschlands Request for No-Action Relief in Connection with the Offer and Sale in the United States of its Futures Contract Based on the RDXxt USD-RDX Extended Index.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L08_05.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 08-11 Euronext Paris SAs request for no-action relief in connection with the offer and sale in the United States of its futures contracts based on the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Europe Index and the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Euro Zone Index.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L08_11.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 08-13 Eurex Deutschlands Request for No-Action Relief in Connection with the Offer and Sale in the United States of its Futures Contracts Based on the SLI Swiss Leader Index, the Swiss Market Index Midcap, the Dow Jones Eur...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L08_13.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 08-15 The Division of Clearing and Intermediary Oversight granted exemptive relief from certain of the Part 4 regulations to the registered CPO of a commodity pool, whose shares the CPO intended to publicly offer and to lis...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L08_15.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 08-17 DCIO received a request for guidance from the Joint Audit Committee concerning FCM regulatory reporting requirements for investments in a money market mutual fund. The fund had announced that its net asset value per s...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L08_17.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 08-18 The Division of Market Oversight issued a letter granting no-action relief to permit the Brazilian Derivatives Exchange, BM&F Bovespa S.A. – Bolsa de Valores, Mercadorias e Futuros (BM&F), to make its electronic tradi...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L08_18.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 08-19 Thailand Futures Exchange Pcls Request for No-Action Relief in Connection with the Offer and Sale in the United States of its Futures Contract Based on the SET50 Index Futures Contract.](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L08_19.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 08-21 The Division of Market Oversight issued a no-action letter to BNP Paribas confirming that the Division will not recommend that the Commission initiate enforcement action against BNP Paribas or Fortis Bank S.A./N.V., o...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L08_21.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 09-02 The Division of Clearing and Intermediary Oversight provided no-action relief to the general partner of a commodity pool from registering as a CPO under Section 4m(1) of the Commodity Exchange Act, and allowed an affi...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L09_02.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 09-06 The CPO of a commodity pool requested that DCIO agree to accept the Annual Report for the period from January 1, 2008 through October 31, 2008 as the Pool’s final annual report despite the fact that the Pool had not f...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L09_06.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 09-07 The CPO of a commodity pool with a de minimus amount of its assets embroiled in a bankruptcy requested relief from the ongoing reporting requirements under Part 4. The CPO filed an Annual Report for the Pool for the 2...](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L09_07.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 09-11 The CPO of two commodity pools requested relief to use IFRS in lieu of US GAAP. DCIO granted relief pursuant to Commission Regulations 140.93 and 4.12(a).](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L09_11.md)
- [CFTC Letter No. 09-13 The CPO of commodity pool requested relief to use IFRS in lieu of US GAAP. DCIO granted relief pursuant to Commission Regulations 140.93 and 4.12(a).](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L09_13.md)

---

Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFTC_L25_44. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.
