tl;dr
Polymarket acquired the holding company behind QCX LLC and QC Clearing LLC for $112 million, gaining a CFTC-regulated exchange and clearinghouse. This allows the blockchain-based prediction platform to serve US customers in compliance with federal regulations. The acquisition follows closure of fede...
Polymarket has acquired the holding company behind QCX LLC and QC Clearing LLC for $112 million, securing a Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)-regulated exchange and clearinghouse. This strategic move enables the blockchain-based prediction platform to serve American customers in compliance with federal regulations, as announced on July 21.
The acquisition follows a regulatory reset after federal investigators closed criminal and civil inquiries into Polymarket's previous US activities. These investigations began after a January 2022 settlement required the platform to block US users. The Justice Department and CFTC ended their probes this month, which had intensified in November when agents raided founder Shayne Coplan’s New York apartment during a period when the site handled approximately $2.6 billion in election-season wagers. Coplan confirmed that Polymarket cooperated fully and has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
QCEX founder Sergei Dobrovolskii spent four years securing designated contract market and derivatives clearing organization licenses. Coplan described the acquisition as "the foundation to bring Polymarket home," emphasizing that domestic access will allow traders to price current events with regulatory clarity and confidence. Dobrovolskii added that integrating QCEX’s licenses with Polymarket’s order flow could fundamentally transform how people access and interpret information.
Polymarket processed around $6 billion in trading volume during the first half of 2025 and recently announced an information partnership with platform X. The company operates automated markets on Polygon, enabling traders to stake stablecoins on binary outcomes ranging from elections to sports events. QCEX's licenses permit listing contracts on economic indicators, financial benchmarks, and event derivatives, subject to CFTC's public-interest tests.
Polymarket plans to work closely with regulators to align existing markets with compliant rules before opening onboarding to US customers. Although no specific launch date has been provided, the integration of QCEX technology and clearing functions is currently underway. Upon launch, American users will post margin and settle payouts through QC Clearing, bringing prediction contracts under the same safeguard regime that governs commodity futures.
This move aligns Polymarket’s global user experience with US regulatory oversight and positions the platform for increased institutional participation in the future.