According to Fixygen, global prediction markets continue to grow rapidly and are becoming one of the most prominent segments at the intersection of cryptocurrencies, trading, and sports betting. During the first weekend of the new NFL season, the total trading volume on the largest prediction markets reached at least $5.83 billion, according to data from Aldrin Research cited by Barron’s.
The bulk of the trading volume came from the U.S.-regulated platform Kalshi—about $4.89 billion over the weekend.
On Sunday alone, the total volume of prediction markets was approximately $3.12 billion, and Kalshi set its own single-day record at $2.433 billion.
On the blockchain platform Polymarket, trading volume on Sunday totaled about $404 million.
Sports events were the main driver of this growth. According to researchers’ estimates, about 91% of the weekend’s activity was related to sports and combination contracts.
At the same time, prediction markets are gradually expanding far beyond elections and sporting events. Contracts on interest rates, inflation, commodity prices, cryptocurrencies, and macroeconomic indicators are already being actively traded on these platforms.
The European regulator ESMA is taking note of the sector’s growth. In July, the agency noted that some event contracts may fall under existing restrictions on binary options, while some products may also be considered by national regulators as bets.
In its September risk review, ESMA also pointed out potential issues regarding the manipulation of prediction markets and the use of insider information.
Thus, prediction markets are following a path similar to that of the early cryptocurrency market: rapid growth in trading volume is gradually attracting the attention of traditional financial regulators.
CRYPTOCURRENCY, KALSHI, Polymarket, Prediction market, TRADING
Over the past month, the BETS trading platform held 120 trading sessions for the purchase and sale of natural gas on the medium- and long-term markets, as well as four trading sessions each day on the short-term market.
BETS formed 233 initial positions for trading resources in February and March 2026 in the gas transmission system (GTS) and underground gas storage (UGS) facilities. A total of 32.79 million cubic meters of natural gas was sold on the medium- and long-term market. On the short-term market, 9.27 million cubic meters of natural gas were sold.
On the medium- and long-term market in February, quoted prices in the section of the same name ranged from 18,333.35 to 21,200 UAH excluding VAT. A downward price trend was observed until the end of the month.
Natural gas was also sold using TTF differentials: 9 million cubic meters at a premium ranging from 0.62 to 3.92 euros.
In the short-term market, exchange rates fluctuated daily within the range of 19,313.95–21,016.81 UAH excluding VAT.
“In February, the natural gas market remained active despite existing price fluctuations. Although trading volumes were lower compared to the previous month, market participants continue to actively use the trading infrastructure, and there remains high interest in short-term market transactions. UEB continues to ensure the stable operation of trading systems to create the most efficient conditions for all participants,” noted UEB CEO O. Kovalenko.
National Energy Company Ukrenergo has announced the launch of test transaction on the sale and purchase of electricity on the balancing market and the auxiliary service market from December 11, 2018 in line with the terms outlined in the law on the electricity market.
“Please look: exactly on the day stipulated by law, we launched a platform to simulate trading on the balancing market in real time, a period of 15 minutes. Everything is real, only without payments among market players,” Ukrenergo CEO Vsevolod Kovalchuk said, commenting on this event on his page in the Facebook social network.
Ukrenergo said that the first training module was attended by more than 40 representatives of power generation companies, including the largest Ukrainian electricity producers: National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom, DTEK Energo, Centrenergo, Ukrhydroenergo and Donbasenergo.
The company said in a press release that market players familiarized themselves with the principles of the test platform, the algorithms of operations in the balancing market and the market of auxiliary services in real time, the mechanisms of communication and interaction between market players and the system operator and other things.
“All potential players of the balancing market and the market of auxiliary services will receive logins and passwords (keys) for access to the test platform and will be able to independently test it. After that, we will meet with market players to discuss issues related to the operation of the test platform,” Ukrenergo Deputy Director for Market Development and IT Andriy Nemyrovsky said.
Kovalchuk called information manipulation the objections in his posting that the presented platform is a “dummy,” and not a real system in which the bidding will be carried out.
Nemyrovsky responded to criticism by publishing part of the results of test operations, according to which the price of the balancing market in the period from 18:00 on December 11 to 14:00 on December 12 fell to UAH 900 per 1 MWh and rose to UAH 2,140 per 1 MWh. However, it was mainly UAH 1,400–1,500 per 1 MWh with the wholesale market price approved by the National Commission for the State Regulation of Energy, Housing and Utilities Services (NCER) for the second – fourth quarter being UAH 1,586.69 per MWh.
