B3, a Brazilian stock exchange, has started trading Ethereum and Solana futures contracts in US dollars. The firm announced the groundbreaking development Monday, stating that quoted prices for the products will reference Nasdaq Ether and Solana indices. With this, B3 is consolidating its reach in the crypto derivatives sector as it already offers Bitcoin futures contracts with around $4 billion in daily trading volume on the exchange. Derivative contracts expose investors to the expected price adjustments for crypto assets without owning a single coin. The exchange wrote: “With the new cryptoasset futures, B3 meets the growing market and investor demand for products with exposure to cryptocurrencies, bringing more innovation and sophistication to products.” The announcement added that each unit of the Ethereum futures contract will be 0.25 ETH while the Solana contract unit will be 5 SOL. Thus, this will make the product more accessible while offering users familiar with crypto a safe and regulated way to trade on price volatility. B3 has a long history of offering crypto-focused products for investors, with the exchange launching its first digital assets-related product, HASH11, in 2021. It now has 21 crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and Brazilian Depositary Receipts (BDRs) of ETFs available for investors. B3 announces changes in Bitcoin futures contract size Meanwhile, the stock exchange has also reduced the unit size of its Bitcoin futures contract by ten times, with a unit now worth 0.01 BTC (approximately 6,000 Brazilian Real). This follows approval by the Brazilian securities regulator (CVM). This move is part of its efforts to make the Bitcoin futures contract, which launched in 2024, more accessible, not only for Brazilian traders but also for international investors. For instance, US investors have enjoyed access to Bitcoin Future and Bitcoin Future Scrolling products on B3 since May. Unlike the Ethereum and Solana futures contract, the Bitcoin futures trade in Brazilian Real and the reduction in unit size also took effect on June 16, the same day as the launch of the two new products. In one year of having Bitcoin futures, 41 million contracts were negotiated, and in April 2025 alone, 4 million were negotiated. Brazil’s crypto sector continues to grow With many countries still struggling to understand and regulate crypto, B3’s new products capture how Brazil is growing into a major crypto hub in Latin America. By pricing its new products in US Dollars, the exchange particularly shows its interest in attracting international investors to the country. Interestingly, the country has seen significant levels of adoption as it ranks ninth globally on the Chainalysis Global Adoption Index for 2024 while ranking second in value received for the Latin America region with $90.3 billion. Brazilian fintech Meliuz also recently adopted the Bitcoin treasury. However, there are regulatory pressures from several angles. The Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) has expressed concerns about stablecoin use in the country, claiming it enables money laundering and tax evasion. It is now making efforts to regulate stablecoins, with recently proposed rules that could limit the transfer of stablecoins across wallets. However, stakeholders have warned that rules must not overregulate the sector to avoid killing innovation. Still, more setbacks might be coming with the recent removal of tax exemptions on capital gains for small-scale crypto holders. The move, part of new tax policies under Provisional Measure 1303, imposed a flat 17.5% tax on all gains from crypto assets. However, the new rules have already faced pushback from crypto stakeholders who believe that they could affect the competitiveness of the country’s crypto sector. Lawmakers have queried the new tax regime for not involving stakeholders, with some even pushing to repeal it. Cryptopolitan Academy: Coming Soon - A New Way to Earn Passive Income with DeFi in 2025. Learn More
