CME

CME Membership

Reduce Futures Trading Exchange Fees by Applying for a Membership or Leasing a Seat at the CME.

High volume futures traders of CME products can take advantage of reduced exchange fees by participating in the CME Membership Programs. CME Group memberships can be bought, sold, or leased and enable approved members to trade specific products at reduced rates and lower fees.

For example, retail traders pay $1.18 per side, per contract in CME Exchange Fees and $.02 in NFA fees for the E-mini S&P 500. As a member, traders do not pay any NFA fees and enjoy the reduced exchange fees below.

CME Membership Rates

Contract Non-Member Member Owner Member Lease
E-mini Futures $1.18 $0.35 $0.47
Micro E-mini Futures $0.20 $0.04 $0.07
Currency Futures $1.60 $0.32 $0.52
Financial Futures $1.25 $0.19 $0.37

Memberships are available on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (CME), Chicago Board of Trade, Inc. (CBOT), New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (NYMEX), and Commodity Exchange, Inc. (COMEX) Exchanges. Exchange memberships are entirely separate from one another and offer access to different products at different rates. To trade specific products, you must be a member of the Exchange on which they trade.

If you want to learn more about becoming a member or leasing a seat to receive discounted fees, please fill out the form above and one of our experienced brokers will contact you to walk you through the application process, step by step. We will present you with all the available options, go over the membership requirements and send you the relevant forms you need to upload to the CME Membership Portal.

Types of Membership

Individual Membership

Individual membership at CME enables the member to trade CME products at discounted rates, in the division of membership held.

Clearing Membership

Clearing members are highly capitalized, closely monitored, and carefully selected companies that stand behind all trades made through CME Group Exchanges. Clearing members assume full financial and performance responsibility for all transactions executed through them and cleared by CME Clearing whether it is for the account of a customer, member, or their own account.

Corporate Membership

Corporate membership allows eligible firms to receive preferential fees on their proprietary trading of products within the Exchange and division of membership maintained when such proprietary trading activity is conducted in accordance with CME Group’s Fee Policies.

CME Individual Membership

To be an individual member of CME, you must be an adult with adequate financial resources to assume the responsibilities and privileges of membership and possess good moral character, a good reputation, and business integrity.

Membership Pricing

If you wish to buy, sell, or lease a CME, CBOT, NYMEX, or COMEX membership, click here to review the bids and offers for currently available membership seats.

CME Membership -- Leasing a Seat

Leasing a seat is a two-step process. First, you must apply for and be approved for an Individual CME Membership ($2000 application fee). After membership is approved, you must enter a lease agreement with a seat holder. The lease arrangement is normally coordinated with your clearing firm.

Divisions of Individual Membership

Individual membership at CME enables the member to trade CME products at discounted rates, in the division of membership held. Click through the tabs to learn more about the divisions of each exchange and the products available to trade.

CME Individual Membership CBOT Individual Membership COMEX Individual Membership
There are four divisions of individual CME memberships representing the four levels of access to CME products. Individual memberships at CME became attached to a Class B share in Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc. when the exchange de-mutualized and became a publicly traded company in 2002. There are five levels of individual CBOT memberships. Each type determines eligibility for trading certain products at reduced rates and provides access to trading on the CME Group trading floor.  There are two divisions of individual COMEX membership. Each type determines eligibility for trading certain products at reduced rates. 
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) (B1) membershipTrades: Any CME Exchange-listed contract (B-1) Full Members (FULL)Trades: All financial and Agricultural futures and options contracts COMEX Members Trades: All COMEX products
International Monetary Market (IMM) (B2) membershipTrades: Foreign Exchange, Interest Rate and Equity Index futures, and all IOM and GEM products (B-2) Associate Members (AM)Trades: All financial futures and options and Agricultural options only COMEX Option MembersTrades: Options only
Index and Option Market (IOM) (B3) membershipTrades: Equity Index futures contracts, random length Lumber contracts, all options contracts, and all GEM products (B-3) Government, Instruments Market (GIM) MembersTrades: Financial instrument futures  
Growth and Emerging Markets (GEM) (B4) membershipTrades: Various products including contracts related to emerging market countries; restricted financials (B-4) Index, Debt and Energy Market (IDEM) MembersTrades: Fed Fund and index futures  
  (B-5) Commodity Options Market (COM) MembersTrades: Options  

Applying for a CME Individual Membership

Once you have decided a CME, CBOT, NYMEN and/or COMEX individual membership is right for you, you can apply for membership. (Each of the four levels of individual CME and CBOT memberships involve the same application process).

To apply for membership, you must submit:

  • A typewritten application for membership, including answers to questions on education, employment, residential, and disciplinary history; and completion of a financial statement
  • A $2,000 non-refundable fee made payable to CME Group
  • Two 2 inch by 2 inch passport-quality color photographs
  • A certified birth certificate or passport

During the application process, they list the name of each applicant in their Membership Bulletin.

If your membership application is approved, you have 30 days to acquire a membership.

You can acquire a membership via:

  • Purchase
  • Lease from a current member
  • Firm transfer

Acquisitions

You may submit a bid to purchase a membership at any time, i.e., before you submit your application for membership, while your application is being processed, or after your application is approved.

You may also submit a lease agreement or transfer forms once you are approved for membership. You may lease a membership by paying a monthly rent to an owner of any division of membership.

You can find a member to lease from through your clearing firm or through a list of lessors posted on the Membership Pricing page.

Disclaimer

The information contained herein is believed to be accurate; however, Optimus Futures makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information contained herein.

*Rate does not apply to all exchanges or fee programs. Additional restrictions may apply. Membership subject to Exchange approval. Please contact our office for more details.