Financial company Polymarket purchases CFTC-regulated trading platform for $112 million, aiming to re-enter the American market.
In a significant move, Polymarket, the leading global prediction market, has announced the acquisition of QCX, LLC and QC Clearing LLC for $112 million. This acquisition, according to Shayne Coplan, founder and CEO of Polymarket, marks a crucial step in returning to the U.S. stock market with full regulatory compliance.
The acquired companies hold both derivatives clearing organization (DCO) and designated contract market (DCM) licenses from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), providing Polymarket with the necessary regulatory infrastructure to offer prediction markets to American users through a fully licensed platform.
Sergei Dobrovolskii, founder of QCEX, expressed his excitement about the combination of resources, stating that the acquisition will help Polymarket "reach its full potential." Dobrovolskii mentioned that QCEX began pursuing CFTC licenses over four years ago when "the prediction market was in its infancy."
The re-entry of Polymarket into the U.S. stock market will allow Americans to trade their opinions on the platform. Polymarket has been restricted from serving U.S. users since 2022 due to a fine and agreement to cease unregistered operations in the country.
The acquisition is significant as it allows Polymarket to return to the U.S. stock market with full regulatory compliance. With the QCEX acquisition complete, Polymarket is positioned to bring its prediction market platform back to U.S. users "in the near future" within a fully regulated framework.
Approximately $6 billion in predictions have been made on the Polymarket platform in the first half of 2025 alone, demonstrating the massive demand for prediction market services. The platform has become increasingly mainstream, with institutions, individuals, and media outlets relying on its real-time market prices to gauge the likelihood of future events across politics, current events, and pop culture.
Polymarket remains "the go-to platform for understanding what the world is thinking - and where it's headed." The company is nearing closure of a $200 million funding round, which would value the company at over $1 billion. Billionaire Peter Thiel's Founders Fund is set to lead the funding round, highlighting continued investor confidence in the prediction market space.
Moreover, Polymarket recently announced an official partnership with X, further cementing its position at the intersection of social media, politics, and markets. The acquisition of QCEX is a strategic move that strengthens Polymarket's position in the prediction market industry and paves the way for its growth and expansion in the U.S. stock market.
