Thought Leadership

Thought Leadership

Taking the Lead

CME Group has taken a leadership position in the industry by anticipating and meeting the increasingly complex demands of customers, the regulatory environment and the competitive marketplace. It's a position supported by our new products and services initiatives, business partnerships, new ventures, thought leadership, corporate branding and stakeholder education.

We continued our history of innovation in new products and services.

Continued to invest in expanded sales and marketing capabilities and tools to enhance the customer experience and increase the use of our offerings.

Showcased the company as a leading innovator through our minority investments in emerging technology companies made through CME Ventures.


We contributed to important conversations as a trusted voice on significant issues.

Raised the company's profile on geopolitical and macroeconomic issues by generating coverage in leading print and broadcast media, including Barron's, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, China Daily, Nikkei Asian Review and Reuters, as well as CNBC, Bloomberg TV and Fox Business.

Positioned CME Group as a thought leader on the repeal of the U.S. Congress' crude oil export ban through press events, economic research and targeted social media efforts.

Established our FedWatch tool as the go-to resource on the probability of interest rate changes.


We elevated our position as a thought leader through regional and global events.

Gathered a sold-out audience of attendees for the eighth annual CME Group Global Financial Leadership Conference, with participation from leading hedge funds, asset management firms, FCMs, banks, commercial businesses, corporations and technology providers.

Featured top-tier speakers, including luminaries from business, finance, government and politics, who addressed critical issues affecting the agricultural, energy and financial markets, as well as the regulatory landscape.

Sponsored third year of Agricultural Markets Advisory Council, engaging in discussions with all major production agriculture associations and focusing on the agricultural infrastructure.


We expanded our brand globally, supported by customer research.

Launched new corporate brand advertising campaign globally, demonstrating how CME Group enables participants in agriculture, energy and finance to mitigate risks and capture opportunities in three of the world's most vital markets.

Developed a new product marketing system that highlights individual product lines and addresses distinct customer segments and geographical regions as part of a comprehensive platform for customer communications.

Conducted fifth annual benchmark survey of existing and potential customers worldwide, which showed perceptions of CME Group as trustworthy, transparent and accountable are at all-time highs.


We developed our educational platforms to become the foremost resource for constituents worldwide.

Launched Futures Institute, the company's interactive educational platform designed to teach retail traders how to enter the futures and options markets.

Created a series of tools for our Futures Fundamentals education site that illustrate the impact of interest rates, foreign exchange and agricultural products on our everyday lives.

Partnered with Discovery Education to extend economics and business concepts to students through an internet program called Econ Essentials.

Continued the third year of a grassroots educational partnership with 4-H, which brought Commodity Carnival and Risk Ranch online and to state and county fairs – teaching children how the agricultural markets work.


We received recognition from customers and others regarding the quality of our offerings and performance.

Received multiple international awards from Futures and Options World, including “Exchange of the Year – U.S. and Canada,” and “Most Innovative New Contract Launch by an Exchange – Cocoa on CME Europe.”

Recognized as “Exchange of the Year” by Risk Magazine.

Named “Best Futures Exchange” in Markets Media Magazine's Market Choice Awards.

Won “Best Overall Exchange” in CTA Intelligence's U.S. CTA Services Awards.

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