Polymarket US Platform Launches 5-Minute Cryptocurrency Prediction Contracts Covering BTC, ETH, SOL, and XRP

On October 29, according to CoinDesk, prediction market platform Polymarket launched 5-minute cryptocurrency price direction prediction contracts on October 28 on a platform regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP.

Users can bet on whether the cryptocurrency's price at the end of the 5-minute cycle will be higher or lower than the starting price. Correct predictions pay out $1 per contract, while incorrect ones yield no payout. The launch comes as Polymarket faces regulatory scrutiny over compliance issues related to its 2022 settlement agreement. Prior research had raised concerns about settlement manipulation risks in the legacy 5-minute Bitcoin contracts, but that research predates the platform's August 2026 adjustment to its settlement mechanism and does not apply to the newly launched U.S. products.