Kalshi Seeks CFTC Approval to Offer Margin Trading on Prediction Markets

Kalshi filed with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on September 22, 2026, seeking approval to offer leverage on its event contracts, aiming to draw institutional traders to its prediction markets. The filing came from Kalshi Klear, the company's internal clearinghouse. Margin trading, which lets traders use borrowed funds for greater exposure, is standard in equities and derivatives but not yet permitted on regulated U.S. event contract exchanges, where positions are fully collateralized. Kalshi said leverage would make longer-dated prediction markets more attractive to institutions, with a tiered structure raising collateral requirements as contracts approach settlement. Access would be limited to self-clearing members meeting capital thresholds. The company said it would not offer margin on sports, culture or "mention" markets. Kalshi accounts for more than 90% of U.S. prediction market activity, with annualized trading volume rising from $52 billion to $178 billion in six months. Rival Polymarket has also pursued regulatory licenses for margin trading.