The first CFTC-regulated event contracts exchange — legally trade on economic and political outcomes in the US
Last updated: July 2026
Kalshi is the only CFTC-regulated event contracts exchange in the United States, licensed after a multi-year legal process that concluded in 2023 and allowed it to offer prediction markets on elections, Fed rate decisions, economic indicators, and other real-world events to US persons — legally and under regulatory oversight. This regulatory status is Kalshi's defining advantage: where Polymarket geo-blocks US users due to legal uncertainty, Kalshi is the only platform where Americans can legally trade real money on political and economic event outcomes. Markets include presidential elections, congressional control, Fed rate changes, inflation reports, recession probability, and crypto regulatory outcomes. Trading is denominated in USD with FDIC-eligible cash held at partner banks. The CFTC license also means market data is considered regulated financial data, which gives Kalshi's probability estimates more institutional credibility for research and media citations. Kalshi's API provides real-time event contract prices for integration into research tools, financial media, and decision support systems. The main limitations are that Kalshi's market selection is constrained by what the CFTC approves, and trading fees (maker/taker spread) are higher than Polymarket due to regulatory overhead.
Kalshi offers a free plan.
Kalshi
Free
| Feature | Kalshi |
|---|---|
| Settlement Mechanism | CFTC-regulated exchange |
| Trading Model | Central limit order book |
| Collateral Token | USD |
| Min Trade | $1 |
| Api Access | ✓ |
| Embeddable Odds | ✓ |
| Geo Restrictions | US-focused (not all countries) |
| Market Creation | CFTC-approved only |
| Mobile App | ✓ |
| Governance Token | ✗ |
Yes, Kalshi has a free plan.
Kalshi is used for the first cftc-regulated event contracts exchange — legally trade on economic and political outcomes in the us. It's primarily used by Web3 teams in the Prediction Markets category.
See our full alternatives comparison at web3tools.directory/alternatives/kalshi.
Kalshi has a rating of 4.3/5 based on 1240 reviews. Key strength: CFTC-regulated — legally accessible to US persons unlike Polymarket. Main limitation: Market selection is limited to CFTC-approved topics only.
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