Traders just received a new set of tools as regulators opened the door to equity perpetual futures on U.S. stocks, and that twist in the rulebook is already reshaping how money flows through exchanges, brokers, and crypto platforms. Fresh leverage products, a legal fight over the CFTC’s call, and renewed attention on stablecoins are pulling a few companies directly into the spotlight. This article walks through 3 stocks most exposed to that story and explains why their link to this news event could matter for portfolio decisions.
The three stocks in this piece are just a sample set, and the full screen surfaced 22 more U.S. listed exchanges and broker platforms with equally compelling derivatives driven narratives that are not covered here. If you want to move beyond headlines and actually identify, compare, and analyze which operators line up best with your own risk tolerance and time horizon, head straight into the U.S.-Listed Exchanges and Brokerages Leveraging Derivatives Growth screener
Webull (BULL)
Webull fits this derivatives focused screen as a mobile first brokerage that already caters to active traders who seek complex contracts. Any expansion in equity perpetuals or futures directly intersects with where its users already spend time and fees.
Webull runs a global digital brokerage platform, with about US$672 million coming from brokerage activities and a market value around US$2.8b, giving it meaningful scale in derivatives linked trading.
"Rapid adoption and reintroduction of crypto trading, alongside the platform's ability to quickly add new digital asset classes and prediction markets, positions Webull to capture growing demand for broad, mobile-accessible investment options, fueling revenue growth and market share."
The real test comes if one unresolved regulatory and political overhang starts to sway how much high frequency derivatives trading actually lands on Webull.
If that regulatory overhang is what you are weighing, the full narrative for Webull explains how Webull’s model, user base, and rule changes could be accelerating or stalling its edge.
Bitgo Holdings (BTGO)
Bitgo Holdings plugs directly into the screener theme as the plumbing behind institutional crypto activity, where custody, trading connectivity and derivatives style workflows increasingly intersect. That makes its scale and business mix important for anyone tracking how perp like products move onshore.
Bitgo Holdings runs a digital asset infrastructure platform that spans self custody wallets, qualified custody and prime style services. It reports about US$20.1b in security software and services revenue and has a market value near US$603 million, tying a sizeable operations footprint to listed equity risk.
"Although regulatory frameworks such as the GENIUS Act and OCC charter give Bitgo access to a wider addressable market, the time it takes for follow on rulemaking, state level frictions and client compliance build outs may slow the ramp in subscriptions, services and custody related revenue."
What happens to Bitgo Holdings’ potential upside if a single pressure on how fast institutions shift real trading flows onto its rails breaks differently than expected?
That timing risk is exactly what the full narrative for Bitgo Holdings unpacks, separating short term regulatory friction from the areas where Bitgo Holdings could still see momentum build most quickly.
Nasdaq (NDAQ)
Nasdaq ties neatly into this derivatives focused screen because it combines major U.S. trading venues, clearing services, and market technology with a growing software and data franchise that sells into the same institutions building out futures, options, and perpetual style products.
Nasdaq operates exchanges and market technology, with most revenue coming from Market Services at about US$4.3b, plus US$2.4b from Capital Access Platforms and US$2.1b from Financial Technology. The stock carries a market value near US$60.3b.
For investors tracking how new perpetual futures rules might ripple through listed exchanges, Nasdaq offers a mix of traditional derivatives plumbing and higher margin FinTech tied to that same flow.
"The expansion of Verafin's AI driven solutions has progressed, with 22% revenue growth, 17% ARR growth and 110% net revenue retention in Q2 2026, 11 enterprise deals signed so far in 2026 and roughly 750 clients using agentic AI workers."
The real swing factor is how a single shift in demand for these higher value platforms filters through to Nasdaq’s overall earnings power.
That earnings swing factor is exactly what the full narrative for Nasdaq unpacks, mapping where Nasdaq’s derivatives, data and AI engines could be accelerating faster than headline numbers suggest.
Seeking Alternatives Before The Crowd Moves
Fresh ideas often move first. By the time momentum screens light up, the cleanest entry points can be gone. Scan these curated themes while they are still under the radar for now and consider them before they become widely followed.
- Spot early movers in smaller companies before momentum traders focus on them by scanning the curated 19 high quality undiscovered gems that could be flying just beneath most investors’ filters.
- Focus on companies with resilient balance sheets while prices are still dropping or drifting sideways using a hand picked list of solid balance sheet and fundamentals (23 results) that keeps financial strength front and center.
- Review structural demand for critical metals by using a focused 16 top copper producer stocks that highlights producers associated with long term infrastructure and electrification trends.
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