Bitcoin Cash leads top 100 crypto assets with 28% gain in 24 hours

Bitcoin Cash ripped 28% higher over the past 24 hours, making it the top performer among the 100 largest cryptocurrencies by market cap. The move pushed BCH’s price toward intraday highs near $330 to $347, vaulting its market capitalization into the $6-7 billion range. Trading volumes exceeded $1 billion during the session. What lit the fuse The bigger trigger was CME Group’s announcement that it plans to launch Bitcoin Cash futures contracts on October 19, 2026, pending regulatory approval. The exchange will offer both standard contracts sized at 250 BCH and micro contracts at 25 BCH, giving traders flexibility across different capital bases. CME’s average daily notional volume in crypto futures hit $8.3 billion in the first half of 2026. The second catalyst arrived a bit earlier. Around September 11, Grayscale filed to convert its existing BCH Trust into a spot ETF that would trade on NYSE Arca. Why BCH and why now The BCH protocol receives annual updates aimed at improving scalability and smart contract functionality, but none of those coincided with this price move. This was a pure sentiment and positioning trade, driven by the prospect of regulated futures and ETF products bri...