Polymarket’s Big U.S. Comeback: $112M Bet on Regulated Prediction Markets

Edyme

July 21, 2025

The acquisition grants Polymarket access to both a licensed derivatives exchange and a clearinghouse...

After a years-long regulatory pause, Polymarket is officially plotting its return to U.S. shores.

The decentralized prediction platform has announced the acquisition of QCEX, a derivatives exchange registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), positioning itself to re-enter the U.S. market under full compliance.

The deal follows the closure of a federal investigation, which Polymarket had faced in previous years, clearing the path for its expansion plans.

$112M deal secures regulatory on-ramp

Polymarket revealed on Monday that it acquired QCX, LLC and QC Clearing LLC, collectively known as QCEX, for $112 million.

The acquisition grants Polymarket access to both a licensed derivatives exchange and a clearinghouse, effectively offering the regulatory infrastructure it needs to operate legally within the United States.

According to Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan, the move will allow American users to once again participate in prediction markets on a regulated platform.

“We’re laying the foundation to bring Polymarket home,” Coplan said in a statement. “Now, with the acquisition of QCEX, we’re re-entering the U.S. as a fully regulated and compliant platform that allows Americans to trade their opinions.”

QCEX’s founder, Sergei Dobrovolskii, noted that his team has been working toward these licenses for more than four years, believing in the long-term role of prediction markets in reshaping how individuals assess and act on real-time information.

“Polymarket has become a cultural phenomenon,” Dobrovolskii said, adding that the combination of both companies could accelerate adoption of retail-friendly, information-based trading.

Real-time betting meets institutional legitimacy

With over $6 billion in predictions placed on the platform in just the first half of 2025, Polymarket continues to grow as a go-to destination for crowd-sourced probabilities on everything from politics to sports.

Its recent partnership with X also promoted its profile in digital-native media and information ecosystems.

The QCEX acquisition signals a shift toward regulatory alignment at a time when interest in on-chain prediction markets is heating up globally. By securing a legal structure for U.S. operations, Polymarket could help standardize how information markets are perceived, and traded on, in the coming years.