Blockchain.com has jumped into the fast-paced world of prediction markets with SnapMarkets, a new product that lets users bet on whether bitcoin’s price will tick up or down in 30‑second intervals. The crypto wallet and exchange — founded in 2011 — launched the app on Wednesday, positioning it as a “skill‑based” spin on prediction markets with minimum stakes of just $1.
What SnapMarkets offers
- Ultra-short resolution: Each bet resolves every 30 seconds, turning price calls into rapid-fire rounds more akin to short-term trading than traditional event forecasting.
- Simple mechanics: Pick a direction, set a stake, and wait for the round to settle.
- Social and engagement features: live chat, a real-time BTC price feed, streak tracking, and a global leaderboard.
- Wallet flexibility: Users can connect a Blockchain.com wallet or other DeFi wallets; new users receive a non‑custodial wallet by default.
Blockchain.com told CoinDesk it plans to add other market formats down the road. SnapMarkets is not available to customers in the U.S. or U.K.
Why it matters now
Prediction markets have exploded in recent months. Dune data shows the broader market handled about $29 billion in trading volume in April, and Polymarket and Kalshi alone posted nearly $24 billion in combined notional volume. Companies from Robinhood to Crypto.com and Kalshi have been expanding into prediction-style products, and SnapMarkets pushes that trend into much shorter timeframes, appealing to retail users who want fast, game-like exposure to crypto price moves.
Regulatory context and risks
The rise of prediction markets has been shadowed by long-running regulatory fights. The CFTC has previously clashed with platforms — notably Polymarket’s 2022 settlement and Kalshi’s court battles over election contracts. The agency’s posture has shifted recently: it dropped an appeal in the Kalshi election-contract case in May 2025 and has been offering more tailored guidance, while also moving to defend its jurisdiction against state regulatory challenges. CFTC Chair Mike Selig has publicly rebuked state efforts to block prediction markets, and the agency sued Wisconsin in April as part of that push.
Binary-like products have faced strong scrutiny worldwide: the EU’s ESMA banned binary options for retail investors and tightened CFDs in 2018, the U.K.’s FCA permanently banned retail binary options in 2019, and in the U.S. retail binary options can only be offered through CFTC‑regulated venues. Blockchain.com says it does not view SnapMarkets as comparable to binary options and calls the product a “simple, transparent” way to trade short-term crypto moves rather than a traditional derivatives product.
A reminder of past enforcement: in January 2022 the CFTC fined Polymarket $1.4 million and ordered it to wind down U.S. markets after classifying some event contracts as unregistered binary options; Polymarket later bought a CFTC‑licensed exchange and clearinghouse for $112 million to re-enter the U.S. market under regulation.
Bottom line
SnapMarkets taps growing retail appetite for prediction-style products but also lands squarely in an area of active regulatory scrutiny. Its micro‑round format and low entry point could attract high-frequency retail activity and engagement, while remaining off-limits to U.S. and U.K. users for now. As Blockchain.com expands market types, regulators and competitors will be watching whether these ultra-short bets become a mainstream way to trade crypto or a new flashpoint for enforcement.
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