Key Takeaways
- Kalshi now accepts Bitcoin deposits via the Bitcoin network.
- Bitcoin-related event markets have seen $143 million in volume.
- Kalshi lists over 50 crypto-related event contracts, including 2025 coin price predictions.
Kalshi, a CFTC-regulated event prediction marketplace, has begun accepting Bitcoin deposits in a move aimed at attracting more Web3-native users.
The platform already supports USD Coin (USDC) and now allows Bitcoin deposits via the Bitcoin network, with ZeroHash handling the conversion to US dollars.
Growing interest in Bitcoin event contracts
The company told Cointelegraph on April 9 that crypto traders have shown strong interest, particularly in event contracts tied to Bitcoin’s hourly price movements.
These contracts have generated $143 million in trading volume to date.
Kalshi currently lists around 50 crypto-related markets, including predictions on 2025 coin price highs and political headlines like former President Donald Trump’s proposed National Bitcoin Reserve.
Legal milestones & market integrity
Launched in 2021, Kalshi gained attention by successfully challenging the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in court, allowing it to list political event contracts.
While the CFTC argued such markets could undermine electoral integrity, others say they better reflect public sentiment than traditional polling.
Rutgers University statistics professor Harry Crane in a letter to the CFTC, said:
Event contract markets are a valuable public good for which there is no evidence of significant manipulation.
Strategic partnerships & market impact
Kalshi’s growth includes a March partnership with Robinhood, which plans to integrate prediction markets into its brokerage platform — a move that caused Robinhood shares to jump 8%.
Current market predictions
As of April 9, Kalshi traders place the odds of a 2025 US recession at 68%.
Kalshi competes with platforms like Polymarket, which has processed over $3 billion in election-related trading volume.
