The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) is one of the world’s most influential financial marketplaces, renowned for pioneering futures and derivatives trading. Founded in 1898 as the Chicago Butter and Egg Board, the CME began as an agricultural commodities exchange, providing a platform for trading butter, eggs, and other perishable goods. Its roots trace back to the Chicago Produce Exchange, established in 1874, which introduced standardized grading and trading practices for perishable products. In 1919, the organization restructured and was renamed the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, broadening its scope beyond butter and eggs to include commodities like potatoes, onions, and cheese. The CME’s most transformative achievement came in 1972, when it launched the International Monetary Market (IMM), introducing the world’s first financial futures contracts—initially on foreign currencies. This innovation revolutionized global finance, paving the way for futures on interest rates, stock indices, and more. The CME continued to innovate, becoming the first major exchange to go public in 2002 and demutualizing from its traditional member-owned structure. In 2007, it merged with the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) to form CME Group, a powerhouse in derivatives trading. Today, CME Group operates multiple exchanges—including the CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX—offering a vast array of products: commodities, equity indices, foreign exchange, interest rates, and even weather derivatives. A leader in electronic trading, the CME’s Globex platform now handles the majority of its transactions, reflecting its embrace of technology. The CME’s evolution from a local agricultural board to a global financial leader underscores its role in shaping modern markets and its ongoing impact on business and technology trends worldwide.