Getting Started
If you are planning on:
- Connecting directly to CME Globex for trading or market data
- Developing to iLink order entry or FIX/FAST market data
please contact CME Globex Account Management at 312.634.8700 in North America, +44.207.796.7100 in Europe and +852.3101.7696 in Asia.
We highly recommend that you sign up for the weekly CME Globex Notices and the monthly CME Globex Newsletter at www.cmegroup.com/subscribe. All new functionality, products and any other important CME Globex information are announced via these customer communications.
Connectivity
Choose your type of connection
CME Group-Managed Solution:
- CME DIRECTLink – Our managed solution that offers high capacity Ethernet access at 20, 40 and 100Mbps.
Client-Managed Solutions:
- LNet - A client-managed 40 or 100Mbps direct connectivity solution to the CME Globex fiber network via a CME Group-approved third party facility.
- Jackson Direct - A client-managed 40 or 100Mbps direct connectivity solution to the CME Globex fiber network from the Chicago Board of Trade building at 141 W. Jackson, Chicago, IL 60604
- Client INTERNETLink - A client-managed solution connecting to CME Globex within approved telecommunications vendor clouds.
- CME Globex Hubs - The hubs allow for client-managed connections from redundant data centers in Amsterdam, Dublin, London, Milan, Paris, Sao Paolo and Singapore.
Alternatively, a firm may choose to connect indirectly via a Clearing Firm or third-party Application Services Provider (ASP).
More information can be found online at www.cmegroup.com/networkaccess.
Agreements
To connect directly to CME Globex, customers must complete the CME Customer Connection Agreement and relevant schedules:
- Connection Agreement and Schedule 1
- Schedule 2 Access Request & Information Form
- Schedule 7 Market Data Request Form
Data Centers who provide host connectivity for customers must complete a Data Center Agreement instead of a CME Customer Connection Agreement.
The Data Center and CME Customer Agreements are available at www.cmegroup.com/connectionagreement.
Choose your Front-End System
What type of front-end application will you use?
- Developing your own? Continue to the next step.
- Leasing from an Independent Software Vendor (ISV)? Skip down to Getting Access
- Certified ISVs can be found at www.cmegroup.com/isv.
Develop a Proprietary System
Test Environments and Certification Tools
CME Group has two customer testing environments: New Release and Certification. The New Release environment is used to introduce new products and functionality prior to their production launch. The Certification environment mirrors production at all times, and is used by firms to test their software against the current production release.
Your CME Globex Account Manager can give you access to both test environments once you have completed and signed Schedule A and Schedule B to the Interface Development Agreement, available at www.cmegroup.com/connectionagreement.
iLink session IDs for the Certification and New Release environments are issued only after we have received Schedule A to the Interface Development Agreement. Your CME Globex Account Manager will set up your firm’s profile, listing the name of your application, type of application, version and all individuals who will be testing.
Note: You must have access to both test environments in order to use the AutoCert+ certification tool.
The following connectivity options are available for access to the certification and New Release environments:
- CERT VPN
- CME CERTLink (U.S. customers only), a CMEG-managed network solution, 40Mbps
- CME London CERTLink
- BTR CERTLink, up to 40Mbps
The CERT VPN is provided free of charge. All other costs can be found on the Interface Developers Agreement Schedule A at www.cmegroup.com/connnectionagreement.
Develop to the iLink Order Entry Interface
An iLink Session ID is a logical connection to CME Globex for order entry and is based on the FIX 4.X protocol. iLink Session ID usage guidelines can be found at www.cmegroup.com/ilink.
Please review the iLink Software Development Kit (SDK) at www.cmegroup.com/ilinksdk.
All new applications must complete certification to iLink via the AutoCert+ tool.
To complete certification, your application must demonstrate the ability to produce an audit trail, with all required fields, in the format specified by CME Group.
- Read the documentation on audit trail requirements
- Contact the Market Regulation Department at audittrail@cmegroup.com to complete audit trail demonstration with test data
- Market Regulation will then provide conditional certification to allow your application to connect in production and begin trading
- Market Regulation will subsequently conduct an audit on your production audit trail data to provide final certification
- Detailed information regarding the requirements can be found at www.cmegroup.com/globex/resources/cme-globex-regulatory-documents.html. Questions concerning the certification process of your audit trail can be directed to audittrail@cmegroup.com.
All applications must also provide adequate credit controls in accordance with the CME Globex Interface Credit Control Certification Requirements, found in Appendix 1 of the Schedule 6 to the CME Customer Connection Agreement at www.cmegroup.com/connectionagreement.
Development and certification support is available by contacting the Certification Support Electronic Trading team (CSET) at 312.930.2322 or cset@cmegroup.com. CSET is available 4:00 p.m. Sunday through 4:00 p.m. Friday Central time.
Develop to the Market Data Platform
FIX/FAST is the messaging format used on the Market Data Platform. The Market Data Platform is a dual feed, multicast dissemination vehicle.
Please review the SDK at www.cmegroup.com/mdpsdk.
All new applications must complete certification to FIX/FAST on the Market Data Platform via the AutoCert+ tool.
Development and certification support is available by contacting the Certification Support Electronic Trading team (CSET) at 312.930.2322 or cset@cmegroup.com. CSET is available 4:00 p.m. Sunday through 4:00 p.m. Friday Central time.
Getting Access
Your Class A Clearing Firm will request production iLink session ID(s) through your GAM for every new site, front-end system or server.
Since not all products are cleared by CMEG, you will need to contact your Class A Clearing Firm to access the Hosted Exchanges or exchanges that are available via an order routing agreement (e.g., BM&F BOVESPA). Contact your GAM to determine if exchange-specific certification is required.
CMEG Risk Management Tools
Your Class A Clearing Firm authorizes access to optional support tools, such as FirmSoft, and registers any GCC Authorized Contacts (via Schedule 3&4 to the CME Customer Connection Agreement).
- FirmSoft
- a browser-based order management tool that provides real-time access to information on working and filled CME Globex orders and the ability to cancel orders, across multiple firm IDs
- www.cmegroup.com/firmsoft
- Drop Copy
- sends real-time copies of iLink execution reports and reject messages to customers via a separate FIX session
- www.cmegroup.com/dropcopy
- Cancel on Disconnect (COD)
- cancels all resting session/day futures and options orders for registered iLink session IDs upon an ungraceful disconnect
- www.cmegroup.com/cod
- CME Globex Credit Controls
- allows a Class A clearing firm to set pre-execution risk controls through a browser based interface
- www.cmegroup.com/globex/trading-cme-gro up-products/risk-management-services.html?show=Credit%20Controls
Resources
- CME Globex Control Center (GCC)
- Provides customer support and problem management to registered contacts. The GCC provides customer support by phone 24 hours a day, from 2:00 p.m. Sunday through 4:45 p.m. Friday, U.S. Central time.
- U.S: 312-456-2391
- Europe: 44-20-7623-4708
- www.cmegroup.com/gcc
- CME Globex Messaging Policy
- creates fair business guidelines by which customers are billed a surcharge for overly high message rates.
- www.cmegroup.com/messagingpolicy/
- CME Globex Reference Guide
- provides a general overview of the Globex Platform electronic trading, products, access, functionality, practices and policies, market operation, and glossary.
- www.cmegroup.com/globexreferenceguide
- CME Group Customer Forums
- venues in which customers can learn about forward-looking development at CMEG, including platform changes, electronic trading policies, new product offerings and other enhancements.
- www.cmegroup.com/customerforum
- CME Globex Enhancements
- working constantly to introduce enhanced functionality and improve performance, this page reflects all the recent and upcoming functionality changes to the CME Globex platform that impact our customers.
- www.cmegroup.com/globexenhancements
