May 16 (Reuters) -

CME Group ( CME ), the world's largest futures exchange

operator, plans to launch bitcoin trading to expand its

portfolio, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The Chicago-headquartered exchange has been holding

discussions with traders who want to buy and sell bitcoin on a

regulated marketplace, the newspaper said, citing three people

with direct knowledge of the talks.

However, FT said that the plan has not yet been finalised.

CME declined to comment on the report and said it does not

respond to rumours or speculations.

Bitcoin hit a record high in March, fueled by investors

pouring money into U.S. spot exchange-traded crypto products and

the prospect that global interest rates may fall.

CME has hosted trading in bitcoin futures since 2017, making

it one of the first exchanges to do so, along with rival CBOE

. It also offers global benchmark products across major

asset classes, including futures and options.