Consumers, producers, commodity traders, brokers and banks are backing the CME's cash-settled contract as they want a liquid instrument to hedge cobalt.
Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov and his family, which until earlier this year held a majority stake in Polyus, are set to face a fresh probe in France.
The world's oldest metals forum provided its most detailed account yet of the historic short squeeze this year when prices soared 250% in little over 24 hours.