tl;dr
CME Group plans to launch XRP futures on May 19, pending regulatory approval, offering two contract sizes (2,500 XRP and 50,000 XRP). These cash-settled contracts will use the CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate. Demand for XRP and its blockchain is rising among institutional and retail investors. The ...
CME Group plans to launch XRP futures contracts on May 19, pending regulatory approval, introducing two contract sizes: 2,500 XRP and 50,000 XRP. These cash-settled contracts will be based on the CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate, calculated daily at 4:00 P.M. London time.
Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products at CME Group, highlighted a surge in demand for XRP and its native blockchain, the XRP Ledger (XRPL), among both institutional and retail investors. The new futures provide a capital-efficient tool for portfolio management and risk hedging.
This launch expands CME's crypto derivatives offerings beyond Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, reflecting growing interest in regulated derivatives across a broader spectrum of tokens.
Coinbase Derivatives has also introduced CFTC-regulated XRP futures recently, underscoring XRP's increasing integration into the US financial market. These developments may clear a significant obstacle to the SEC approving spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as the regulator previously cited the lack of regulated futures markets when denying similar applications for altcoins.
Several asset managers, including 21Shares, Canary, and Bitwise, have submitted proposals for spot XRP ETFs. JPMorgan projects these ETFs could attract up to $8 billion in assets within their first year, signaling strong market potential for XRP-based investment products.