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The CME has announced plans to launch XRP (Ripple) futures on 19 May, subject to regulatory approval.
The Chicago-based exchange will offer market participants two contract sizes: a micro-sized contract representing 2,500 XRP and a larger contract representing 50,000 XRP. Both contracts will be cash-settled 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, said: "As innovation in the digital asset landscape continues to evolve, market participants continue to look to regulated derivatives products to manage risks across a wider range of tokens. Interest in XRP and its underlying ledger (XRPL) has steadily increased as institutional and retail adoption for the network grows, and we are pleased to launch these new futures contracts to provide a capital-efficient toolset to support clients' investment and hedging strategies."
The addition of XRP futures expands CME Group's cryptocurrency product suite, which already includes Bitcoin and Ether futures and options, alongside SOL futures launched in March. The company has reported strong growth in its crypto derivatives business, with Q1 2025 trading highlights showing average daily volume of 198,000 contracts, equivalent to $11.3 billion in notional value – a 141% increase year-over-year.
Average open interest during the same period reached 251,000 contracts ($21.8 billion in notional value), up 83% compared to the previous year. The newly launched SOL futures have seen more than 43,000 contracts traded (representing $705 million in notional value) since their introduction on 17 March.
Retail brokerage platform Robinhood has indicated it will offer the new XRP futures to its customers. JB Mackenzie, VP and GM of Futures and International at Robinhood, commented: "Bringing CME Group XRP futures to Robinhood is a natural next step in our mission to expand retail access to futures trading. Our customers have shown a deep interest in digital assets, and they will soon be able to access an even wider variety of crypto futures to complement Robinhood's existing spot crypto offerings. Soon, customers will be able to trade 40 futures products on Robinhood using our one-of-a-kind mobile trading ladder, giving them the speed and precision typically reserved for institutional traders."
Sal Gilbertie, CEO of Teucrium, a provider of cryptocurrency ETFs, highlighted the growing institutional interest in XRP: "XRP was purpose-built for real financial use cases and today facilitates global value transfers through the fast, low-cost XRP Ledger. The Teucrium 2x Daily Long XRP ETF (XXRP), reached $35 million in AUM in its first 10 trading days — highlighting strong investor demand for regulated access to leading digital assets. The listing of regulated XRP futures by CME Group marks another milestone in the ecosystem's evolution, and we intend to be active participants in supporting that growth."
The new XRP futures will be listed on and subject to CME's rules when they launch next month.
