CME Group to launch XRP futures in May, pending regulatory review

Today, CME Group has announced plans to launch XRP futures on May 19, pending regulatory review. Market participants will be able to trade both a small-sized contract (2,500 XRP) and a larger-sized contract (50,000 XRP).

CME Group XRP futures will be paid in cash and will be based on the CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate. This rate is used as a daily benchmark for the price of XRP in US dollars and is calculated every day.

Giovanni Vicioso, Global Head of Crypto 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.”

~ Giovanni Vicioso

XRP futures will join the company’s crypto product suite, which includes Bitcoin and Ether futures and options, as well as recently launched SOL futures.

XRP-related products made $37.7 million in a week.

The price of XRP has declined by around 2% in the last 24 hours, but after the announcement of XRP futures slated to go live in May, the price has steadied. This reflects renewed investor interest and optimism surrounding regulated derivatives for the asset.

$XRP appears to be forming an inverse head and shoulders pattern, potentially setting the stage for a bullish breakout toward $2.70. pic.twitter.com/LnhRA0zUqV

— Ali (@ali_charts) April 23, 2025

According to analysts, if XRP breaks through the neckline support at $2.40, it could go up even more, all the way to $2.70. On-chain data shows that the price of XRP is at $2.18 at press time. The overall financial data is still good.

Also, according to CoinShares, investment goods that have to do with XRP made $37.7 million last week. So far this year, $214 million has been added, which is only slightly less than Ethereum. On the other hand, Ethereum lost $26.7 million, and Bitcoin lost $6 million during the same period.

CME increases chances of XRP ETF approval

CME’s decision to list XRP futures could significantly increase the chances of SEC approval for XRP ETFs. This is because a regulated futures market is often a key requirement for the SEC to approve crypto ETFs. 

The presence of a futures market helps ensure that regulators can track market activity and identify any potential manipulation, thus protecting investors.

Also, Coinbase launched a futures product for the Ripple-linked crypto. This means that now XRP has a regulated market for derivatives in the US. This is a major milestone because when the SEC turned down previous altcoin ETF applications, former Chair Gary Gensler often used the lack of a controlled futures market as a sign of market manipulation.

Now there are XRP futures products on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s ledger. This means that the SEC’s usual reason for not allowing altcoin ETFs, at least for XRP, may have just have gotten a major hit.

On top of that, Paul Atkins, the new pro-crypto SEC Chair, took over this week, making it look like the red flag is starting to fade. From now until the middle of October, the SEC has to decide on five XRP ETF applications. There are also 72 crypto-related ETF applications sitting in the regulatory queue. Solana and XRP have a bigger chance of getting approved.

In addition, 70% of polymarket bettors believe that the SEC will approve an XRP ETF this year.

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