CME Group plans to launch XRP futures, its fourth-ever crypto add

CME Group, the company behind the largest U.S. derivatives exchange, plans to launch XRP futures within a month, pending regulatory review by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, according to an announcement on Thursday.

If approved, CME XRP futures would be the fourth straight-up cryptocurrency available on the marketplace, which also lists BTC, ETH and SOL products. 

The move, coming shortly after listing Solana futures, is representative of the CME Group’s increasing interest in crypto amid shifting regulatory circumstances in the U.S. Under President Trump’s direction, regulators at the CFTC and Securities and Exchange Commission have taken a less restrictive approach to overseeing the blockchain industry. 

According to the announcement, CME will offer a micro-sized contract (2,500 XRP) and a larger-sized contract (50,000 XRP). Both will be cash-settled and use the CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate, calculated once a day at 4:00 p.m. ET. 

To some extent, listing XRP is a natural expansion for the CME given that the cryptocurrency has a market capitalization of over $127 billion, making it the fourth-largest token. Ripple, the company most closely associated with XRP, is also a lobbying giant with a significant presence in Washington, D.C.

However, it’s just that advocacy that may also ruffle feathers, given that Ripple and the so-called XRP Army have at times participated in antagonistic campaigns against other parts of the crypto industry in favor of its own interests. Ripple, for instance, has been critical of Bitcoin’s energy-intensive proof-of-work mechanism while promoting XRP as a more sustainable alternative.

XRP adoption

The XRP Ledger is often pitched as an institutionally-friendly blockchain, and Ripple has formed partnerships with major institutions like MoneyGram, Santander and SBI Holdings. The network is also part of several central bank digital currency pilots.

Some analysts expect XRP adoption to accelerate now that the SEC has dropped its case against Ripple. For instance, earlier this month, analysts at Kaiko said XRP was more likely than other tokens to be approved for a spot ETF approval in the U.S.

In March, the agency ended its four-year legal dispute that had moved into appeals and offered a settlement that reduced Ripple’s fine from $125 million to $50 million.

"XRP was purpose-built for real financial use cases and today facilitates global value transfers through the fast, low-cost XRP Ledger," said Sal Gilbertie, CEO of investment company Teucrium, which offers the 2x Daily Long XRP ETF. Additionally, Robinhood Vice President JB Mackenzie said the brokerage intends to list CME’s XRP products. 

XRP is trading at $2.19, down over 2% over the past 24 hours, according to The Block data .