SEC's new listing standards require crypto assets to have at least six months of futures trading exposure.
Eligible assets include XRP, Solana, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Avalanche, Polkadot, Chainlink, Stellar, Cardano, and Hedera.
Approval for XRP and other altcoin ETFs is expected between September and October 2025, based on current regulatory filings.
U.S. financial markets may soon witness the arrival of multiple altcoin Exchange Traded Products (ETPs), following recent regulatory updates from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). According to new filing details and expert assessments, the XRP ETF and other crypto-based ETFs are expected to gain approval between September and October 2025. These developments follow the SEC’s introduction of updated listing requirements for crypto assets with derivative exposure.
SEC Introduces New Listing Standards for Crypto ETFs
The SEC issued a fresh set of rules designed to guide the approval process for crypto ETFs. The new standards were submitted through a filing by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), outlining conditions for listing digital asset products.
One key requirement is that the underlying crypto asset must have at least six months of futures trading on a Designated Contract Market. In addition, the exchange must maintain a surveillance sharing agreement with the futures platform involved. Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas shared that several altcoins meet the outlined conditions.
These include XRP, Dogecoin, Solana, Litecoin, Avalanche, Chainlink, Stellar, Hedera, Polkadot, Cardano, and others. Each of these assets has shown consistent futures trading activity on exchanges such as Coinbase’s derivatives platform for more than six months. This duration satisfies the SEC’s minimum requirement for ETP eligibility.
List of Key Eligible Crypto Assets
The full list of eligible assets includes widely traded cryptocurrencies that are already active in derivative markets. Assets such as XRP, Solana, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Avalanche, Polkadot, Chainlink, Stellar, Cardano, and Hedera have all met the condition of sustained futures market presence. These tokens are expected to be among the first to qualify under the updated ETP guidelines. The SEC’s rules focus strictly on assets with visible trading records over a designated period, removing the need for speculative interpretation.
Source: X
Balchunas projected that the approval of XRP and related altcoin ETFs would likely occur by early fall. His team identified September or October 2025 as the most probable window based on current filings and regulatory activity. This aligns with internal forecasts which previously indicated an 85% chance of approval for these tokens.
Earlier, the SEC authorized in-kind creation and redemption for spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs. That decision allowed issuers to use cryptocurrency instead of cash for ETF creation. The same structure could apply to the upcoming altcoin ETFs once approvals are finalized later this year.
