XRP Futures Are Now Live — Could This Be the Institutional Gateway Bulls Have Been Waiting For?

On May 19, #CME Group, a major player in the global derivatives market based in Chicago, officially launched #XRP and Micro XRP futures. They announced the news on X (formerly Twitter), marking a big step for XRP’s presence in the regulated financial space.

These new futures contracts are designed with institutional traders in mind—those looking to hedge, gain exposure, or speculate on XRP’s price movements. The standard XRP futures contract covers 50,000 XRP, while the Micro version is smaller at 2,500 #XRP per contract. Both are priced in U.S. dollars and offer a variety of trading strategies like outright, block trades, and BTIC (Basis Trade at Index Close). The contracts are settled in cash, making it easier and more cost-effective for participants to trade without handling actual XRP tokens. Trading is available through CME’s Globex and Clearport platforms from Sunday evening to Friday afternoon, with breaks in between.

These products are fully regulated by the CFTC, which adds transparency and standardization. They use the #CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate for settlement pricing.

Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple’s CEO, called the launch a big milestone for institutional involvement in XRP. He also mentioned that Hidden Road, a firm Ripple recently acquired for $1.25 billion, executed the very first block trade on CME as soon as trading opened. This acquisition is a major move for Ripple—it now owns a global, multi-asset prime brokerage platform, a first for a crypto company.

The fact that XRP futures are now trading on a major, regulated platform like CME could be a game-changer. Traditionally, large financial institutions need solid legal and regulatory backing before investing in crypto. With CME now offering XRP futures, asset managers, hedge funds, and trading firms can get involved using infrastructure they’re already comfortable with—without having to navigate the murky waters of unregulated spot markets.