$XRP Reaches Historic Milestone: Futures Contracts Legalized on CME – Is ETF the Next Step

On May 20, 2025, XRP officially made its mark on the list of digital assets with futures contracts listed and traded on CME – one of the largest derivatives trading exchanges in the world. This is the first XRP futures contract to be legalized in the United States, opening a new door for institutional capital and igniting hope for the approval of an XRP ETF in the near future.

Major Milestone for Investment Organization The XRP and Micro XRP futures contracts on CME allow institutional and individual investors to trade the price volatility of XRP without needing to directly own the asset. CME currently offers futures contracts for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and even options for BTC and ETH. The addition of XRP marks a significant step forward in expanding cryptocurrency derivatives products. Ripple's CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, stated that this is "a significant milestone for institutional participation in the XRP ecosystem." He revealed that as soon as XRP futures trading opened on CME, a large order (block trade) was successfully processed by Hidden Road – a financial company providing clearing services for institutions. Impressive Liquidity and Trading Volume Just a few hours after opening trading, the XRP futures contract on CME has reached a total volume of over 15.6 million USD as of 9:20 PM UTC. Specifically: 120 standard contracts ( each contract represents 50,000 XRP) traded at an average of 2.40 USD, equivalent to about 14.3 million USD. 206 Micro contracts ( 2,500 XRP each contract) contributes an additional 1.2 million USD in volume. Mr. Giovanni Vicioso, the cryptocurrency product director at CME Group, stated that the increasing interest from both institutions and individual investors in XRP and the XRP Ledger (XRPL) has driven the decision to launch a new derivatives trading product. He emphasized that these futures contracts will be an effective tool to support trading strategies and risk management for investors. ETF XRP – Is It Just a Matter of Time? According to Mr. Nate Geraci, President of ETF Store, the legal trading of XRP futures on CME is an important stepping stone towards a spot ETF XRP (spot ETF). He believes that the XRP ETF "is just a matter of time." History has shown that when Bitcoin was listed for futures contracts on the CME, the price surged and then quickly corrected deeply. With XRP, the market has not yet reacted strongly to this news, but the "bulls" (bulls) remain optimistic that this event will trigger institutional capital inflow, increasing liquidity and stabilizing prices in the long term. Currently, XRP is trading around 2.38 USD, with expectations of returning to the 3 USD mark – a high not seen since 2018. Risks and Potential However, analyst Ali Martinez warns that if XRP does not maintain the important support level of 2.30 USD, the price may drop to 2 USD. Additionally, XRP is still under pressure from the lawsuit with the SEC – which has not yet reached a conclusion. Any positive news related to the lawsuit could also serve as a strong catalyst to boost the likelihood of XRP ETF approval. Summary: The CME's inclusion of XRP in the futures contracts list is not only a positive signal for XRP's price, but also an important step in bringing XRP closer to institutional investors and the traditional financial market. Although there are still many barriers ahead, the XRP community has legitimate reasons to hope for a brighter future.