XRP Futures Now Trading on Coinbase’s CFTC-Approved Platform

Coinbase has expanded its derivatives offerings by introducing CFTC-regulated XRP futures contracts on its U.S. derivatives exchange. This marks an important step for the trading platform, allowing broader market access to XRP, one of the most actively traded cryptocurrencies, in a regulated environment.

The newly listed XRP futures contracts are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), ensuring compliance and oversight for participants. According to Coinbase’s announcement posted on the X platform, these contracts provide a capital-efficient method for both institutional and retail investors to gain exposure to XRP within a secure and officially sanctioned trading framework.

Two types of futures products are now available: a standard contract representing 10,000 XRP and a smaller “nano” contract designed for retail traders representing 500 XRP, which equated to approximately $1,000 as of April 21. These new offerings bring XRP into Coinbase’s growing lineup of futures products available to U.S. traders.

XRP joins other digital assets that already have futures contracts on Coinbase’s U.S. derivatives platform, including Solana (SOL) and Hedera (HBAR). Both of those assets were added in February, showcasing the company’s efforts to diverse its derivatives portfolio.

Crypto Derivatives on the Rise

Since the beginning of 2024, interest in crypto derivatives has surged, especially across U.S.-based exchanges like Coinbase, Robinhood, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. This trend reflects growing appetite among institutional and retail investors alike for more sophisticated financial instruments tied to cryptocurrencies. According to a report from Cointelegraph, these platforms have been expanding their offerings to meet heightened demand.

Derivatives, especially futures contracts, enable traders to speculate on an asset’s future value while managing risk. These tools offer the opportunity to go either long or short and often include the use of leverage, increasing their appeal for strategic traders.

Coinbase’s international derivatives exchange currently supports contracts for around 92 crypto assets, while about two dozen are available within the U.S. marketplace. Some of these contracts are even tied to well-known memecoins like Dogecoin (DOGE) as well as traditional commodities like oil and gold.

Coinbase’s growing focus on derivatives has paid off. In December 2024, the company reported a massive 10,950% spike in derivatives trading volume. Meanwhile, Coinbase has reportedly been in talks to acquire Deribit, a dedicated crypto derivatives platform, in a bid to extend its reach even further in the field.

Coinbase’s U.S. derivatives exchange originally launched in 2022. Since then, it has facilitated millions of contracts, including micro-sized “nano” options targeted specifically toward retail investors, making crypto futures more accessible than ever.

XRP itself, launched back in 2012, is a blockchain network focused on cross-border payments and institutional use in decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. Despite regulatory tensions, the market cap of XRP remained strong, hovering around $120 billion by April 21, according to CoinMarketCap.

Regulatory clarity surrounding XRP also received a boost in March, when the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dropped its prolonged lawsuit against Ripple—the company behind the XRP Ledger—regarding claims of securities law violations. This development makes the timing of the futures contract launch even more significant, providing both legal and financial stability.

Related: $2.3 Trillion Liquidity Shock: Franklin Templeton Says XRP Is Next in Line for Massive Inflows

With the addition of XRP futures, Coinbase further solidifies its position as a leader in the crypto derivatives space, offering investors new ways to engage with digital asset markets within a regulated framework.