Key Insights
- CME Group will launch options on Solana and XRP futures on October 13, 2025, pending regulatory approval, marking its first expansion beyond Bitcoin and Ether options.
- Since launch, Solana and XRP futures have recorded over $38 billion in combined notional trading, with record activity in August highlighting strong institutional demand.
CHICAGO (MarketsXplora) The Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group (CME), the world’s largest derivatives marketplace, will expand its cryptocurrency lineup with the introduction of options on Solana (SOL) and XRP futures beginning October 13, 2025, pending regulatory approval.
The decision marks the first time CME has extended its crypto options beyond Bitcoin and Ether, underscoring the growing appetite for regulated products tied to alternative digital assets.
CME Group’s Solana and XRP Futures Options Build on Record Trading
Since their respective launches this year, CME’s Solana and XRP futures have quickly emerged among the exchange’s fastest-growing offerings. More than 540,000 Solana futures contracts, equivalent to $22.3 billion in notional value, have changed hands since March 17. Trading activity accelerated in August, with an average daily volume of 9,000 contracts worth $437.4 million and average daily open interest of 12,500 contracts totaling $895 million.
XRP futures, launched on May 19, have followed a similar trajectory. More than 370,000 contracts—valued at $16.2 billion—have been traded to date, with August setting records for open interest at 9,300 contracts worth $942 million and average daily volume reaching 6,600 contracts worth $385 million.
Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group’s Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products, said the expansion reflects “significant growth and increasing liquidity” across the firm’s Solana and XRP suite. “Available in two different sizes, these contracts will offer a wide range of market participants – from institutions to sophisticated, active, individual traders – additional choice and greater flexibility to manage their exposure to two market-leading cryptocurrencies,” he added.
The new derivatives will include standard and micro-sized contracts, with expiries available daily, monthly, and quarterly. Options will give traders the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell the underlying futures at predetermined prices.
Read also: CME Group to Launch FX Spot+ in 2025, Bridging OTC and Futures Markets
Institutional Interest Drives CME Group’s Solana and XRP Futures Options
The expansion comes against a backdrop of rising institutional demand for diversified crypto exposure. While CME introduced the first regulated U.S. crypto derivatives with Bitcoin futures in 2017, followed by Ether futures in 2021, regulated offerings until recently remained largely confined to the two largest cryptocurrencies.
Now, with greater regulatory clarity through initiatives such as the GENIUS Act and broader support from a pro-crypto White House, demand for alternative derivatives is climbing. Traditional exchanges and fintech platforms are stepping in to fill the gap. Coinbase listed Solana futures earlier this year and later moved to acquire options exchange Deribit. Kraken launched its U.S. derivatives arm in July, while Robinhood introduced micro futures contracts for Bitcoin, Solana, and XRP.
Globally, crypto derivatives open interest stands near $4 billion, according to CoinMarketCap, reflecting the market’s expanding role in digital asset trading. To further strengthen liquidity, CME said it will work with institutional trading platform FalconX as it rolls out the new contracts.
By introducing options tied to Solana and XRP, CME Group is betting that institutional investors and active traders alike are ready to look beyond Bitcoin and Ether for new strategies in the maturing digital asset market.