Key Highlights
- CME Group will introduce Spot-Quoted XRP and Solana futures on December 15, subject to regulatory review.
- These cash-settled contracts trade directly at the spot price, replacing complex basis spreads with daily financing adjustments.
- The expansion follows record trading volumes for CME’s crypto products, offering simplified, long-dated exposure for investors.
CME Group, a derivative marketplace, announced the launch of Spot-Quoted XRP and Solana (SOL) futures. These new contracts are set to be issued on December 15 and are currently under regulatory review, giving traders more transparent and easily accessible tools to manage their exposure to these major digital assets.
The announcement states that the new Spot-Quoted futures for XRP and SOL are intended to trade at the asset’s precise spot price, eliminating the need for traders to figure out the futures basis or spread that is usually present in conventional contracts.
CME introduces long-term expirations
Instead of a price differential, the cost of carry is handled through a daily financing adjustment applied directly to the position’s profit and loss. With the XRP contract covering 250 tokens and the SOL contract covering 5 tokens, the contracts will be cash-settled and sized to appeal to a wide range of market participants. These futures will have a longer-dated expiration date of up to a year at launch, enabling investors to hold positions for a longer amount of time without having to make monthly or quarterly rolls.
The products can be submitted for clearing through CME ClearPort and traded on CME Globex. This development follows CME Group’s late-2025 expansions into the altcoin derivatives market.
On September 17, the exchange first announced its plan to launch options on standard Solana and XRP futures. These options officially began trading on October 13, marking a deepening of the liquidity available for these assets. The demand for these products has been substantiated by market data.
Shortly after the options launch, reports on October 30, showed that CME saw record trading volumes for its existing XRP futures, indicating strong institutional and retail interest in managing crypto-asset risk on a regulated exchange.
Bridging spot trading and regulated futures
The introduction of Spot-Quoted futures is expected to lower the barrier to entry for active traders who may find traditional futures pricing mechanics complex. Because the price quoted aligns directly with the spot market, and contract sizes are smaller, CME Group is likely to attract a new segment of retail and proprietary traders. The initial contracts are long-dated providing a more long-term holding strategy and could further increase the stability and maturity of the XRP and Solana market.
CME Group continues to solidify its position as one of the leaders for institutional crypto trading. The upcoming launch of Spot-Quoted XRP and SOL futures is an effort to bridge the gap between the simplicity of spot trading and the security of a regulated futures exchange.
Also Read: Cboe to Launch Bitcoin and Ether Continuous Futures
