Crypto exchange Coinbase Derivatives has officially launched two new cryptocurrency futures products: futures and nano XRP futures. The contracts are overseen by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and offer traders new tools to manage risk and gain exposure to the price of the fourth-largest crypto asset.
This product is the second CFTC-regulated XRP futures in the United States after Bitnomial’s launch in March.
Regulated XRP And Nano XRP Futures Now Live On Coinbase
According to a Monday announcement, futures tied to Ripple’s closely related XRP token are now live on Coinbase.
The contracts are overseen by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and offer traders “a regulated, capital-efficient way to gain exposure to one of the most liquid digital assets,” the company wrote on X.
The new XRP futures come in two sizes. The “nano” XRP futures product, designed for smaller participants, represents 500 XRP per contract and settles in US dollars. It’s aimed at retail traders and smaller institutions seeking lower capital requirements while holding exposure to the price movements of the cross-border payments token.
The standard XRP futures contract represents 10,000 XRP, as it is intended for big institutions and active traders. Both contracts will be cash-settled and benchmarked to the MarketVector Coinbase XRP index.
The XRP-based contracts are the latest crypto futures to launch on Coinbase’s derivatives exchange, which features an existing suite that includes contracts tied to Solana, Ether, Dogecoin, Stellar, Hedera, and Chainlink.
The launch follows significant legal milestones for Ripple and XRP. As ZyCrypto reported, Ripple and the Securities and Exchange Commission jointly requested a pause in their appeals to finalize a potential settlement. The joint motion was granted by Circuit Judge José A. Cabranes, signaling a possible end to a high-profile dispute that has been ongoing since late 2020 over Ripple’s sale of XRP tokens, which the SEC alleged were unregistered securities.
A landmark ruling in July 2023 found that Ripple’s programmatic XRP sales did not break securities laws. However, the court determined that direct sales to institutional investors did constitute securities offerings. With the SEC opting to walk away from the appeal, the ruling now stands, strengthening the view that XRP is not a security.