The CME Group’s XRP and Micro XRP futures have attracted significant market interest, with $542 million in total trading volume since their launch in May 19.
According to a June 24 report by CME Group, participation has been broad and diverse, ranging from exchange-traded fund issuers and institutional desks to individual traders. On launch day alone, the contracts recorded $19.3 million in trading volume, with participation from 15 firms and four retail trading platforms.
Notably, 45% of the trading volume has come from outside North America, demonstrating strong global demand. The fact that open interest has grown to $70.5 million suggests that interest in the new derivatives has persisted after the initial hype.
Institutional investors have found the contracts particularly appealing because they offer exposure to XRP (XRP) price movements without the hassle of wallet custody or on-chain settlement. The CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate, which offers a benchmark USD price derived from major cryptocurrency exchanges, is used to settle the contracts in cash.
In addition to futures, the XRP ecosystem has seen a steady expansion in 2025. The $1.25 billion acquisition of the prime brokerage firm Hidden Road by Ripple aims to expand XRP’s institutional finance use cases.
RLUSD, a USD-backed stablecoin that runs natively on the XRP Ledger, was also introduced by Ripple. This development could boost network activity and make XRP a more appealing liquidity bridge between traditional and digital markets.
On the technical side, XRP is trading at $2.185 at press time. The price is attempting to push against the 20-day simple moving average at $2.18, indicating a potential bullish breakout, following a strong recovery from recent lows near $2.03. The Bollinger Bands show tightening volatility, which could precede a larger move.
At 49, the relative strength index suggests possible upward momentum if bullish volume returns. Price may push back toward $2.30 and higher if XRP breaks decisively above $2.20 amid rising open interest and growing derivatives volume. If this recovery is not sustained, XRP might retest the lower band support around $2.03.
