XRP Futures Hit Record Milestone Amid Strong Institutional Demand in Q3 2025

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  XRP futures hit $23 billion, driven by institutional and retail demand.
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  CME launches XRP options, enhancing trading flexibility for investors.
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  Ripple partners with Immunefi for $200 K Attackathon securing XRPL.

CME Group has set a remarkable milestone with XRP futures, reaching a staggering $23 billion in notional value for the third quarter of 2025. The surge in demand for regulated cryptocurrency exposure has been significant, as both institutional and retail investors show heightened interest in cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum.

XRP futures, in particular, have seen exceptional growth, with the XRP and Micro XRP futures suite having traded over 476,000 contracts since its launch in May, accumulating more than $23.7 billion in total notional value.

This surge has also translated into record‑breaking Open Interest (OI) for XRP futures, which reached $1.4 billion in September. Notably, CME Group’s XRP futures saw a new high in terms of the largest number of contracts open at a given time, reaching a Level of Open Interest High (LOIH) of 29.

XRP Options Trading Goes Live

In an exciting development, CME Group officially launched options trading for XRP futures on October 13. This includes both larger and micro‑sized contracts, providing a new level of flexibility for traders.

The launch of options trading on XRP Futures marks a significant milestone, with CME Group being the only platform to offer CFTC‑approved XRP options in the U.S. This new offering is expected to further enhance the capital efficiency and trading experience for institutional and retail investors alike.

The introduction of XRP options is likely to foster deeper liquidity in the XRP market, enabling investors to engage in more sophisticated trading strategies. This marks a turning point in the growing acceptance of cryptocurrencies as regulated financial instruments within the traditional financial ecosystem.

XRP Ledger Continues to Innovate

In parallel to these market advancements, the XRP Ledger (XRPL) continues to move forward with plans for its own innovation. Ripple, in collaboration with Immunefi, has announced the launch of a $200,000 Attackathon aimed at securing the XRPL Lending Protocol. This initiative forms part of Ripple’s broader plan to incorporate decentralized finance (DeFi) into the institutional space.

Scheduled for release later this year as part of XRPL Version 3.0.0, the XRPL Lending Protocol will enable uncollateralized, fixed‑term loans directly on the XRP Ledger. Additionally, the protocol will introduce pooled lending and underwritten credit directly within the ledger, offering a novel approach to lending and borrowing in the crypto space.

As part of the larger XRPL roadmap, the introduction of Confidential Multi‑Purpose Tokens (MPTs) is also on the horizon, with the first application of zero‑knowledge proofs (ZKPs) expected to be launched in Q1 2026.

These developments signal a continued push toward bringing more sophisticated financial tools to the XRP Ledger, further embedding it into the growing DeFi ecosystem.