Fifth CME Group CME group, the largest derivatives exchange in the world is introducing XRP futures starting May 19 th. This step would be the latest addition to its growing cryptocurrency product line. This announcement comes as interest and adoption of XRP surges with institutional and retail investors alike. The news came as a surprise, first dropped in a #cryptoslate press release picked up by @CoinDesk.

Additionally, traders now have greater flexibility to manage their risk with the new XRP futures contracts. These contracts offer the only chance to get exposure to XRP through a regulated derivatives product. Two contract sizes, pending regulatory approval, will be available: 2,500 XRP and 50,000 XRP. These different sizes are meant to appeal to a wide array of traders with both short and long investment strategies.

Giovanni Vicioso, global head of cryptocurrency products at CME Group emphasized the growing need for more regulated cryptocurrency derivatives.

"As innovation in the digital asset landscape continues to evolve, market participants continue to look to regulated derivatives products to manage risks across a wider range of tokens." - Giovanni Vicioso

Vicioso called XRP’s increased adoption as well as interest in its underlying technology – blockchain – a global trend.

"Interest in XRP and its underlying ledger (XRPL) has steadily increased as institutional and retail adoption for the network grows, and we are pleased to launch these new futures contracts to provide a capital-efficient toolset to support clients’ investment and hedging strategies." - Giovanni Vicioso

CME group’s launch of XRP futures represents the latest development in a rapidly changing and developing contingent of CME Groups’ cryptocurrency offerings. It opens a completely new channel for investors to get exposure to the XRP ecosystem.