The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) appears to be preparing for the launch of futures contracts for XRP and Solana (SOL).
The development was revealed through a publicly accessible beta version of the CME website, but a spokesperson has since clarified the situation. Notably, the release of these futures, reportedly slated for Feb. 10, hinges on regulatory approval, but official confirmation from CME remains pending.
This potential move comes amid a broader push for more regulated crypto products in the U.S. Interest in crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has also been growing, with recent filings proposing the launch of multiple XRP and SOL ETFs as President Trump assumes office.
CME Beta Site Hints at XRP and SOL Futures Launch
The latest development first came to public light when crypto sleuth Summers shared details on X. He noted that the CME Group had updated its beta subdomain website with pages introducing XRP and SOL futures.
Interestingly, data from the beta site suggested that the CME Group planned to launch these products on Feb. 10, pending regulatory review. Summers interpreted this as CME preparing for an imminent announcement. Recall that CME added support for XRP pricing information last July.
James Seyffart, an ETF expert at Bloomberg, responded to Summers’ post. Seyffart noted that if the beta site was indeed a legitimate test version of the official CME website, the news made sense and could be expected.
Assuming "beta.cmegroup" is actually a beta/test version of the actual CMEGroup website — looks like CME is expecting to launch SOL & XRP futures on Feb 10. But this isn't available on the actual website yet.
Honestly makes sense and largely to be expected if true IMO https://t.co/lfMGd8X9KE
— James Seyffart (@JSeyff) January 22, 2025
He added that if the beta information were accurate, CME likely intended to launch SOL and XRP futures as stated. However, Seyffart remained cautious and stressed that it is important to await an official announcement from CME to verify the claims.
Additionally, the Bloomberg ETF expert pointed out the potential lapse in operational security, as he questioned why the beta site was publicly accessible.
In response, Summers explained that CME’s staging site consistently adds new products before formal announcements. According to him, he discovered the latest development during a routine monitoring effort on his end.
Its their staging, was tracking it for some time, they always add new products there before they announce. I made a snapshot beforehand in case they close the page:https://t.co/c3vvovVi1k
— Summers (@SummersThings) January 22, 2025
CME Spokesperson Clarifies
Meanwhile, earlier this morning, Eleanor Terrett, a reporter for FOX Business, confirmed that a CME Group spokesperson had clarified the situation, stating that the beta website was used for internal mock-ups and had been made publicly accessible in error.
A @CMEGroup spokesperson tells @FoxBusiness that the beta version of the website, which is often used for mock up drafts, was made public in error. No official decisions have yet been made about launching futures contracts for either token. https://t.co/10XfenoIL7
— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) January 23, 2025
According to the spokesperson, the firm has not made any final decisions regarding the launch of futures contracts for XRP or SOL.
Responding to Terrett’s disclosure, Nate Geraci, the President of the ETF Store, noted that CME’s acknowledgment of the beta site being real adds to the possibility of future product launches.
So CME confirms the beta version website floating around out here was real…
Showed sol & xrp futures launching Feb 10th. https://t.co/z3MQagCPE2
— Nate Geraci (@NateGeraci) January 23, 2025
Notably, data from the page’s snapshot shows the firm plans to list XRP futures with a contract size of 50,000 XRP, while Solana futures were sized at 500 SOL. In addition, there appear to be plans to list Micro SOL Futures with a 25 SOL contract size and Micro XRP Futures with a 2,500 XRP contract size.
Recall that in August 2023, amid calls for an XRP ETF launch, Seyffart contended that for any asset manager to receive approval for the launch of an XRP ETF, CME must first list XRP futures, treating the product as a commodity. This occurred for Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs.
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