Here’s How XRP Spot ETFs Could Massively Impact Supply and Drive Up Price

A crypto CEO has explained how XRP spot ETFs could make a difference for the XRP supply situation and XRP price, as opposed to XRP futures ETFs.

This comes as the market waits for the U.S. SEC to approve XRP spot ETFs. While futures-based XRP products have already found early success, investors suggest that the real impact will come when spot ETFs hit the market.

Claver Explains How XRP Futures ETFs Work

Jake Claver, CEO of Digital Ascension Group, believes the difference between futures and spot ETFs could make a massive difference for XRP. 

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He explained that futures ETFs don’t create real demand because they never buy the actual tokens. According to him, fund managers purchase futures contracts that settle in cash, not XRP, which means they never touch the underlying asset. 

Notably, they roll those contracts over before they expire. Even if they ever received XRP through a contract, they would sell it right away.

Claver noted that this setup is essentially paper trading wrapped in an ETF label. Since these funds never hold XRP, they don’t reduce its available supply, and that lack of scarcity means prices don’t rise from ETF activity.

XRP Spot ETFs Could be a Game-Changer

He contrasted this with spot ETFs, which he said would have a direct impact on supply and demand. Specifically, spot ETFs must buy and hold real XRP to back every share they issue. 

Custodians like Coinbase and Anchorage store the tokens securely, with each share tied to anywhere from 5 to 50 XRP. Once the funds purchase and lock those tokens, they effectively leave circulation unless investors sell their shares.

Claver compared this upcoming development to what happened with Bitcoin. Futures ETFs for Bitcoin existed for years, but the market did not feel any real impact until spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in January 2024. These products created real buying pressure because every dollar flowing in required actual Bitcoin purchases.

According to Claver, XRP now sits in a similar position. The SEC typically wants at least half a year of futures trading before approving spot products, and XRP has already met that condition. Now that XRP has cleared this hurdle, the market pundit believes the market is ready for what he called “real price discovery.”

He warned that when APs start buying millions of XRP from exchanges with limited inventory, the market could experience a serious supply crunch. Liquidity on exchanges is already lower than ever, which could lead to fierce competition among institutions trying to accumulate XRP.

To Claver, the approval of spot XRP ETFs would represent the start of the “real game.” He believes that once institutions begin competing for real tokens in a tightening market, XRP could see the kind of supply-driven price movement that futures ETFs could never produce despite their early success.

Futures ETFs Enjoying Early Successes

For context, this year, several XRP futures ETFs have launched, showing growing institutional interest in the asset. Teucrium’s XRP Futures ETF (XXRP), which started trading in April 2025. Within weeks, it attracted $121 million in assets under management (AUM).

Following Teucrium’s success, Volatility Shares introduced its XRP ETF (XRPI) in May, trading on Nasdaq. Also, in July, ProShares introduced the Ultra XRP ETF (UXRP). 

REX-Osprey joined the trend last month with its XRPR ETF on Cboe. While the product was primarily spot-based, it included futures elements that helped boost its early launch. The ETF set a 2025 record with $37.7 million in first-day trading volume.

Even with these futures-based products performing well, most market participants now look toward spot ETFs as the true game-changer. Several major firms, including Grayscale, Bitwise, Canary Capital, and WisdomTree, have already filed applications, with decisions expected once the U.S. government shutdown ends.