CME Group is preparing to roll out its first-ever options tied to Solana and XRP futures, a move that further signals how altcoins are breaking into institutional finance.
The contracts, expected to debut in mid-October pending approval, would allow traders to fine-tune their exposure beyond the market’s traditional heavyweights.
For years, CME’s crypto activity has revolved around Bitcoin and Ethereum. Now, surging demand for Solana and XRP has pushed the world’s biggest derivatives marketplace to broaden its offerings. Market data shows that both futures products, launched earlier in 2025, have seen record-setting volumes and open interest—an indication that institutions and hedge funds are already treating them as serious trading instruments.
Liquidity providers welcomed the expansion, calling it overdue. Cumberland said the decision reflects how digital assets outside of Bitcoin and Ethereum are gaining real traction, while FalconX pointed out that treasuries holding altcoins increasingly require tools to hedge risk.
Behind the move is a sharp rise in trading activity. Solana futures alone have generated more than half a million contracts since March, translating into tens of billions of dollars in notional value. XRP contracts, introduced a few months later, have shown a similar trajectory, peaking in both daily volume and open interest over the summer.
CME believes that options will take the market a step further by letting participants layer new strategies on top of the existing futures contracts. Monthly and quarterly expiries are planned, with both standard and micro-sized products listed through CME’s Globex platform and cleared under its risk management framework.
Despite the significance of the announcement, token prices barely moved. Solana slipped under $235 after a strong month-long rally, while XRP stayed relatively stable. Analysts suggested the lack of immediate price impact highlights how the real story is not short-term speculation but the steady march of crypto into regulated, institutional-grade markets.
With this launch, Solana and XRP are set to join Bitcoin and Ethereum in CME’s growing suite of crypto derivatives—a sign that the altcoin market is entering a new phase of legitimacy among professional investors.
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Source: https://coindoo.com/solana-and-xrp-futures-gain-options-trading-on-cme/
