Ripple President Teases Bank Partnerships as XRP ETF Hype and CFTC Options Drive Market Excitement

• The attention from financial institutions towards XRP is increasing as the community waits for XRP ETF approval.
• The CME Group just launched CFTC-regulated options on XRP futures after a major market crash and the ongoing government shutdown.

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Financial institutions’ growing interest in blockchain technology has been quite noticeable following the election of the first pro-crypto president in the United States, Donald Trump. Most importantly, the institutions are now more confident in collaborating with Ripple (XRP) than ever, as there is no lawsuit with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) looming over them.

In an interview, Monica Long, president of Ripple, confirmed the shift in how financial institutions view digital assets, marking what could be the start of a new era for blockchain adoption in traditional finance. “It seems like the floodgates will open this year,” she said.

Long highlighted that institutions such as Bank of America, one of Ripple’s earliest partners during its payment solution pilot phase, are showing renewed and stronger interest in leveraging XRP. “You hear from CEOs like Bank of America saying, ‘we’re all in,’” she added.

Institutions have traditionally operated in highly regulated environments where compliance and risk management are top priorities. The lack of clear legal frameworks around custody, settlement, and stablecoin usage created a climate of caution.

Many banks worried about running afoul of unclear or shifting regulations from agencies like the U.S. SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

But with recent policy shifts, Long notes that banks are now increasingly open to engaging in discussions around payment infrastructure and stablecoins.

Institutional Interest Intensifies

In April, Ripple made a power move by purchasing Hidden Road, a key digital asset brokerage, for $1.25 billion.  This strengthened Ripple’s appeal to institutional players, integrating Hidden Road’s robust prime brokerage and financing solutions to bridge traditional and digital asset markets

More recently, CME Group rolled out Commodity Futures Trading Commission-regulated options on XRP futures. The new offering features physically settled contracts that will give institutional traders more effective tools to manage risk, while integrating smoothly into CME’s established crypto futures ecosystem.

Expanding the range of crypto options listed on CME tends to strengthen market liquidity and improve price discovery for the underlying tokens.

Previously, CNF reported that the ongoing U.S. government shutdown has temporarily stalled the approval timeline for several crypto ETF applications, including those tied to XRP. Although the 19b-4 filings were on track to become effective, these procedural steps don’t guarantee an immediate ETF launch.

The XRP ETF is designed to offer investors regulated custody and a simplified way to gain exposure to the asset.

Current reviews cover filings from asset managers like Bitwise, Canary Capital, CoinShares, and WisdomTree. These evaluations are expected to run through October 24.

However, under the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s new fast-track ETF rule, and with Paul Atkins stepping in as Chair, the approval window is shortened to 60–75 days from the previous 240-day process.

If the shutdown ends soon, a green light could come before the end of 2025, and place XRP as the first major altcoin that has the potential to mirror Bitcoin’s post-ETF rally momentum.

At the time of press, XRP is trading at $2.43, having dropped 6.13% in the last 24 hours. This sees the altcoin extend its weekly losses by nearly 17%.

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