CME Group Launches Options on Solana and XRP Futures Starting October 13 - Major Institutional Validation

Wall Street's crypto embrace hits overdrive as derivatives giant CME rolls out options trading for two of the market's most controversial assets.

Institutional Gateway Widens

The move signals deepening mainstream acceptance for altcoins that regulators once viewed with skepticism—now getting the full institutional treatment complete with standardized contracts and risk management frameworks.

Market Impact Dynamics

Expect increased liquidity and volatility as hedge funds and proprietary trading desks stack positions. The timing couldn't be more strategic—positioning right before Q4's traditional risk-on season.

Because nothing says 'legitimate asset class' like letting traders bet on price movements without actually owning the underlying asset—Wall Street's special talent for creating complexity where simplicity once existed.

TLDR

• CME Group will launch options on Solana and XRP futures starting October 13, marking their first options expansion beyond Bitcoin and Ether
• More than 540,000 SOL futures contracts worth $22.3 billion have traded since March launch, with record August activity
• XRP futures reached record open interest of $942 million in August after launching in May
• DBS Bank partners with Franklin Templeton and Ripple to list tokenized money market fund sgBENJI paired with RLUSD stablecoin
• The DBS partnership allows trading between tokenized fund units and stablecoins, with plans for lending and repo transactions

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group will introduce options on Solana and XRP futures contracts starting October 13. This marks the first time CME has expanded its options offerings beyond Bitcoin and Ether derivatives.

LATEST: 📈 CME Group has announced it will launch options on solana and XRP futures on October 13, pending regulatory review. pic.twitter.com/bXabZa4DyM

— CoinMarketCap (@CoinMarketCap) September 17, 2025

The new options products will cover both standard and micro-sized SOL and XRP futures contracts. They will include daily, monthly, and quarterly expiration dates, pending regulatory approval.

Giovanni Vicioso, CME’s global head of cryptocurrency products, said the expansion reflects growing demand in crypto futures markets. The products aim to serve institutions and individual traders.

Trading data shows strong performance for both assets since their futures launches this year. Solana futures have recorded over 540,000 contracts worth $22.3 billion in notional value since March.

August marked a record month for SOL futures with 9,000 contracts traded daily. XRP futures launched in May and have seen over 370,000 contracts worth $16.2 billion in notional value.

XRP futures reached record open interest of $942 million in August. The strong performance has driven CME’s decision to expand derivative offerings for both cryptocurrencies.

Traditional Finance Embraces Crypto Derivatives

The US crypto derivatives market began in December 2017 when both CME and the Chicago Board Options Exchange launched bitcoin futures. These products operate under Commodity Futures Trading Commission oversight.

CME added Ether futures in 2021, followed by micro-sized contracts at 0.1 ETH. Until recently, regulated US crypto derivatives remained limited to Bitcoin and Ether products.

Other exchanges have expanded their crypto derivative offerings this year. Coinbase introduced Solana futures contracts in February, including standard and nano-sized options.

Kraken launched its US derivatives arm in July. Robinhood rolled out micro futures contracts for Bitcoin, Solana, and XRP through its derivatives division.

Global crypto derivatives open interest currently holds NEAR $4 billion according to CoinMarketCap data. The growth reflects increasing institutional demand for regulated crypto trading products.

DBS Bank Launches Tokenized Fund Trading

DBS Bank announced a partnership with Franklin Templeton and Ripple on September 18. The collaboration will bring tokenized money market funds to the DBS Digital Exchange.

The bank will list Franklin Templeton’s sgBENJI token representing units of a tokenized US dollar money market fund. The offering pairs with Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin for trading opportunities.

Franklin Templeton will issue sgBENJI tokens on Ripple’s XRP Ledger platform. The blockchain was chosen for its speed, cost efficiency, and interoperability features.

DBS plans to expand services by allowing clients to use sgBENJI tokens as collateral for credit. Future options include bank-run repurchase transactions and third-party lending platforms where DBS acts as custodian.

The partnership represents the first repo trades involving tokenized money market funds and regulated stablecoins. Franklin Templeton manages over $1.5 trillion in assets and has been expanding its tokenized fund operations.

Industry projections suggest tokenized assets could reach $16 trillion by 2030, reflecting growing institutional confidence in tokenization technology.