Coinbase recently announced the listing of futures contracts for the XRP token on its US derivatives exchange, under the oversight of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). These contracts provide traders with a regulated and capital-efficient way to invest in one of the most liquid digital assets. The XRP futures on Coinbase include standard contracts representing 10,000 XRP and retail-oriented “nano” contracts representing 500 XRP each. This move marks the latest addition to Coinbase’s derivatives exchange, which already offers futures contracts for Solana (SOL) and Hedera (HBAR), introduced in February. US exchanges like Coinbase, Robinhood, and Chicago Mercantile Exchange have been expanding their crypto futures offerings since 2024 due to the increasing demand from both retail and institutional investors. Futures contracts are standardized agreements to buy or sell an underlying asset at a future date, allowing traders to take long and short positions with leverage. Coinbase currently lists derivatives tied to approximately 92 assets on its international exchange and around two dozen in the US, including memecoins like Dogecoin (DOGE) and commodities like oil and gold. In 2024, Coinbase reported a significant increase in derivatives trading volumes by approximately 10,950%. The platform is also reportedly in discussions to acquire Deribit to further enhance its derivatives market presence. XRP Ledger, launched in 2012, is one of the oldest blockchain networks specializing in payments and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications for institutions. As of April 21, XRP’s market capitalization is estimated to be around $120 billion. In March, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dropped a long-standing lawsuit against Ripple, the developer behind XRP Ledger, for alleged securities law violations.