The Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s (CME) website hinted at the introduction of Solana (SOL) and XRP (XRP) futures contracts that could debut as early as Feb. 10, pending regulatory review.
According to the website — which later removed the page — contracts for both assets will be available in standard and micro sizes, with the standard SOL contract having a 500 SOL lot size and the micro-contract accounting for 25 SOL.
Standard-size XRP futures contracts will feature lot sizes of 50,000 XRP, with the micro futures contracts featuring a 2,500 XRP lot size. All contracts for XRP and SOL will settle in US dollars.
Applications for crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and futures products have surged following the reelection of President Donald Trump in the United States and the resignation of Gary Gensler as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Proposed XRP and SOL futures contract lot sizes. Source: CME/Stillio
Related: Solana ETFs may take until 2026: Bloomberg Intelligence
Gensler’s departure triggers wave of applications for crypto financial products
Financial firms filed a flurry of applications for crypto investment vehicles in anticipation of Gensler’s final day as head of the SEC and with the expectation of a friendlier regulatory climate.
On Jan. 15, asset manager VanEck applied for its Onchain Economy ETF. The fund would invest in “digital transformation companies” and digital asset instruments but will not hold crypto directly.
According to the asset manager, digital transformation companies include software developers, mining companies, crypto exchanges, infrastructure builders and payment firms.
Financial services company and ETF issuer ProShares filed for a Solana futures ETF on Jan. 17.
ETF analyst James Seyffart said the applications were interesting given the current lack of SOL futures contracts on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Asset manager WisdomTree applied for an XRP ETF in December 2024, making it the fourth firm to submit such an application.
Other firms that filed for XRP ETFs include Bitwise, 21Shares, and Canary Capital.
WisdomTree’s proposed XRP ETF would initially settle in US dollars. However, future iterations of the ETF could include in-kind settlement mechanisms if approved by the SEC.
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