XRP Hits $26.9B in CME Futures Trading as Institutional Demand Soars

Ripple’s native token, XRP, has recorded three consecutive days of price growth, signaling renewed strength in the market. Yet, the main story extends beyond its recent price movement. XRP is showing remarkable traction in the regulated derivatives market, where its futures and options contracts are drawing increasing institutional participation and trading volume.

CME Group Records Rapid Growth in XRP Futures

CME Group, one of the world’s largest derivatives exchanges, reported via X on October 23 that trading in its XRP and Micro XRP futures has grown sharply since their introduction in May 2025. In just five months, the platform has seen over 567,000 contracts traded, representing a notional value of $26.9 billion—about $213 million in daily average volume—and equivalent to roughly 9 billion XRP exchanged.

This steady expansion reflects the fast-growing acceptance of XRP derivatives within regulated markets. CME’s Crypto Insights report for October also noted that open interest for XRP and Micro XRP futures rose to $1.4 billion in September, setting a record with 29 large open interest holders. 

Ripple’s Institutional Strategy Bolsters Market Outlook

Complementing the surge in derivatives activity, Ripple’s broader institutional strategy has continued to reinforce XRP’s overall market performance. On Friday, the company confirmed the completion of its acquisition of the global trading firm Hidden Road, which has now been rebranded as Ripple Prime. With this purchase, Ripple said, “this is an exciting new chapter for Ripple, making it the first crypto company to own and operate a global, multi-asset prime broker, and bring the promise of digital assets to institutional customers at scale.“

Chief Executive Officer Brad Garlinghouse described the acquisition as a step toward building what he termed an “Internet of Value.” He emphasized that XRP remains central to Ripple’s operations and continues to drive its efforts to expand institutional engagement.

In addition, Ripple is leading an initiative to raise a minimum of $1 billion for the creation of an XRP-based treasury to be listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker XRPN. Collectively, these moves strengthen Ripple’s institutional foundation and align with the growing demand reflected in the CME data.

XRP Technical Indicators Signal Renewed Bullish Momentum

On the market side, XRP has continued its short-term recovery, rising from around $2.00 to nearly $2.61. The price movement has created an upward trendline, signaling consistent buying interest after a recent dip. However, it remains just below a significant resistance level near $2.80—a price area where selling has previously limited rallies. A breakout above that mark would confirm a stronger bullish reversal, but until then, the current move is viewed as a short-term recovery.

Technical indicators add further insight into this recent performance, showing how momentum and trend strength support the current upward move.

• The Relative Strength Index has risen from about 39.5 to 51, moving above the neutral level and signaling that bullish momentum is returning.
• Since the RSI remains below 70, there is room for further gains without immediate overbought pressure.
• The Average Directional Index stands near 36, indicating a strong trend that is gaining strength alongside the rising price.
• Overall, these indicators suggest that XRP’s short-term upward movement is supported and may continue in the near term.

Given the steady rise in price and improving technical signals, XRP appears positioned to extend its current momentum toward the $2.80–$3.00 range. Should it break through that resistance level with increased trading volume, the next target could reach the $3.20 area. Conversely, failure to surpass resistance could lead to a brief pullback toward the recent support around $2.2 before another potential advance.