Crypto news update: US SEC approves launch of XRP Futures ETFs on April 30: How to buy; all you need to know

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (US SEC) has approved ProShares' launch of XRP futures exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on April 30, the company said in a filing with the SEC. Here is all you need to know about XRP, the token's maker Ripple, how the futures ETFs will work, and other details.

When was the XRP futures ETFs Proposed?

Proshares, which already offers Bitcoin ETFs, in January proposed the formation of three XRP linked ETFs — the Ultra XRP ETF (with 2x leverage), the Short XRP ETF (with inverse (-1x) leverage), and the Ultra Short XRP ETF (with inverse (-2x) leverage), according to a report by CryptoSlate.

ProShares' XRP Futures ETFs will track XRP price on the XRP Index, the report added.

The proposal on January 17, 2025, came in the wake of “crypto-friendly” US President Donald Trump's election, it said.

Are These The First XRP linked ETFs?

No, Teucrium's XRP futures ETFs began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on April 8.

Meanwhile, ProShares has also applied for a XRP Spot ETF, which is pending for approval with the US SEC. A similar product by Hashdex — the world's first spot XRP ETF — was approved in Brazil last week.

Further, CME Group is set to launch XRP futures contracts tied on May 19, “aiming to tap into the growing interest in tokens other than bitcoin and ether,” the company said, as per a Reuters report.

Besides XRP, crypto-related ETFs already exist for Bitcoin, Ethreum and Solana.

What Are Futures ETFs? How Will These Work?

A futures-based ETF provides exposure to the price movements of XRP futures contracts and unlike a spot ETF, would allow users to place bets on XRP's price without buying the token.

Why Is This a Significant Development?

The launch of these XRP ETFs offer users a “regulated” path to making profit from XRP tokens, and could pave the way for institutional interest. The moves are already positive. Notably, after their ETF products were rolled out, both Solana and XRP have seen increased interest from institutional investors, the Reuters report added.

XRP price rose to $2.28, up over 6.35 per cent during early trade on April 28, according to data on CoinMarketcap. Its market cap is at $131.06 billion, up 2.67 per cent over the past day, with trading volume of $3.92 billion — zoomed up by 53.58 per cent over the past 24 hours!

Notably, while the rest of the top 10 on CoinMarketCap, including Bitcoin, are in the red today, XRP is the sole green. At time of writing, Bitcoin price today is at $93,081.91, down 1.79 per cent over the previous day, with market cap of $1.84 trillion and volume of $17 billion.

How To Buy ProShares XRP futures ETFs?

• You cannot trade directly with ProShares, as per thier website. However, you can use a trading platform or brokerage that supports crypto ETFs such as Fidelity, Robinhood, Vanguard, and TD Ameritrade, among others.
• As per a Binance article, you can deposit funds with your broker of choice and then wait for the ETF listing on April 30.
• On April 30, search for the code of ProShares XRP ETF, place your order, and buy he ETF you want.

Who is Behind the XRP futures ETFs? About ProShares & Ripple

According to the official ProShares website, the company has offered ETF products since 2006. It also described itself as having “one of the largest lineups of ETFs, with over $70 billion in assets”.

ProShares claims to be a leader in “crypto-linked, dividend growth, interest rate hedged bond and geared (leveraged and inverse) ETF investing” strategies.

Notably, XRP is the native token of Ripple Labs. The crypto company has been engaged in a regulatory tussle with the US SEC since 2020 over alleged sale of unregistered securities. The civil lawsuit was settled in March 2025. At the time, the XRP token surged 10 per cent near $2.5.

In a post on X, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse called the end of the SEC's case against his company a “resounding victory” and “long overdue surrender”.

(With inputs from Agencies)