Coinbase launches XRP futures; Ripple warns UK government
Ripple can count on Coinbase's support.
Ripple can count on Coinbase's support. The large American crypto exchange announced on X (formerly Twitter) that, starting April 21, XRP futures trading will begin.
To make this possible, Coinbase filed an application with the U.S. regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), for the self-certification of these derivatives.
Although the Bitnomial platform has offered regulated XRP futures since the end of March with CFTC approval, it by no means matches Coinbase's market reach.
Coinbase's move is seen by many as a possible precursor to a future XRP ETF. In the U.S., regulators typically approve crypto futures first before approving spot ETFs. That path has already been successfully traveled by Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Renowned crypto attorney John Deaton looked back on the years-long legal battle between Ripple and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and said: "Imagine how much money, resources, and time have been wasted. But we won."
Meanwhile Ripple at the UK Policy Summit urged the British government to quickly clarify cryptocurrency and stablecoin regulations. According to the company, delay could cause the UK to fall further behind in the fast-growing digital assets market.
Ripple says the UK currently has a "second-mover advantage" — in other words, it can benefit from early movers' lessons, but it must act quickly.
Global financial hubs like the EU, Singapore, and Hong Kong have already put clear rules in place, and the risk is that the UK could fall behind otherwise.
XRP's price recently took a hefty hit: about a 15% one-day drop, the biggest dip of the year. For the first time since December 1, the price fell below the $2 level. The market panic was also driven by new trading tariffs announced by Donald Trump, which also hit stocks.
