XRP Returns to Coinbase Derivatives Platform After 4-Year Absence

XRP has officially returned to the coinbase derivatives platform after a four-year absence. This move is significant, as it marks a substantial development in XRP’s ongoing evolution in U.S. markets, especially given its history with regulatory challenges. The asset was originally delisted from Coinbase in 2021, following the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) lawsuit against Ripple, which alleged the company conducted an unregistered securities offering. However, the new U.S. Presidential administration led by Donald Trump brought a major shift in the SEC’s policy, leading to the dismissal of multiple lawsuits, including the legal battle with Ripple. While XRP has since been reinstated for spot trading, its reappearance on Coinbase’s futures platform carries greater implications. Coinbase’s derivatives desk is a primary venue for institutional trading and offers an infrastructure that supports high-volume, high-frequency trading.

Derivatives are critical in modern financial markets because they are widely used by institutional participants. Hedge funds, market makers, algorithmic trading firms, and liquidity providers utilize these products to hedge risk, speculate on price movements, and build structured financial instruments. As XRP Soldier noted, “This is where the big money plays.” Coinbase announced this move a few weeks ago after filing relevant documents with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

XRP’s listing on the derivatives desk introduces key advantages. First, it increases exposure by making the asset more accessible to institutional desks that may have previously avoided it due to regulatory uncertainty. Second, it enhances liquidity. Derivatives trading tends to attract significant volume, which can improve price stability and facilitate large-scale transactions. Third, it reinforces infrastructure typically necessary before launching more complex financial instruments such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

XRP Soldier noted that significant progress is being made in the Ripple lawsuit, as the regulator has yet to officially announce its withdrawal of the lawsuit. However, this move was announced by Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, the company’s Chief Legal Officer, Stuart Alderoty, and other prominent figures in the crypto space. XRP Soldier also drew attention to XRP’s potential inclusion in the U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile. He believes the listing on Coinbase Futures is the first domino in XRP’s journey. In his words, “When institutions gain access to leverage and deep liquidity… Price discovery accelerates.”