XRP News Today: XRP ETF Delay, Whale Accumulation, and CME Futures Stir Mixed Signals for XRP Price

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has officially delayed its decision on the approval of an XRP-based exchange-traded fund (ETF), adding further uncertainty to the timeline for wider institutional access to Ripple’s token.

The proposal, submitted by 21Shares, is part of a growing wave of altcoin ETF applications, which includes similar products tied to Dogecoin and Solana.

SEC Postpones Decision on XRP ETF Proposal

The SEC stated further proceedings are required “to allow further analysis” on adherence to market regulations aimed at banning manipulation and protecting investors.

The U.S. SEC has postponed decisions on both the 21Shares and Franklin Templeton spot XRP ETF applications to June 17, 2025. Source: Kenny Nguyen via X

This delay occurs in the wake of increased interest in altcoin investment products, after the success of last year’s spot Bitcoin ETFs. The delay does not amount to a rejection, but it further obscures hopes for a formal go-ahead on altcoin ETFs—one for XRP, which is still among the top-five market-capitalization cryptocurrencies.

Whale Accumulation and Institutional Interest in XRP Grow

Despite the ETF uncertainty, XRP price analysis points to a potential bullish breakout, bolstered by whale activity and mounting institutional interest. According to on-chain analytics firm Santiment, wallet addresses holding between 1 million and 10 million XRP now control over 6 billion tokens, while addresses with holdings between 100 million and 1 billion XRP have accumulated nearly 10 billion tokens—up from 8.16 billion in April.

A massive transfer of 75.2 million XRP worth $178.6 million to Crypto.com raises questions about potential whale repositioning or a large-scale sell-off. Source: STEPH CRYPTO via X

Several developments have fueled this uptick in whale accumulation. Leading among them is Ripple’s ongoing negotiation to acquire Circle, the issuer of USD Coin (USDC). If it proceeds, this acquisition would solidify Ripple as among the top stablecoin market players, increasing its revenue stream and strengthening the XRP ledger’s role in cross-border finance.

At the same time, institutional interest in XRP products has increased. The Teucrium 2X XRP ETF (XXRP), a leveraged ETN tracking the price movement of XRP, has already acquired more than $106 million in assets under management. In addition, data from markets like Polymarket show that approval chances of a spot XRP ETF have risen above 80% in 2025, signaling growing investor confidence in the regulatory direction of XRP.

CME Group Launches XRP Futures Amid Price Consolidation

Adding to the mixed signals in the market, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) recently debuted regulated XRP futures contracts. On launch day, the product recorded over $2.4 million in total volume, split between standard and micro contracts. Notably, these futures are cash-settled and benchmarked against the CME CF XRP-Dollar Reference Rate.

XRP futures have officially launched on CME Group with a total trading volume of $19 million, featuring both micro and standard cash-settled contract sizes. Source: Chad Steingraber via X

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse welcomed the development, calling it “a key institutional milestone for XRP” in a recent post on X. The CME listing followed the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) classification of XRP as a commodity—offering a regulatory foothold distinct from the ongoing XRP SEC lawsuits.

Despite the promising launch, XRP price has remained relatively subdued. At the time of writing, XRP trades near $2.34, down from a weekly high of $2.65. Technical indicators paint a conflicted picture: XRP remains above its 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA), a positive sign, but the MACD has flashed a sell signal, and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) has dipped below 52, suggesting waning bullish momentum.

Ripple’s Global Expansion and Legal Overhang Continue to Shape Outlook

Ripple continues to push its global expansion agenda, recently signing deals with UAE’s Zand Bank and fintech platform Mamo. The deals aim to break SWIFT’s dominance in global remittances, with over $150 trillion annually processed by it. Ripple’s growing ecosystem supports the case for XRP as a bridge asset throughout global finance and adds long-term value to the Ripple ledger.

XRP was trading at around $2.35, up 0.38% in the last 24 hours at press time. Source: XRP Liquid Index (XRPLX) via Brave New Coin

However, there remain legal matters. The SEC lawsuit against Ripple is still ongoing, following on from Judge Analisa Torres’s denial of a joint motion by the SEC and Ripple to reduce Ripple’s $125 million penalty to a $50 million settlement. This announcement is bad news for Ripple’s ongoing court battle but does not help to alter XRP’s overall market narrative, which is increasingly being dictated by utility, adoption, and institutional alignment.

XRP Price Prediction Remains Cautiously Bullish

Technically, XRP’s recent price action does suggest a bullish reversal is underway, but confirmation is needed. An inverse head-and-shoulders chart pattern has developed on the daily chart with a neckline resistance at $2.58. A breakout over this level could propel XRP to its high for 2025 at $3.40—about a 45% rise from here.

XRP/USD is showing a strong candle retracement pattern, indicating a potential retest of the $2.65 level based on technical structure rather than market sentiment. Source: MoNi_MoN on TradingView

On the other hand, a fall below crucial support levels of $2.28 and $2.26 (50-day and 100-day EMAs, respectively) would disprove the bullish case. In the event of bears gaining control, XRP might fall back into the $2.04 area—its 200-day EMA.

Final Thoughts

While the SEC’s delay on the XRP ETF has created short-term uncertainty, whale accumulation, institutional interest, and CME futures trading provide a strong undercurrent of support for Ripple XRP news. As legal battles unfold and Ripple’s ecosystem expands globally, XRP continues to draw attention from market participants betting on its long-term potential.

As of now, XRP finds itself at a crossroads—with regulatory hurdles and bullish catalysts intertwining to shape its next major move.