XRP Gets Two Upgrades in One Week – One Regulatory, One Cross-Chain

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<a href="https://jpygbp.com/xrp-usd/">XRP</a> Gets Two Upgrades in One Week – One Regulatory, One Cross-Chain

Key Takeaways

  • Wrapped XRP (wXRP) launched on Solana on April 17, backed by over $100M in initial liquidity.
  • Coinbase Derivatives filed a new market maker program for XRP futures with the CFTC, effective May 1 through November 2026.
  • Ripple Prime has integrated Coinbase’s full derivatives suite, opening XRP futures to institutional clients.
  • XRP trades at $1.46, up 8.32% over the past week, after briefly breaking the $1.50 resistance level.

Solana recently added Wrapped XRP (wXRP) to its platform on April 17th. Each wXRP token is backed by one native XRP, securely held by Hex Trust. LayerZero technology facilitates communication between the XRP Ledger and Solana. The Solana Foundation ensured wXRP was immediately available on several DeFi platforms like Jupiter Exchange, Meteora, Titan Exchange, and ByReal, a much faster rollout than usual for cross-chain tokens. The popular Phantom Wallet also added direct support. Trading started strong, with over $100 million in initial liquidity, preventing major price fluctuations.

BREAKING: XRP is live on Solana

— Solana (@solana)

XRP briefly rose above $1.50 after the recent announcement, but has since settled back to $1.46. Over the past week, its value has increased by 8.32%.

Coinbase Files CFTC Market Maker Program for XRP Futures

A significant development is Coinbase’s recent filing with the CFTC to update its Crypto Market Maker Program. They’ve added XRP to the program, which runs from May 1, 2026, to November 30, 2026. This program encourages traders to provide both buy and sell prices for XRP futures simultaneously, helping to build a robust trading market. Coinbase began offering CFTC-regulated XRP futures (under the symbol XRL) in April 2025, and this update is a key part of expanding the trading capabilities for that product.

Coinbase now offers regulated futures trading for seven cryptocurrencies: XRP, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, Avalanche, and Shiba Inu. Ripple’s brokerage, now operating as Ripple Prime after being acquired by Ripple, is offering these futures to its institutional clients. These clients can trade futures contracts for XRP, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, with clearing services provided by Nodal Clear.

The Ripple Prime Connection

This is significant because it links Ripple to established, regulated financial systems. Institutions already using Ripple Prime for currency and bond transactions can now trade XRP futures through the same connection. This provides a more reliable distribution method than typical crypto exchanges, and is likely to create consistent trading activity instead of just temporary increases.

It’s important to consider the current situation with the CFTC. Some commissioners have expressed concerns about Coinbase’s business model, specifically that operating as both an exchange and a market participant creates potential conflicts of interest. This issue remains unresolved and will likely be a factor in the CFTC’s review of any new submissions from Coinbase. The recent changes to Coinbase’s market maker program will be reviewed as usual, and the planned launch date of May 1st suggests Coinbase doesn’t anticipate major pushback from regulators.

Why the Solana Bridge Matters Beyond the Price Pop

The launch of wXRP on Solana addresses a long-standing issue with XRP: its ecosystem has historically been limited to the XRP Ledger, which lacks the robust decentralized finance (DeFi) options found on networks like Solana and Ethereum. By creating wXRP, XRP holders can now participate in lending, borrowing, and other yield-generating activities within Solana’s established DeFi protocols. wXRP can easily be exchanged back to regular XRP through approved vendors, ensuring its value remains stable.

How custody is handled is also important for building trust. Recent failures of wrapped tokens – particularly problems with WBTC’s custody in 2024 – have made institutions much more careful about who holds the actual assets. Hex Trust is a regulated custodian licensed in Hong Kong and Dubai, making this arrangement more trustworthy than a setup relying on an anonymous group managing the keys.

Where Things Stand

Kalshi, a prediction market, currently estimates there’s about a 48% chance XRP will surpass its record high of $3.40, with some traders even aiming for $4.00. However, the likelihood of a price jump in the very near term is much smaller, between 1% and 3% depending on the specific timeframe. XRP previously saw a massive 500% increase during a past market cycle, and it’s been stabilizing since then – a typical pattern, but it doesn’t offer much insight into *when* another surge might happen.

It’s now much clearer that the current development of XRP’s infrastructure – including regulated futures trading with dedicated market makers, access to decentralized finance (DeFi) across different blockchains through wXRP, and distribution to institutions via Ripple Prime – represents a significant improvement over its position 18 months ago, when it was still facing legal challenges in the US.

This article is for informational purposes only and shouldn’t be taken as financial, investment, or trading advice. Coindoo.com doesn’t support or suggest any particular investment or cryptocurrency. It’s crucial to do your own research and talk to a qualified financial advisor before making any investment choices.

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2026-04-18 12:28