Institutions Drive CME Crypto Options to $9B as ETH, SOL, XRP Set Records

Institutional investors are pouring into CME Group’s regulated crypto derivatives markets, setting a series of records across futures and options tied to ether ETH$3,859.28, solana SOL$191.42 and XRP, CME told CoinDesk on Thursday.

Since October 10, open interest across CME’s crypto futures and options has jumped 27%, a surge the exchange attributes to a shift away from offshore markets following a wave of liquidations last week.

On Tuesday, open interest in ETH futures reached 48,600 contracts — the highest on record — with SOL and XRP futures also hitting all-time highs at 20,700 and 10,100 contracts, respectively.

Options open interest hit $9 billion, another record, underscoring how more traders are using CME products to hedge or speculate with regulated tools instead of offshore alternatives. CME’s Micro Ether futures ranked second in volume on Tuesday, mirroring the broader shift.

“The top 10 [open interest] days were all in October demonstrating strong conviction and expanding participation in the regulated crypto derivatives market.,” a CME spokesperson said, highlighting expanding market participation and growing conviction among professional investors.

The trend builds on CME’s third quarter results, when combined crypto futures and options volume topped $900 billion and average daily open interest hit $31.3 billion. In September, notional open interest peaked at $39 billion. Over 1,000 large open interest holders were active during that period, suggesting that usage of these products is expanding beyond a niche circle of traders.

This growth isn’t limited to bitcoin or ether. Since launching earlier this year, CME’s solana and XRP futures have drawn significant attention. Solana futures crossed $2.1 billion in open interest by September, while XRP reached $1.4 billion.