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Cardano ($ADA) and Stellar ($XLM) have officially launched as futures contracts on CME, the world’s largest regulated crypto derivatives platform, expanding institutional access beyond $XRP, Solana, Ethereum and Bitcoin.
This development follows CME’s crypto suite surpassing $3 trillion in notional volume in 2025, with $XRP and $SOL derivatives reaching record-high open interest and volume milestones.
With $ADA and $XLM now tradable in both micro and full contract sizes, hedge funds and asset managers have new avenues for exposure.
Are $XRP and $SOL about to lose their institutional edge?
CME Group has officially launched futures contracts for Cardano ($ADA) and Stellar Lumens ($XLM) today. This expansion solidifies CME Group's position as a leading provider of regulated crypto derivatives, which already include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and $XRP.
Both standard and micro-sized contracts are now available, with $ADA contracts sized at 100,000 and 10,000 coins, and $XLM contracts sized at 250,000 and 12,500 units, respectively.
Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures are now available to trade.
— CME Group (@CMEGroup) February 9, 2026
Expand your trading strategy with the capital efficiency and flexibility of these new contracts, available in both larger and micro sizes.
Start trading today. ➡️https://t.co/CMksnUfZpo?from=article-links pic.twitter.com/19thOQHGZk
$ADA and $XLM now move into the same institutional arena as their larger-cap peers, enabling hedge funds and funds of funds to gain direct exposure in a CFTC-regulated environment. This announcement follows a record-breaking Q4 for CME’s crypto segment.
According to the quarterly report, during this period, there was average daily open interest of $30.7 billion and a notional volume of $12.7 billion, which is more than double the previous year's figures.
$XRP and Solana led the way in Q4, with $XRP futures reaching $21.5 billion in total volume and open interest peaking near $1.5 billion. Spot-quoted $XRP and $SOL contracts were launched in December, reflecting an appetite for product innovation tailored to institutional hedging needs.
$XLM and $ADA price update
$ADA, currently hovering around $0.263, has been range-bound between $0.25 and $0.27 after failing to reclaim the $0.32 resistance level.
$XLM is trading near $0.16 with low volatility and tighter volumes. Nonetheless, CME inclusion is expected to improve institutional sentiment. The models project an upside toward $0.18-$0.19 if support holds.