Big Bull Cathie Wood Makes Shocking Statements About Bitcoin (BTC) and Gold: “Bitcoin Compared to Gold…”

TLDR WisdomTree’s WTGXX fund now trades 24/7 with instant blockchain settlement. SEC issued exemptive relief to allow tokenized fund shares to trade anytime. FINRA

The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.

XRP is drawing fresh attention from traditional finance as new products roll out in both securities and derivatives markets, broadening access points for exposure to the token.At the time of writing, according to CoinDesk Data, XRP was trading around $3.0263, down nearly 1% over the past 24 hours.On Sept. 18, REX Shares and Osprey Funds will debut the first U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tied to XRP and Dogecoin (DOGE) on the Cboe BZX Exchange, under the tickers XRPR and DOJE. These products are not entirely “pure” spot funds, however. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Seyffart wrote on X that the funds aren’t “pure” spot products. Instead, they are structured to hold XRP and DOGE directly, while also investing in other spot ETFs from outside the U.S. to achieve exposure. Their filings also include language that would allow the use of derivatives for exposure if needed, though Seyffart emphasized that this is not the primary approach.The structure reflects the realities of building regulated crypto ETFs in the U.S., where sponsors have sometimes layered in indirect exposure. Even so, the launches mark the first time American brokerage accounts will have access to XRP- and DOGE-focused ETFs, expanding beyond bitcoin and ether, which dominate the ETF landscape.Less than a month later, CME Group plans to deepen its crypto derivatives lineup by listing options on XRP and Solana (SOL) futures, targeted for Oct. 13 pending regulatory review. Options will be listed on both the standard contracts and their smaller “micro” versions, designed to serve institutions, trading desks, and active individuals alike. Expiry choices will include every business day, each month, and each quarter, creating a wider term structure for managing exposures.The exchange said the decision follows strong growth in its newer altcoin futures. Since March, SOL futures have logged over 540,000 contracts traded (about $22.3 billion notional), while XRP futures, introduced in May, have seen more than 370,000 contracts change hands (roughly $16.2 billion notional). Market participants including Cumberland and FalconX welcomed the additions, citing the need for hedging tools beyond bitcoin and ether.Headquartered in Chicago, CME Group runs the world’s largest regulated derivatives marketplace, where listed crypto futures and options allow participants to hedge positions with central clearing and margining. Adding XRP and SOL options builds on the firm’s progression from bitcoin and ether into a wider set of liquid tokens.