Interactive Brokers, a global electronic brokerage firm, is expanding its crypto futures lineup through a partnership with Coinbase Derivatives, the CFTC-regulated futures arm of the digital asset exchange.
The collaboration introduces nano-sized contracts for Bitcoin and Ether, designed to lower capital requirements for traders seeking exposure to crypto derivatives without committing to full-sized positions.
The move comes amid IBKR’s broader push into crypto markets. In mid-January, the brokerage enabled stablecoin funding, allowing clients to deposit USDC and other regulated stablecoins.
The combination of stablecoin infrastructure and perpetual-style derivatives marks a strategic shift for IBKR, which has traditionally focused on equities and traditional assets.
CEO Milan Galik said the new contracts offer lower capital requirements and flexible exposure, adding that nano sizing helps traders manage positions with greater precision. Coinbase Institutional Co-CEO Greg Tusar called the rollout a step toward broadening access to crypto derivatives in a secure environment.
Ripple will host XRP Community Day 2026 tomorrow, bringing together XRP holders, builders, financial institutions, and Ripple leadership for a global virtual event focused on real-world adoption and the future of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) ecosystem.
Returning for its second year, the event spotlights how XRP is actively used today while looking ahead to what’s next. It will explore topics like regulated products, DeFi applications, wrapped XRP, and next-generation XRPL infrastructure, Ripple shared in a recent press release.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, President Monica Long, and ecosystem partners will share insights alongside institutional participants such as Grayscale, Gemini, and the XRPL projects.
Key sessions include capital markets and tokenized finance in EMEA, XRPL feature updates and national crypto initiatives in the Americas, and cross-chain innovation, stablecoins, and DeFi in APAC, with speakers from Uphold, Solana Foundation, EasyA, and Flare Network, among others.
A major focus this year will be XRP ETFs, which continue to attract institutional interest.
Data from SoSoValue shows that five US-listed XRP funds have collectively drawn $1.2 billion in net inflows, with total net assets surpassing $1 billion.
While modest compared to Bitcoin and Ethereum investment products, these steady inflows indicate growing institutional confidence in XRP’s long-term role in the digital asset market.
Momentum for the asset class accelerated after Ripple resolved its prolonged legal dispute with the SEC last year, removing a key regulatory obstacle that had previously clouded XRP’s status.
CME Group, a key derivatives trading venue, has started offering futures contracts for Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), and Stellar (XLM), broadening its suite of regulated crypto products.
Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures are now available to trade.
Expand your trading strategy with the capital efficiency and flexibility of these new contracts, available in both larger and micro sizes.
The Chicago-based derivatives exchange operator first announced plans for the listings in mid-January, subject to regulatory clearance.
Each contract is available in standard and micro sizes, giving both institutional and retail participants flexibility in managing their exposure.
Contract specifications set the large Cardano future at 100,000 ADA, with a micro version at 10,000 ADA. Chainlink contracts are sized at 5,000 LINK and 250 LINK, while Stellar futures represent 250,000 Lumens and 12,500 Lumens, respectively.
The new offerings come amid rising demand for trusted products that offer exposure to the digital asset market.
“With these new micro- and larger-size Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures contracts, market participants will now have greater choice with enhanced flexibility and more capital-efficiencies,” said Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group’s Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products, in a January statement.
The additions follow a record year for the exchange’s digital-asset derivatives business. In 2025, average daily volume reached 278,300 contracts, representing roughly $12 billion in notional value. Open interest averaged 313,900 contracts, equivalent to $26.4 billion.
CME launched its first Bitcoin futures in 2017 and has since added Ether, XRP, and Solana to its regulated lineup.
Backpack, the crypto exchange founded by Solana developer Armani Ferrante and former FTX executive Tristan Yver, has rolled out a token allocation framework designed to ensure insiders cannot profit ahead of the company’s planned US public offering.
In a statement issued on Monday, Backpack said that 25% of the token supply, or 250 million tokens, will be distributed during the Token Generation Event, with 240 million going to points holders and 10 million to Mad Lads NFT holders.
Another 37.5%, or 375 million tokens, will be unlocked pre-IPO through growth-triggered milestones tied to measurable regulatory progress, product expansion, and market access, as noted by the team.
The remaining 375 million tokens will sit on the company’s balance sheet, inaccessible for at least 12 months after a successful IPO. Team members and early backers hold equity in the parent company rather than direct token allocations, tying their financial outcomes to a public market debut.
Backpack ties insider rewards to long-term growth and IPO plans
Ferrante stated that Backpack’s approach is designed to block insider profits until the exchange has grown into a large, sustainable, and regulated financial platform.
The firm plans to pursue a US public listing, joining other crypto firms hoping to benefit from improved regulatory conditions and increasing recognition of digital assets.
“Backpack is trying to not only build great crypto products, but we’re also trying to build great TradFi products. We’re trying to not only give our users access to every crypto asset, every blockchain, and every decentralized application, but we’re also getting banking rails around the world,” Ferrante explained.
Ferrante noted that the exchange currently serves roughly 48% of the global market, having prioritized regulatory licensing over rapid geographical expansion.
Backpack plans to add banking infrastructure, fiat currency accounts across major markets, and securities trading capabilities as it pursues traditional finance integration alongside its crypto offerings.
“It’s not until the company goes public (or has some other type of equity exit event), that the team can earn any wealth from the project. It’s not until the company has access to the largest, most liquid capital markets in the world by going public–and it’s not until the company has done all the hard work to earn access to those markets–that the team can reap the rewards of the value created by the Backpack community from now until then,” he added.
Backpack Exchange, led by Solana developer Armani Ferrante and former FTX executive Tristan Yver, is exploring new financing at a $1 billion pre-money valuation, Axios reported Monday, citing people with knowledge of the talks.
The round would make the Singapore-headquartered company the latest pre-token crypto startup to reach unicorn status. The company is currently targeting a $50 million raise, but discussions suggest the total could be higher.
Backpack, which is part of a new generation of crypto exchanges focused on rebuilding confidence after FTX’s collapse, combines trading services with a non-custodial wallet.
The exchange raised $17 million in a Series A round in February 2024, led by Placeholder VC at a $120 million valuation, with participation from Jump Crypto, Hashed, Amber Group, Wintermute, Robot Ventures, Delphi Digital, and Selini Capital.
The exchange obtained a virtual asset service provider license from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority in November 2023 and has since secured MiFID II authorization for derivatives trading in the European Union. It also became the first centralized exchange to offer natively issued SEC-registered equities on a blockchain.
Backpack plans to go public in the US while expanding its banking, payments, and securities infrastructure.
The firm has unveiled a token distribution plan designed to prevent founders and investors from profiting before the company’s planned public offering, with 25% of the token supply, or 250 million tokens, to be released at the Token Generation Event.
Billionaire investor Thomas Kaplan remains resolute in his bullish stance on gold and silver, despite the metals’ historic correction in late January.
In a recent interview with Business Insider, Kaplan said he expects gold to break past last month’s record of $5,600, calling the recent plunge a short-term event in a long-term structural uptrend.
Gold and silver both posted new all-time highs in late January, with gold touching $5,560 and silver surging past $120. But prices swiftly collapsed during the Jan. 30 market selloff, with gold dropping as low as $4,400 and silver plunging to $64. Since then, both metals have staged a recovery, with gold reclaiming the $5,000 level, up nearly 2% on the day, and silver rebounding to $83, up 6%.
Kaplan attributes the volatility to normal market behavior and says the case for precious metals has only strengthened. He cites mounting global debt, persistent currency debasement, and growing skepticism around fiat currencies, including the US dollar, as long-term tailwinds.
“There’s every reason in the world to buy gold, and silver is just gold on steroids, up and down,” Kaplan said. He believes gold will continue to gain importance as a non-liability asset, especially during periods of financial stress. He also warned that central banks may increasingly seek to nationalize or consolidate gold reserves, making the asset even more scarce and valuable in times of crisis.
Kaplan emphasized that he’s remained invested in gold and silver since the 2008 financial crisis and sees the path forward as one of conviction and patience. “The only things that I’ve believed in since the financial crisis are gold and silver,” he said, adding that the rally could take years to fully unfold.
Jump Trading, a Chicago-based firm specializing in algorithmic and high-frequency strategies, has reached agreements to take small ownership stakes in prediction market operators Kalshi and Polymarket, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing people with knowledge of the arrangements.
The investment would deepen the proprietary trading giant’s exposure to event-based wagering after it began providing market-making liquidity on Kalshi’s platform.
As reported, the deal with Kalshi grants Jump a predetermined equity share, while its stake in Polymarket will scale up over time with the level of trading capacity Jump contributes in the US.
Kalshi, a CFTC-regulated venue for trading contracts tied to real-world outcomes, secured $1 billion in funding in November 2025 at an $11 billion valuation. Sequoia and Andreessen Horowitz participated in that round.
Polymarket, a blockchain-based platform offering permissionless access to outcome-driven contracts, was estimated to be worth between $12 billion and $15 billion around the same period.
Jump’s interest in wagering platforms predates its crypto market involvement. The firm operated a dedicated sports-betting unit on Betfair until discontinuing it in 2023 and backed Sporttrade through its venture arm, Jump Capital.
Other major trading houses have also moved into the sector. Susquehanna International Group currently supplies liquidity on Kalshi’s exchange.
Coinbase is separately working to build a prediction product using Kalshi’s infrastructure, signaling the growing convergence between traditional trading firms and crypto-native platforms in the event-contract space.
This is a developing story. Please come back for further updates.
