📌 What is MOEX announcing?
Moscow Exchange (MOEX) has confirmed that it will expand its offering of cryptocurrency derivatives in 2026, including new cash-settled futures contracts for:
🌐 Solana (SOL)
💧 XRP (Ripple)
🔁 Tron (TRX)
This complements the contracts it already has for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).
🔍 How will these futures work?
🧠 Cash-settled (cash settlement)
Contracts will besettled in rubles and will not involve the physical delivery of the underlying cryptocurrency.
This means that traders do not receive SOL, XRP, or TRX at the end of the contract, but rather the cash difference based on the price variation.
📅 When and for whom?
The launch is expected during 2026, but there is still no exact confirmed date.
Initially, they will only be available to “qualified investors” according to current regulations in Russia, that is, institutional or individuals with experience and certain capital thresholds.
📊 What steps will MOEX take?
Create and publish price indices for SOL, XRP, and TRX, which will serve as a reference for futures.
Launch futures contracts based on those indices, with monthly expirations.
The exchange is also evaluating perpetual futures on BTC and ETH in 2026, which would offer continuous exposure without traditional expiration dates.
🧠 Regulatory context in Russia
This development is part of the evolution of crypto regulation in Russia, where legal frameworks have been created to allow crypto derivatives in traditional markets under supervision.
Futures instruments require a published underlying index — a local regulatory requirement — which explains why MOEX is first building those price references before launching futures.
Retail or individual investors will not have initial direct access — current restrictions limit these products to “qualified” participants.
📌 Why is this news important?
🔹 Institutional expansion of crypto beyond BTC and ETH:
It is one of the first moves by a major traditional exchange to offer derivatives on altcoins with significant global liquidity such as SOL, XRP, and TRX, which may attract greater institutional interest and hedge risk in these assets.
🔹 Regulation + TradFi:
MOEX is a regulated traditional exchange, which means these products are designed for traditional financial markets, not just native crypto environments like Binance or FTX.
🔹 Liquidity and price discovery:
The more regulated markets there are for crypto futures, the more depth and transparency there could be in global price formation and risk management, both for investors and financial entities.
🔹 Hedging strategies:
Futures allow institutional participants to hedge positions without having to directly own the underlying asset, which can reduce certain operational and custody risks.
