Coinbase Derivatives, LLC has launched CFTC-regulated futures contracts for XRP, adding to the growing list of crypto derivatives available under U.S. regulatory oversight.
This move could pave the way for a spot XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF)—a product the crypto industry has long been pushing for. Historically, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has pointed to the existence of a regulated futures market as a key requirement for approving spot crypto ETFs. Bitcoin and Ethereum followed a similar path, with futures-based products hitting the market before their respective spot ETFs received the green light.
Until now, many of these structured products were only available through offshore exchanges, which often raised concerns about trust and counterparty risk. With Coinbase offering these tools in the U.S., institutions now have a safer and more reputable option for trading and structuring investments.
This development follows the recent launch of Solana futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and comes amid a backlog of 72 crypto-related ETF applications currently awaiting SEC review. Several of those applications include XRP and Solana among their proposed holdings.
XRP Price Action: Dip After the News
Despite the positive news, XRP’s price has dipped slightly following the announcement. As of press time, XRP is trading at $2.0736, down 2% on the day. The cryptocurrency failed to hold above the key $2.10 resistance level and has since pulled back, retesting broken support as new resistance.
However, XRP remains above the crucial $2 psychological support, a level traders and analysts are watching closely. If maintained, the broader bullish sentiment around the futures launch and ETF momentum could fuel a rebound in the near term.
The state of security across the crypto and blockchain space has changed significantly in the past few months. Traditional smart contracts exploited or brute force attacks on blockchain networks are being superseded by crypto scams like rug pulls and pump-and-dump schemes.
BeInCrypto spoke with a spokesperson from security firm CertiK to understand how blockchain and security threats are evolving and how projects and users can safeguard against future exploits.
Social Media Hacks on the Rise
Over the past few months, the crypto community has seen a rise in social media-related hacks. This increasingly common tendency has pivoted away from the orchestration of more sophisticated blockchain attacks that have traditionally plagued headlines.
Whereas smart contract exploits or blockchain hacks require more knowledge, hackers have found an easier avenue by targeting social media accounts instead.
X (formerly Twitter) has quickly become the social media platform of choice among Web3 hackers.
Social Media is Now a Prime Target for Web3 Hackers
After US President Donald Trump launched his meme coin only two days before assuming office, hackers began to take advantage of the hype to hack high-profile X accounts and convince followers to invest in scam meme coins.
Last month, anonymous hackers took over the X account of the former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to promote MALAYSIA, a fake meme coin promoted as the country’s official cryptocurrency.
The post was removed within an hour, but the damage was done. Analysis shows that these hackers were probably related to the infamous Russian Evil Corp and that they stole $1.7 million in this rug pull.
The MALAYSIA token scam happened only two weeks after hackers exploited former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s social media account. In that instance, scammers promoted the BRAZIL token, which rose over 10,000% in minutes, netting the scammers over $1.3 million.
These scams have also affected technological companies.
Attacks on Tech Companies
In December, AI research and development company Anthropic also saw its X account hacked. A fraudulent post claimed that a fake token called CLAUDE would incentivize AI and crypto projects and included a wallet address for investors.
Attackers managed to collect around $100,000 from speculative investors.
These situations also highlight a broader issue of weak account security on social media platforms. As a result, even prominent individuals are susceptible to security breaches that directly affect the crypto community.
TRUMP Meme Coin Launch Was a Catalyst For Crypto Scams
“Now is the time to talk about the fact that large-scale political coins cross a further line: they are not just sources of fun, whose harm is at most contained to mistakes made by voluntary participants, they are vehicles for unlimited political bribery, including from foreign nation states,” Buterin claimed.
Buterin highlighted the tokens’ role in enabling scams and political corruption in crypto and blamed a regulatory loophole former SEC Chair Gary Gensler created for allowing bad actors to exploit governance tokens.
However, these crypto scams extend beyond political themes.
Growth of Social Engineering Exploits
A week after Buterin cautioned against political meme coins, a Coinbase user lost $11.5 million after falling victim to a social engineering scam on Base.
Crypto sleuth ZackXBT uncovered the exploit, pointing out that this incident is part of a growing trend, with multiple Coinbase users suffering similar losses. He also estimates that crypto scams of this nature have drained at least $150 million from Coinbase customers.
“Coinbase has a serious fraud problem. I just uncovered many more recent thefts from Coinbase users. The $150 million stolen from Coinbase users in a year is just from thefts I independently confirmed. So it’s more than likely multiples of this number,” ZachXBT stated.
In social engineering scams, attackers use phishing emails, spoofed calls, and other deceptive tactics to trick victims into revealing private keys or login credentials. Once they gain access, they drain wallets, move funds, and take control of accounts.
For CertiK, these situations stipulate the need for stronger security measures.
Addressing these security challenges is crucial as new crypto projects increase exponentially.
Prioritizing Proactive Security in a Rapidly Growing Industry
The Web3 sector is experiencing consistent growth, marked by a surge in new crypto project launches. This innovative momentum is expected to continue, but it’s also fueling security concerns.
Notably, the increasing rate of scams and hacks in the first three months of 2025 makes it clear that security efforts are struggling to keep up with innovation.
A study by Precedence Research estimates the Web 3.0 market will expand from USD 4.62 billion in 2025 to approximately USD 99.75 billion by 2034, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41.18% during that period.
Predicted market size of Web3 in the next ten years. Source: Precedence Research.
Yet, CertiK believes that project developers are pushing security considerations toward the end of the priority list.
As the Web3 ecosystem evolves, a proactive and adaptive security approach is critical. Prioritizing both blockchain integrity and social media vigilance will be essential for safeguarding the growing Web3 ecosystem.
The battle against these exploits requires a future where security is not an afterthought but a foundational pillar of every Web3 project and user interaction.
Sui (SUI) price has flashed a golden cross on the daily chart, and if the Q4 2024 bull fractal comes into play, this pattern could spark a 380% rally. The Sui blockchain has also recorded significant growth, with more than $40 billion in total aggregator volumes. SUI trades at $3.30 at press time with $781
Canary Capital has submitted a registration filing to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the launch of the first-ever Pengu exchange-traded fund (ETF). This move adds to the growing list of crypto asset managers seeking regulatory approval for digital asset-based ETFs.
According to the filing published on Thursday, the proposed ETF will invest in the PENGU token, which is the official token of the Pudgy Penguins NFT project, as well as in Pudgy Penguins NFTs themselves. The filing also states that the ETF will hold other digital assets, including Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL), to support trading and transfers.
Canary Capital Files for Pengu ETF
In the registration statement, the ETF is defined as an investment trust that invests in digital assets such as PENGU tokens and Pudgy Penguins NFTs, among others. Regarding these holdings, Canary Capital emphasized that these ones are critical for monitoring the token and the NFT assets.
If launched, the ETF will allow investors to track the price of PENGU and other NFTs in its portfolio without owning or hosting them as physical assets. The trust may also contain other assets in the form of digital media for the buying and selling besides conversion and redemption of the fund.
“Other non-security digital assets owned by the trust include SOL and ETH that may be necessary or incidental,” the filing added.
The Pudgy Penguins project released the Ethereum-linked PENGU token in December. The project has been popular in the crypto sphere as a collection of NFT and social networking. Although PENGU was first developed on Ethereum, there is a growing sentiment that it can be regarded as a Solana meme coin since most of its trading activity transpire in Solana platforms.
PENGU Market Reaction and Price Movement
Following the ETF announcement, the PENGU token saw a sharp 10% price increase during early trading. It broke above previous resistance levels and moved past the Ichimoku cloud, indicating a possible shift in momentum.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for PENGU moved from 44.86 to 62 shortly after the news, indicating increased buying activity. The RSI remains below the overbought level of 70, suggesting that further gains are still possible.
Many of the analysts are now focusing on the $0.0093 as the next level of resistance backed by the Robinhood listing last week. A breakout above that level means the token will be trading above the $0.010 mark, the first time in a month. However, if the momentum disappears, the token may fall back to $ 0.0062 support area.
Growing List of Crypto ETF Applications
Canary Capital is not the only firm pursuing ETF approval for non-traditional digital assets. In recent months, several asset managers have submitted filings for altcoin ETFs, including ones focused on Dogecoin (DOGE), Sui, Hedera, and BONK. These filings followed the approval of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs by the SEC in 2024.
Despite the recent trend, the SEC has delayed decisions on many of these applications, especially those involving meme coins and smaller tokens. Some market participants have raised questions about whether ETFs for meme coins and NFTs will meet regulatory standards.
“The likelihood of approval for these funds remains unclear due to high volatility and limited trading history,” a statement from the filing added.
Mixed Reactions From the Crypto Community On Pengu ETF
The ETF proposal has sparked different responses from traders and analysts online. Some have raised doubts about investor demand for a fund tied to a meme coin and NFT project that is less than six months old.
Social media commentator @beast_ico wrote, “We don’t need ETFs for ghost chains, much less sub 6 month old memecoins.” Others noted that despite the ETF news, the price reaction was short-lived, and sustained momentum may depend on broader market trends.
Industry observer Alex Krüger commented,
“New ETFs for crypto assets have become an irrelevant joke,” citing weak asset inflows into recently launched funds.
