SEC Names XRP With Bitcoin and Ether as a Hidden 15% Crypto ETF Rule Lands

XRP has received another favorable U.S. regulatory signal, but the most consequential part of the latest SEC decision may have little to do with XRP's commodity status alone.

The SEC order approving changes to Nasdaq Texas Rule 5711(d) explicitly uses Bitcoin, Ether, Solana and XRP as examples of digital assets that presently satisfy the exchange's commodity-based trust standards.

That wording is meaningful, but it should not be interpreted as a new federal law permanently declaring all four assets commodities. The decision concerns exchange-listing standards.

The more interesting change is what funds can now hold alongside them.

The Hidden 15% Rule Could Expand Crypto ETFs

Under the SEC-approved framework, at least 85% of a qualifying trust's portfolio must remain invested in assets that satisfy established generic listing requirements.

The remaining 15% can include other digital commodities or certain securities that do not independently meet those standards.

The SEC gives a hypothetical example in which a $100 million trust holds $95 million across Bitcoin, Ether, Solana and XRP, with another $5 million allocated to otherwise non-qualifying digital assets.

That gives asset managers substantially more flexibility when constructing diversified crypto investment products.