What are Crypto Derivatives? Types, Features & Top Exchanges (2024)

“Derivative markets are important because their behavior influences the price dynamics of cryptocurrencies themselves.”

Nicolas Christin. CyLab Security & Privacy Institute

We have previously written about spot exchanges in crypto, DeFi exchanges in crypto and today we will cover derivative exchanges. Please make sure that you’ve read ourdisclaimer on investment-related topics before proceeding.

What is derivative trading?

A derivative is a contract or product whose value is determined by an underlying asset. Currencies, exchange rates, commodities, stocks, and the rate of interest are all examples of derivative assets. The buyer and seller of such contracts have directly opposed predictions for the future trading price. To earn a profit, both parties wager on the underlying assets’ future value.

What is derivative trading in crypto?

The underlying asset in crypto derivatives trading can be any cryptocurrency token. Two parties that enter into a financial contract speculate on the cryptocurrency’s price on a future date. During the first phase of the contract, the sides agree on a selling/buying price for the cryptocurrency on a specific day, regardless of the market price. As a result, investors can profit from changes in the underlying asset’s price by purchasing the currency at a cheaper price and selling it at a higher price.

How big is the derivative market in crypto?

According to Tokeninsight’s Cryptocurrency Derivatives Exchange Industry Report, the cryptocurrency derivatives market’s trading volume for the third quarter of 2020 was $2.7 trillion, based on data from 42 exchanges. This marks a 25.1% increase from the previous quarter and a year-on-year 159.4% increase from the third quarter of 2019, demonstrating the enormous growth in crypto-derivatives over the last years.

What are Crypto Derivatives? Types, Features & Top Exchanges (1)

What are the most popular types of derivatives in crypto?

Crypto derivatives can be of the following types, depending on the conditions of a contract:

  • Futures: A futures contract is a legal agreement between two parties to purchase or sell an underlying asset at a specified price and date in the future. The contract is directly executed on a regulated exchange.
  • Options:A trader with an options contract has the choice, but not the duty, to purchase or sell an underlying asset at a defined future date and price.
  • Perpetual contracts: Unlike futures or options, perpetual contracts have no expiration or settlement date. Under some circ*mstances (e.g. the account holds certain amount of a crypto etc.), traders can keep their positions open indefinitely.
  • Swaps: A swap is a contract between two parties to exchange cash flows at a later date according to a pre-determined formula. They are OTC (over-the-counter) contracts, similar to forwards, and are not traded on exchanges.

What are some derivative trading features?

  • Auto Deleveraging (ADL): When a position cannot be liquidated at a price that is better than the bankruptcy price and there is insufficient insurance to cover the contract loss, your crypto exchange’s ADL system will automatically deleverage an opposing position from a designated trader in the case of liquidation.
  • Stop/Loss Take Profit: Allows traders to specify the floor and ceiling prices for an order, allowing them to exit the market automatically when conditions are favorable.
  • Partial Close Orders: Permits traders to take partial gains while continuing to benefit from the growing market by partially closing their orders.
  • Insurance Funds: Even if their holdings fall below the maintenance margin level, it helps traders preserve their funds from auto-deleveraging.

Where to trade crypto derivatives?

Derivatives in cryptocurrency can be traded on both centralized and decentralized exchange platforms. Cryptocurrency derivatives exchange can be used by exchange owners to reach out to additional investors. A crypto derivative trading platform is more flexible than spot margin trading and gives you access to markets that would otherwise be inaccessible to you.

What are the advantages of using derivatives?

  • Low transaction costs: Since derivative contracts are risk management instruments, they help to reduce market transaction costs. As a result, as compared to other securities such as spot trading, the cost of transaction in derivative trading is cheaper.
  • Used in risk management: The price of the underlying crypto coin/token has a direct relationship with the value of a derivative contract. As a result, derivatives are utilized to mitigate the risks associated with fluctuating underlying asset prices. Mr A, for example, purchases a derivative contract whose value swings in the opposite direction of the crypto coin/token he owns. He’ll be able to offset losses in the underlying crypto coin/token with gains from the derivatives.
  • Market efficiency: Derivative trading entails the practice of arbitrage, which is critical for ensuring that the market finds equilibrium and that the prices of the underlying assets are accurate.
  • Determines an underlying asset’s price: Derivative contracts are frequently used to determine the price of an underlying asset.
  • Risk may be transferred: Derivatives allow investors, corporations, and other parties to shift risk to others.

What are the disadvantages of using derivatives?

  • High risk: Derivative contracts are extremely volatile due to the fast fluctuation in the value of underlying crypto coins/tokens. As a result, traders run the danger of losing a lot of money.
  • Speculative: Derivative contracts are frequently employed as speculative instruments. Because of the significant risk involved and the unpredictability of their value swings, speculative investments sometimes result in large losses.

Top 10 Crypto Derivative Exchanges

ExchangeVolume (24h)*Open Interest (24h)**Maker Fee*Taker Fee*Perpetuals**Futures**
Binance$61.9B$11.8B0.02%0.04%15754
OKEx$19.5B$3.4B0.02%0.05%1491696
Huobi$17.1B$2.8B0.02%0.04%19456
FTX$12.7B$7.2B0.02%0.07%164626
Bybit$10.1B$3.9B-0.025%0.075%394
CoinFLEX$5.8B$380M-0.02%0.06%2829
KuCoin$1.8B$2.3B0%0%708
Gate.io$1.6B$726M-0.025%0.03%1790
Deribit$811M$1.6B-0.025%0.075%291
Bitfinex$260M$1.9B-0.02%0.075%440

(*) Source:CoinmarketCap
(**) Source:CoinGecko
Note that all figures on the table were compiled on 11/10/2021

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This article was originally written by former AIMultiple industry analyst Izgi Arda Ozsubasi and reviewed by Cem Dilmegani

What are Crypto Derivatives? Types, Features & Top Exchanges (2)

Cem Dilmegani

Cem has been the principal analyst at AIMultiple since 2017. AIMultiple informs hundreds of thousands of businesses (as per similarWeb) including 55% of Fortune 500 every month.

Cem's work has been cited by leading global publications including Business Insider, Forbes, Washington Post, global firms like Deloitte, HPE and NGOs like World Economic Forum and supranational organizations like European Commission. You can see more reputable companies and resources that referenced AIMultiple.

Throughout his career, Cem served as a tech consultant, tech buyer and tech entrepreneur. He advised enterprises on their technology decisions at McKinsey & Company and Altman Solon for more than a decade. He also published a McKinsey report on digitalization.

He led technology strategy and procurement of a telco while reporting to the CEO. He has also led commercial growth of deep tech company Hypatos that reached a 7 digit annual recurring revenue and a 9 digit valuation from 0 within 2 years. Cem's work in Hypatos was covered by leading technology publications like TechCrunch like Business Insider.

Cem regularly speaks at international technology conferences. He graduated from Bogazici University as a computer engineer and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.

What are Crypto Derivatives? Types, Features & Top Exchanges (3)

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4 Comments

  • What are Crypto Derivatives? Types, Features & Top Exchanges (7)

    Caroline
    Jun 07, 2022 at 00:55

    The link to spot exchanges in crypto does not lead to that article ….

    Reply
  • What are Crypto Derivatives? Types, Features & Top Exchanges (8)

    Bardia Eshghi
    Sep 15, 2022 at 15:20

    Hello, Caroline. The link works fine on our end: https://research.aimultiple.com/cryptoexchange/.

    Reply
  • What are Crypto Derivatives? Types, Features & Top Exchanges (9)

    Talya
    Nov 17, 2021 at 23:58

    Is derivatives trading in crypto legal in NY?

    Reply
  • What are Crypto Derivatives? Types, Features & Top Exchanges (10)

    Bardia Eshghi
    Nov 18, 2022 at 12:52

    Hi, Talya. We don’t know. We are not financial advisers.

    Reply
What are Crypto Derivatives? Types, Features & Top Exchanges (2024)

FAQs

What are Crypto Derivatives? Types, Features & Top Exchanges? ›

A derivative is a contract between a seller and a buyer to trade an underlying asset at a specific price. For instance, a Bitcoin futures contract allows traders alike to hedge positions to mitigate price volatility by signing an agreement that settles on an underlying auction price of a Bitcoin.

What are the types of crypto derivatives? ›

The 3 Types of Crypto Derivatives
  • Crypto Futures. Crypto futures enable investors to make predictions about the price of a cryptocurrency at a later time. ...
  • Options. ...
  • Perpetual Contracts.
Feb 10, 2023

What are derivatives in crypto exchange? ›

A derivative is a contract between a seller and a buyer to trade an underlying asset at a specific price. For instance, a Bitcoin futures contract allows traders alike to hedge positions to mitigate price volatility by signing an agreement that settles on an underlying auction price of a Bitcoin.

What are the most traded crypto derivatives? ›

8 Best Derivatives exchanges for Crypto:
  • Bybit – #1 Perpetual Futures Trading.
  • Binance – #2 Derivative Crypto Exchange.
  • MEXC Global.
  • Deribit.
  • Bitmex.
  • Gate.io.
  • Huobi Global.
  • OKX.
Apr 16, 2023

What is exchange feature in crypto? ›

In order to start buying and selling cryptocurrencies and other digital assets, the most common way is to transact with Crypto Exchanges. Cryptocurrency exchanges are privately-owned platforms that facilitate the trading of cryptocurrencies for other crypto assets, including digital and fiat currencies and NFTs.

What are the 4 main types of derivatives? ›

The four different types of derivatives in India are as follows:
  • Forward Contracts.
  • Future Contracts.
  • Options Contracts.
  • Swap Contracts.

What are the four 4 main types of derivatives? ›

The most common derivative types are futures, forwards, swaps, and options.

What are the three common types of crypto derivatives? ›

Derivative trades also do not hold nor own the underlying asset. The most popular types of derivatives in crypto are futures, options and perpetual contracts.

Is Coinbase a derivative? ›

Launched in June 2021, Coinbase Derivatives (formerly FairX) is a U.S.-based, CFTC-registered approved derivatives exchange (as a DCM or designated contract market). It offers micro and nano futures instruments.

Does Coinbase trade derivatives? ›

Coinbase Derivatives offers products at a smaller scale, with notional values as low as $2,000 and initial margins under $200. Tradovate will offer Nano day trade margins less than $50. These smaller contracts makes them easier to build positions and scale -in and -out, with more flexibility.

Which is the No 1 derivatives exchange? ›

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has emerged as the world's largest derivatives exchange in 2022 by the number of contracts traded based on statistics maintained by the Futures Industry Association (FIA), a derivatives trade body.

What are the three largest crypto exchanges? ›

Top Cryptocurrency Spot Exchanges
#ExchangeFiat Supported
1BinanceEUR, GBP, BRL and +8 more
2Coinbase ExchangeUSD, EUR, GBP
3KrakenUSD, EUR, GBP and +4 more
4KuCoinUSD, AED, ARS and +45 more
42 more rows

What are most likely exchange traded derivatives? ›

In Exchange traded derivatives, stocks are the most common underlying asset that is traded. The different types of stock ETDs are stock options and stock forwards. Using both types of derivatives, traders take leveraged positions on the stock price movements.

What are the two main types of crypto exchanges? ›

There are two main types of exchanges: centralized and decentralized.

What are the top 10 crypto exchanges? ›

Top 10 Cryptocurrency Exchanges
  • Binance.
  • Gate.io.
  • OKX.
  • Coinbase Exchange.
  • ZenGo Wallet.
  • eToro.
  • CoinDCX.
  • Kraken.
5 days ago

Which crypto exchange is best? ›

Compare the Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges
CompanyTransaction FeesTrade Limits
Coinbase Best for Beginners0.00% to 0.60%Yes
Crypto.com Best Mobile App0.00% to 0.075%Yes
Gemini Best for Security0.0% to 0.40% for active trader, 1.49% for most transactions on regular platformYes
BitMart Best for Altcoins0.045% to 0.25%No
3 more rows

What are the five derivatives? ›

Five of the more popular derivatives are options, single stock futures, warrants, a contract for difference, and index return swaps.

What are the three basic derivatives? ›

The three basic derivatives (D) are: (1) for algebraic functions, D(xn) = nxn 1, in which n is any real number; (2) for trigonometric functions, D(sin x) = cos x and D(cos x) = −sin x; and (3) for exponential functions, D(ex) = ex.

What are the two most common derivatives? ›

Common underlying assets include investment securities, commodities, currencies, interest rates and other market indices. There are two broad categories of derivatives: option-based contracts and forward-based contracts.

What are the features of derivatives? ›

Characteristic of Derivatives Contract

Fair Value of the Derivative Contract changes with changes in the underlying asset over time. It requires either no initial Investment or requires a small initial investment compared to the actual outright buying/selling of the underlying asset.

What are the 4 notations for derivatives? ›

Four popular derivative notations include:
  • The Leibniz notation, which has a d/dx format.
  • The Lagrange notation, characterized by prime notation.
  • The Euler notation, where a capital D is used.
  • The Newton notation, which is often used when the independent variable is time t.
Nov 17, 2021

What are the 6 types of cryptocurrency? ›

Popular Cryptocurrency Types
  • Bitcoin (BTC) (XBT) ...
  • Ethereum (ETH) ...
  • Ethereum Classic (ETC) ...
  • Litecoin (LTC) ...
  • Stellar (XLM) ...
  • Zcash (ZEC)

How many types of crypto exchanges are there? ›

There are currently three types of cryptocurrency exchanges—centralised exchanges (CEXs), decentralised exchanges (DEX) and hybrid exchanges (HEX).

Is Binance a derivative? ›

With the different types of derivatives products and an enormous variety of crypto trading pairs available, you can probably see why Binance Futures is the leading and preferred crypto derivatives trading platform among futures traders.

Is Bitcoin considered a derivative? ›

Summary. Crypto derivatives are secondary contracts or financial tools that derive their value from a primary underlying asset. In this case, the primary asset would be a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin. The most popular crypto derivatives are crypto futures, crypto options, and perpetual contracts.

Is Usdt a derivative? ›

The USDT Collateralized contract is a type of digital asset derivatives, aimed to replicate the underlying spot market.

What was the first crypto derivative? ›

The first derivatives that emerged for bitcoin was in the form of futures contracts. These contracts allow investors to lock-in a certain price for their coins and permits the use of sophisticated strategies.

Can you buy derivatives on crypto? ›

Crypto futures are a type of derivative contract that allows two parties to agree on the price of a cryptocurrency at a fixed date in the future. Upon expiration of the contract, the buyer is obligated to receive and purchase the asset, while the seller is obligated to deliver and sell the asset.

How big is the crypto derivatives market? ›

As of January 2023, crypto derivatives continued to dominate the market, representing about 70% of the entire crypto space, and are worth US$2.04 trillion today. While far from the volume levels seen in May 2021, this still recorded a percentage increase of 76.1% from December 2022.

What is the largest derivatives exchange in USA? ›

CME Group (US)

The CME Group is the largest futures exchange in the world. It consists of Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), Commodity Exchange Inc. (COMEX), Kansas City Board of Trade (KCBT), and the NEX Group.

What is a derivative for dummies? ›

What are derivatives? Derivatives are complex financial instruments that have value only because they are connected to something else, called the underlying asset. In other words, derivatives derive their value from the underlying instrument which could be stocks, bonds, currencies, interest rates, commodities, etc.

What are the largest crypto futures exchanges? ›

In wrapping up, trading crypto futures contracts requires a reliable, regulated, and comprehensive platform. Based on a variety of factors, including security, liquidity, fees, and overall user experience, we identified Bybit, Binance, Rollbit, BitMEX, Phemex, and OKX as the top platforms for crypto futures trading.

Which is the best crypto exchange in USA? ›

Coinbase is the most popular and successful cryptocurrency exchange based in the United States, and offers an extremely user-friendly UI and trading experience. Founded in 2014 and based in San Francisco, Coinbase is a great choice for both new traders and professional investors.

What is the safest crypto exchange? ›

The Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges of 2023
  • Coinbase: Best for bitcoin-oriented traders.
  • Abra: Best for low fees.
  • Kraken: Best for futures and margin traders.
  • CEX.IO: Best cryptocurrency selection.
  • Gemini Investing: Best for bitcoin and ethereum traders.
  • eToro USA: Best for all types of traders.
May 1, 2023

What does FTX stand for? ›

FTX Trading Ltd., commonly known as FTX (short for "Futures Exchange"), is a bankrupt company that formerly operated a cryptocurrency exchange and crypto hedge fund.

What are 5 commonly traded equity derivatives? ›

The list of equity-based derivative products runs long – equity options, futures and swaps, warrants, single-stock futures, stock market index futures, convertible bonds, contracts for difference, etc. Read on to discover some of the common types of derivative markets. What is a derivative?

What is the biggest risk with derivatives? ›

Counterparty risk, or counterparty credit risk, arises if one of the parties involved in a derivatives trade, such as the buyer, seller, or dealer, defaults on the contract. This risk is higher in over-the-counter, or OTC, markets, which are much less regulated than ordinary trading exchanges.

What is an example of a derivative trade? ›

Derivative trading lets you hedge your position in the cash market. For example, if you buy a positional stock in the cash market, you can buy a Put option in the derivative market. If the stock tumbles in the cash market, the value of your Put option will increase.

What are the 4 types of cryptocurrencies and its difference? ›

They all depend on blockchain technology, but there are many differences. Broadly speaking, we will classify them into four categories: Payment Cryptocurrencies, Tokens, Stablecoins, and Central Bank Digital Currencies.

What are the top 5 exchanges? ›

Our Top Picks for the Best Crypto Exchanges of May 2023
  • Coinbase - Best for Beginners.
  • Bitstamp - Best for Low Fees.
  • Kraken - Best for Security.
  • Pionex.US - Best for Automated Trading.
  • Bisq - Best Decentralized Exchange.
  • Public - Best $0 Commission Platform.
7 days ago

What is the largest crypto exchange in the US? ›

Coinbase is the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange, trading more than 30 cryptocurrencies. Its fees, however, can be confusing and higher than some competitors.

What is a Tier 1 exchange? ›

The Tier 1 exchanges are the exchanges with the most liquidity and can command more in terms of listing fees, vesting schedule for team/investors, and price maintenance for direct listings. Companies must decide whether to get listed on a Tier 1 exchange or a Tier 2 exchange initially.

What is the oldest crypto exchange? ›

Two months later, on March 17, 2010 Bitcoinmarket, the first cryptocurrency exchange went live.

Is it safe to keep crypto on Coinbase exchange? ›

Coinbase is generally a safe investment and is a secure platform for buying, trading, and storing cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. It's one of the most trusted ways to exchange cash, and it employs strong security measures to protect users, including AES-256 encryption, 2FA, and cold (offline) asset storage.

What are the different types of DeFi derivatives? ›

The two classes of derivatives are lock and option derivatives. With lock derivatives, the parties are bound to the agreed-upon terms throughout the contract's life. Option derivatives allow the holder to buy or sell the underlying asset before expiration.

What are the 7 C in crypto? ›

According to Roubini, “there are seven C's in crypto: concealed, corrupt, crooks, criminals, conmen, carnival barkers and, finally, CZ.”

What are the five 5 types of crypto tokens? ›

They include utility, exchange, payment, security, stablecoins, DeFi tokens, NFTs, and asset-backed tokens. These categories are based on several things, including the formulation or code, application or use case, and functioning of the cryptocurrency.

What are the 4 types of cryptocurrency? ›

Broadly speaking, we will classify them into four categories: Payment Cryptocurrencies, Tokens, Stablecoins, and Central Bank Digital Currencies.

What are the 4 layers of DeFi? ›

The four layers of the DeFi stack are as follows:
  • Settlement Layer. Also known as Layer 0, the settlement layer provides the base on which all DeFi transactions are built. ...
  • Protocol Layer. At the protocol layer, all standards and rules for transactions are defined. ...
  • Application Layer. ...
  • Aggregation Layer.
Aug 23, 2021

What are the 5 layers of DeFi? ›

By so doing, the work identifies five main layers of the defi stack: the consensus or settlement layer (layer 1), the smart contract layer (2), the business model or service layer (3), the performance or optimization layer (4), and the governance layer (5).

What is the difference between token and coin? ›

Key Takeaways: Cryptocurrency coins are digital assets that have their own blockchain. Tokens, on the other hand, are digital assets that rely on another blockchain. Coins are often used as a store of value, while tokens are used to power decentralized applications.

What are the top 3 cryptocurrencies to buy? ›

Bitcoin – The First and Largest Cryptocurrency With Unparalleled Long-Term Potential. Ethereum – Top Crypto to Buy for Long-Term Growth. Cardano – Unique Blockchain With Growing Developer Activity. IOTA – Payment Protocol for IoT Devices.

What are the fundamentals of crypto? ›

Definition of Fundamental Analysis in crypto

Fundamental analysis is the process of finding the value of an asset by examining its key characteristics, such as financial and economic data, industry trends, and management expertise.

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