Home > 11 Best Crypto Futures Trading Platforms of 2025 > 11 Best Crypto Futures Trading Platforms of 2025
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Written by Sudhir Khatwani
Sudhir Khatwani holds a bachelor's degree from Vellore Institute of Technology and has made significant contributions as a Programmer Analyst at Cognizant, where he worked on critical projects for leading financial institutions like MUFG and CITI Bank. His technical expertise and analytical skills have been instrumental in delivering high-impact solutions within the financial sector. His expertise in digital assets and blockchain technology was further honed through his previous role as a content strategist for the prominent cryptocurrency exchange, CoinSwitch.
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This article has been reviewed by crypto market experts at SCM to ensure all the content, sources, and claims adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and reliability.
Last Updated on February 2, 2025
Founded in 2016 by John Jansen, Deribit has become a leading cryptocurrency derivatives exchange, now operating out of Panama for its crypto-friendly environment.
Specializing in futures and options contracts on Bitcoin and Ethereum, Deribit caters to professional traders with high liquidity, low latency, and leverage up to 50x.
However, Deribit remains unregulated and is inaccessible to U.S. traders, which could impact your decision.
It is essential to understand its features, security measures, and fee structures to determine if it meets your trading needs.
Our 2025's Recommendation 5/5 |
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Deribit provides a variety of futures and options products tailored for cryptocurrency traders.
Futures trading on Deribit includes both perpetual futures and traditional futures.
Perpetual futures do not have an expiration date, so a funding mechanism is used to align prices with the underlying index. This allows for continuous trading without the need to roll over contracts.
On the other hand, traditional futures have set expiry dates, which can benefit those employing predictable trading strategies.
Bitcoin futures can be traded with up to 100x leverage, while Ethereum futures offer up to 50x leverage.
Options trading is another primary offering on Deribit, focusing on Bitcoin and Ethereum options.
These are European vanilla-style options, meaning they can only be exercised at expiration if profitable.
Deribit allows you to leverage up to 10x on options trades, maximizing potential profits while managing risk.
For instance, a trader might purchase Bitcoin options in anticipation of a market move, allowing them to capitalize on significant gains if their prediction holds.
Both futures and options on Deribit are designed for various strategies, from hedging to speculative trading, making them suitable for novice and professional traders.
Deribit primarily supports two significant cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).
All transactions on Deribit are executed in BTC, ensuring a seamless trading experience for Bitcoin enthusiasts. Despite this execution model, you can settle these transactions in either BTC or ETH.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
Cryptocurrency | Ticker | Primary Use |
---|---|---|
Bitcoin | BTC | Execution, Settlement |
Ethereum | ETH | Settlement |
Deribit’s focus on these two widely recognized cryptocurrencies aligns with its goal to provide a specialized and efficient trading environment.
Note: Though other assets might be displayed or listed, the main traded and settled currencies remain BTC and ETH.
Deribit offers a range of order types to cater to various trading strategies. Here’s a breakdown of each type and how you can use them effectively:
By understanding and utilizing these order types, you can trade more effectively on Deribit.
When trading on Deribit, understanding the liquidation mechanism is crucial to managing your risk.
Deribit uses an automated liquidation process to handle leveraged positions, ensuring that positions maintain sufficient margin coverage.
Deribit employs incremental liquidation, where only a portion of your position is liquidated initially. This approach reduces the risk of complete liquidation and helps you maintain some of your position.
Liquidation Fees on Deribit are as follows:
For example, if your BTC futures position falls below the maintenance margin, the system will automatically liquidate part of your position to return your margin to acceptable levels.
This automated process helps protect both the trader and the platform from significant losses.
Should your margin drop further, additional liquidation steps will be executed until the position is fully back within the margin requirements or wholly liquidated.
This mechanism ensures that your positions are better managed in volatile markets, reducing the chances of a total loss. Understanding these fees and mechanisms lets you plan and manage your trades more effectively on Deribit.
Deribit employs a maker-taker fee model to incentivize market liquidity. The fees for Bitcoin futures are structured as follows:
For Ethereum futures, the fee structure is slightly different:
When trading options, you incur a fee of 0.04% for both makers and takers.
Let’s consider a high-volume trader transacting 500 Bitcoin futures contracts at $40,000 each:
If you provide liquidity instead (acting as a maker):
Fees can significantly impact your trading costs or rebates received, so understanding them is crucial.
You can also explore other trading products and fee structures like perpetual contracts for more tailored trading strategies. Ensure you review these fees on the official Deribit website for the most accurate and up-to-date information.
Deribit offers a variety of fee structures for different types of trading, catering to both spot and derivatives markets.
For spot trading, Deribit charges 0% fees for both makers and takers. This can be especially advantageous if you’re primarily trading spot markets.
In the futures market, the fee structure changes slightly. Maker fees are 0%, while taker fees are 0.05%. These fees are competitive, making Deribit an attractive option for futures traders.
Options trading on Deribit comes with a fee of 0.03% for both makers and takers. This consistent fee structure helps you calculate potential trading costs easily.
Here’s a quick summary of the fees:
Additionally, Deribit has funding rates for perpetual futures. These rates are payments made between long and short traders every eight hours.
Example of funding rate calculations:
Imagine you are holding a long position in a perpetual futures contract.
If the funding rate is positive, you will pay the short traders. Conversely, if the rate is unfavorable, you will receive a payment. This mechanism ensures that the contract price aligns closely with the spot price.
Deribit also supports deposits in over 41 fiat currencies via Legend Trading, though it focuses on cryptocurrency-based withdrawals since no fiat withdrawal options are available.
This detail is crucial when planning your trading and withdrawal strategies.
When depositing funds on Deribit, you won’t incur any fees. This makes it cost-effective to move your assets onto the platform.
For withdrawals, Deribit charges fees determined by the blockchain network used for the transaction. These fees vary based on current network conditions.
Deposit Fees:
Withdrawal Fees:
Example Process:
The no-fee policy on deposits and the variable withdrawal fees mean you can efficiently manage your funds without worrying about hidden costs.
Deribit offers individual and corporate accounts. For corporate users, sub-accounts are available to manage multiple traders under a single corporate account.
Deribit operates with four KYC levels:
KYC Process Example:
Higher verification levels can provide benefits such as increased withdrawal limits and enhanced security.
When you use Deribit, you can access an advanced trading platform designed for institutional and retail traders.
One of the standout features is the advanced charting tools powered by TradingView. These tools offer comprehensive indicators and drawing tools to help you analyze market trends and make more informed trading decisions.
The platform also provides a customizable interface with user-configured tabs and panels. This flexibility allows you to create a tailored trading environment that meets your needs.
Deribit includes an implied volatility surface, which is essential for options traders. By visualizing this data, you can gain insights into market sentiment and volatility trends, helping you to make more precise trading strategies.
For traders needing advanced features, WhalePortal offers tools for deeper market analysis. These tools can enhance your ability to hedge positions and manage risks effectively.
Example
You can use these trading tools to analyze the market by creating custom tabs for different assets and indicators.
Next, the TradingView charting tools plot price movements and study trends. Finally, consult the implied volatility surface for a complete market analysis.
Whether executing quick trades or planning complex strategies, Deribit’s trading platform provides the tools you need for a streamlined and efficient trading experience. To learn more about the exchange, check this Deribit tutorial.
The Deribit Insurance Fund is designed to protect traders from losses due to bankruptcies. When a trader faces liquidation, part of the liquidation fees are directed to this fund.
Liquidation Fees to the Insurance Fund:
The fund helps cover losses when a trader’s balance dips below zero due to market volatility or failed positions.
Deribit maintains a substantial insurance fund, currently over $110 million, ensuring robust user protection.
This fund includes various cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, and the platform can use funds from one currency to cover deficits in another.
For example, if the Bitcoin insurance fund is depleted, Deribit can tap into its Ethereum fund to cover the losses. This mixed approach offers additional security and flexibility.
In practice, the insurance fund has successfully prevented users from facing socialized losses, where losses are distributed among all traders. Instead, the fund absorbs these losses, protecting individual traders from unexpected financial hits.
Depositing funds into your Deribit account is straightforward. Deribit primarily supports deposits and withdrawals in Bitcoin (BTC). This makes it a favored platform for cryptocurrency traders focusing on the Bitcoin and Ethereum markets.
Steps to Deposit Bitcoin:
Deribit does not support direct fiat currency deposits.
However, you can use services such as Legend Trading to deposit over 41 fiat currencies converted to BTC. This is an important consideration for users who primarily deal in fiat currencies.
Important Points:
No Fiat Withdrawals:
Deribit focuses entirely on cryptocurrency transactions. Therefore, while you can convert fiat to BTC using third-party services for deposits, all withdrawals must be in Bitcoin. This keeps the platform streamlined and focused on its core services—trading Bitcoin and Ethereum futures and options.
Deribit prioritizes user safety with advanced security measures.
One of the core security features is storing 99% of funds in cold storage. These funds are kept offline in multi-signature wallets, reducing the risk of online hacks.
You will also find additional layers of protection, such as two-factor authentication (2FA). Implementing 2FA ensures that only authorized individuals can access your account.
To further secure your funds, Deribit provides IP wallowlisting. This feature allows you to specify which IP addresses can access your account, blocking unauthorized access from unknown locations.
Session timeouts add another level of protection.
If your account remains inactive for a certain period, you will be automatically logged out, minimizing unauthorized access risks.
Deribit has a strong track record with no reported security breaches—regular security audits and certifications ensure the platform meets the highest security standards.
This combination of offline storage, authentication methods, and account protections makes Deribit a secure choice for your trading needs.
Deribit offers multiple customer support options to assist you with any issues or questions.
You can reach out to the support team via email at support@deribit.com
. This method is suitable for detailed inquiries or when you need to provide attachments.
For immediate assistance, use the live chat feature available on their platform. This enables you to get real-time help from a support representative.
Additionally, Deribit has an extensive FAQ section on their website. The FAQ covers many topics and may provide quick answers to your questions without requiring you to contact support.
A typical customer issue might involve difficulty with account login. In such cases, you can use the live chat to connect with a representative immediately.
You’ll explain the problem, and the representative can guide you through troubleshooting steps or reset your account credentials as needed.
Deribit also maintains a presence on social media platforms like Telegram and Twitter. These channels can be helpful for less formal inquiries or stay updated on the latest news and announcements.
Support Channels:
Deribit operates as a legal entity under Deribit B.V., based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The exchange was launched in 2016 and is known for its specialized focus on futures and options trading.
Deribit follows strict regulatory compliance standards. It has developed robust security measures to protect user funds and data.
Key security features include two-factor authentication (2FA), cold storage for funds, and regular security audits.
The platform employs an insurance fund to cover potential losses from bankrupt traders.
This fund helps enhance the overall safety of users’ investments. Insurance Fund: Proceeds from liquidation fees are added to the insurance fund every hour.
User Trust and Ratings:
Deribit has responded positively to regulatory inquiries, demonstrating its commitment to compliance and transparency.
For example, the platform adheres to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations, which are critical for operating legally in many jurisdictions.
Using Deribit means engaging with a platform that prioritizes security, compliance, and user trust. It leverages advanced technologies to safeguard your assets while maintaining high regulatory adherence.
Deribit offers a robust platform with a wide range of crypto derivatives, focusing on Bitcoin and Ethereum futures and providing advanced trading tools suitable for institutional and retail traders.
Its robust security measures ensure the protection of funds and data.
However, the platform’s complexity can be challenging for beginners, and its focus on Bitcoin and Ethereum limits cryptocurrency options.
Institutional traders will appreciate its tools and liquidity, while experienced retail traders can find profitable opportunities.
Beginners may need time to learn the platform. Deribit is reliable for those comfortable with its advanced features and asset focus.
Check how Deribit stands up against its competition:
Sudhir Khatwani holds a bachelor's degree from Vellore Institute of Technology and has made significant contributions as a Programmer Analyst at Cognizant, where he worked on critical projects for leading financial institutions like MUFG and CITI Bank. His technical expertise and analytical skills have been instrumental in delivering high-impact solutions within the financial sector. His expertise in digital assets and blockchain technology was further honed through his previous role as a content strategist for the prominent cryptocurrency exchange, CoinSwitch.
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