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Deribit Review 2024: Features, Fees & Security

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Swen Keller
In the crypto world Swen has consistently found success through his effective communication skills and the unique ability to navigate the details.
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Deribit Review: Our Opinion

Based on our first-hand observations of this cryptocurrency exchange, we are confident to say that Deribit is an advanced trading platform best suited for experienced traders interested in trading derivatives. 

The Deribit platform isn’t for beginners as newbies in the crypto space will find Deribit complex and intimidating. 

That said, the exchange offers a complex and confusing interface that makes navigation difficult even for seasoned traders.

It is also not fully regulated, which may discourage traders looking for an exchange under regulation. 

Plus, it isn’t licensed in the United States and doesn’t support traders from the country to use the platform. 

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    Company Overview About the Deribit Exchange

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    Deribit was launched in 2016 in the Netherlands but is now headquartered in Panama City, Panama. 

    It was one of the first Bitcoin Options trading platforms and has since become the largest Bitcoin options exchange in the crypto space by trading volume and user interest. 

    In 2019, the crypto derivatives exchange added Ethereum to its list of supported cryptocurrencies and plans to add XRP and Solana in 2024.  

    Currently, Deribit customers can trade futures contracts, perpetual contracts, and options contracts. 

    The trading platform even offers a zero-fee spot trading platform. 

    In recent months, the exchange also added the ability to buy cryptocurrencies on the platform via fiat currencies using credit cards or direct deposits.

    Pros

    Cons

    Deribit Review: Unique Features 

    Deribit Option Wizard 

    Derbit Option Wizard - 1280x720

    The Deribit Option Wizard helps Deribit traders find the best option strategy based on their price prediction. 

    Choosing a good Option strategy is a major problem faced by most inexperienced option traders as it can affect the overall success of your trades. The Deribit Option Wizard eliminates this problem and makes it easier for individual investors to effortlessly use Options to express their views on the market. 

    The Option Wizard can be added as a component to your Deribit trading page by clicking on “Add Component” and then selecting Option Wizard in the drop-down menu. 

    As already stated, the Option Wizard offers you an optimal Option strategy based on your market expectations. You have total control over the strategy requirements. 

    This means you determine the risk, the predicted time, and the timeframe for the prediction. 

    Once you set the strategy requirements, the Option Wizard uses real-time prices from the option markets to ensure the most accurate estimate of your results. 

    Since the Option Wizard helps you find the best Option strategy based on your price predictions, it is best you have basic knowledge of trading Options before using them. 

    If you are not familiar with the workings and risks associated with Options, you should take the Deribit Options Course before using the Option Wizard. 

    As already stated, you have total control of the strategy requirements when using the Option Wizard. 

    To calculate a strategy with the Option Wizard, you must provide 4 pieces of information.  

    These are:

    • The currency for which you want to calculate an option strategy 

    • Your price expectation for the selected currency 

    • The date for which the price expectations apply and 

    • The maximum amount you wish to invest in the option strategy. 

    Note: If you provide a market expectation with an extremely low probability of occurring, the Option Wizard may suggest some unusual strategy. 

    Before the Option Wizard suggests a strategy, it first calculates the potential profit for each option, and then selects the Option strategy with the highest expected return. 

    Once the Option Wizard chooses the best Option strategy, it provides you with an estimate of the expected profit (if your prediction is correct), the Return in %, and the maximum loss. 

    To trade a strategy suggested by the Option Wizard, click the “Review Order” button. 

    When you do this an order form will pop up. Cross-check the details of the order and click ” Confirm Order”. 

    Since the initial calculation of the Option strategies does not consider your available account balance, you should check in advance if the purchase of the entire strategy is within your budget. 

    As stated earlier, good knowledge of how Options work is required to use the Option Wizard, as it enables you to accurately interpret the outcomes of the Option Wizard. 

    The Option Wizard calculates the optimal strategy based on real-time prices. The profit, return, and maximum loss estimates are based on the current option prices. 

    Real-time prices are subject to change with time and as the market moves. If the market price changes between strategy calculations, the values for each of the estimates provided by the Option Wizard will also change. 

    The prices can also change if you manually edit the Limit Price of the order. 

    That said, the Option Wizard cannot have the ability to determine the probability of a prediction occurring. 

    This means it does not provide any assessment regarding the likelihood of your predictions being accurate. 

    Deribit Sub-accounts

    Deribit Sub-accounts allow you to separate a portion of your trading account administratively and from a margin perspective.

    Sub-accounts give you a convenient way to isolate whole portfolios, single positions, funds, and access. 

    Every Deribit account can generate a maximum of 4 sub-accounts, this allows you to manage your accounts and have a dedicated margin for certain trades or strategies. 

    All Deribit sub-accounts are accessible from the main account and can be accessed from the Deribit website with a single login. 

    You can also switch between sub-accounts in the UI or manage them all through the Deribit API with their API keys. 

    Despite being linked to one main account, sub-accounts are isolated from each other and the main account. This means that the loss of positions or bankruptcies in one sub-account will not affect any of the other sub-accounts. Also, a liquidation in one account or sub-account does not affect any of the other accounts. 

    That said, you can transfer funds back and forth between a corresponding main account and a sub-account. This can be done from the Transfer tab on the account page. Transfers from sub-accounts are instant and free. 

    Note: You cannot withdraw funds to external wallets from sub-accounts, you can only transfer funds from sub-accounts to the main account. 

    That said, sub-accounts have their deposit address, which means you can deposit funds directly into sub-accounts from external sources. 

    To create a Sub-account, do the following: 

    Go to the top right menu and click “My Account”.

    The account page will open showing different tabs, click on the “Sub-accounts” tab. 

    Next, click the “Add new sub-account” button. 

    Once you click this button, a new sub-account will be created. 

    You can click on the newly created sub-account page to see the details of the new account. 

    As already stated, you can instantly transfer funds between the main account and a sub-account. To make transfers from the main account sub-accounts, do the following: 

    Go to the main account and click the transfer tab to open the transfer page. 

    Select “Sub-account” from the drop-down menu and select the Sub-account you wish to make the transfer to. 

    Next, enter the amount you wish to transfer and click ” Transfer”.

    The funds will be instantly moved to your Sub-account. 

    Deribit Mobile App

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    The Deribit mobile app grants you access to Futures, Spot, and Options trading on cryptocurrency on the go. The mobile app is suitable for both novice and experienced traders. 

    It has an intuitive user interface that makes testing easy and effective. It offers a range of advanced trading tools and features suitable for advanced traders looking to maximize profit. 

    The mobile app features advanced trading tools and features like Conditional, Market, Trailing and Limit Orders, GTD, IOC, GTC, FOK time-in-force settings, Portfolio Margin, Deribit-only implementation of Post-only with automatic price adjustment, and Testnet for the mobile app.

    The app also provides real-time trading data needed to make informed trading decisions. This includes market data and order book data. It also allows you to monitor the maintenance margin for each open position.

    Deribit mobile app offers in-app customer support. It is also secured with several security features including restricted API login, two-factor authentication, pin code, and Biometrics. 

    Cryptocurrencies Available on Deribit 

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    The Deribit derivatives exchange supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and USD Coin. 

    It supports spot trading in BTC-USDC, BTC-ETH and ETH-USDC. 

    Deribit users can buy and sell Perpetuals, Futures, and Options on BTC and ETH. 

    The Bitcoin Futures trading exchange intends to offer Options tied to alternative cryptocurrencies like Solana, XRP, and Polygon. 

    Deribit Fees

    The Deribit trading platform uses a maker-and-taker trading fee model. 

    This implies that orders that provide liquidity (maker) to the crypto futures exchange could have different fees from offers that take liquidity (taker). 

    The trading fees also vary based on the product involved (Futures trading, Options trading, etc.) and are calculated as a percentage of the underlying asset of the futures contract or options contract.

    Trading Fees

    BTC Weekly Futures Contract

    • Maker fee: -0.01%

    • Taker fee: 0.05%

    ETH Weekly Futures Contract

    • Maker fee: -0.01%

    • Taker fee: 0.05%

    BTC Futures & Perpetual

    • Maker fee: 0.00%

    • Taker fee: 0.05%

    ETH Futures & Perpetual

    • Maker Fee: 0.00%

    • Taker fee: 0.05%

    USDC Perpetuals

    • Maker fee: 0.00%

    • Taker fee: 0.05%

    BTC Options

    • Maker fee: 0.03% of the underlying asset or 0.0003 BTC per options contract

    • Taker fee: 0.03% of the underlying asset or 0.0003 BTC per options contract

    ETH Options

    • Maker fee: 0.03% of the underlying asset or 0.0003 ETH per options contract

    • Taker fee: 0.03% of the underlying or 0.0003 ETH per options contract

    Spot

    • Maker fee: 0%

    • Taker fee: 0%

    It is important to note that hidden orders are taken as a taker order by Deribit and traders will need to pay the taker fee. 

    Also, Options trading fees do not go higher than 12.5% of the options price. For instance, if you trade an option at 0.0001 ETH, the taker fee will be 0.0000125 ETH rather than 0.0003 ETH, so 12.5% of 0.0001 ETH.

    Delivery Fees

    Futures and Options trading deliveries are charged an extra fee. Note that the daily options and weekly futures are free from delivery fees. 

    That said, here are the fees: 

    BTC/ETH Weekly Futures: 0.0%

    BTC/ETH Futures: 0.025%

    BTC/ETH Daily Options: 0.0%

    BTC/ETH Options: 0.015% – this trading fee will never be more than 12.5% of the value of the option

    Liquidation Charges for Bitcoin and USD Coin

    Deribit trading platform charges an extra fee for liquidations. These trading fees are increased by a percentage of the size of the underlying contract. 

    Note that the additional liquidation fee is added automatically to the insurance fund. 

    Options

    The liquidation fee here is 0.19% of the underlying asset or 0.0019 Bitcoin per options contract, 0.16% of the underlying asset or 0.0016 Bitcoin per contract is included in the insurance fund. 

    Futures & Perpetual 

    The liquidation fee here is 0.75% for maker orders and 0.70% for taker orders added to the insurance fund. 

    Liquidation Fees for ETH

    Futures & Perpetual

    Deribit charges an additional fee of 0.9% for liquidations, (0.90% for maker orders and 0.85% for taker orders will be added to the insurance fund).

    Options

    For Options liquidations, Deribit charges an additional 0.19% in fees for the underlying asset, or 0.0019 ETH per options contract, and 0.16% of the underlying asset, or 0.0016 ETH per contract is added to the insurance fund.

    Deposits and Withdrawals

    Deribit does not charge deposit fees and withdrawals are also free except for the dynamic Bitcoin network fee which is based on network congestion. 

    Deribit Review: Payment Methods

    Deribit was initially a cryptocurrency-to-cryptocurrency trading platform however through its partnership with third-party processors the derivative exchange now allows users to purchase Bitcoin, USDC, and Ethereum using their credit card or via direct deposit from the user’s bank account.

    Supported fiat currencies for international bank deposits include the United States Dollar, Euro, British Pound Sterling, Swiss Franc, Canadian Dollar, Japanese Yen, and Australian Dollar, and 34 other fiat currencies for on-ramping through credit card payments.

    Deribit Review: Security

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    Based on our firsthand observations of this crypto exchange, we can state that the Deribit derivatives exchange is a secure crypto exchange and has not experienced any security breaches since it launched. 

    Deribit stores over 99% of its crypto holdings in cold storage wallets offline. Less than 1% of customers’ funds is held in a hot wallet and this is primarily to provide daily liquidity and to facilitate efficient withdrawal handling. 

    The Deribit cold wallet uses a multi-signature split private key system and achieves full risk decentralization by storing the keys in geographically distributed military-grade vaults in bank-safe deposit boxes. 

    No single party alone can access the cold wallet. 

    The Deribit server system is located in the Equinix LD4 data center and is under 24/7 surveillance and protected by multiple authentication measures. 

    Users’ trading accounts are protected with passwords, two-factor authentication, and IP whitelisting. 

    Deribit traders can also set an activation time for newly added withdrawal addresses. This means that transfers to a newly added address will only be available after the set period has passed

    This is a security buffer that prevents funds from being lost in case the user’s account is compromised. 

    The time can be set from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 60 days. 

    Deribit recommends setting a delay of 4 or more days. 

    If the new address activation delay is set to 0 days, withdrawals will not be instant because they will be subject to manual checks before approval. 

    Deribit Review: Staking Rewards

    Deribit unfortunately does not offer any form of staking services to its users. 

    Supported Countries 

    Deribit is available to users in several countries (100+) across the globe. It tries to keep as many countries open for trading as possible as long as it does not violate international rules and regulations. 

    That said, Deribit is not available in the United States and about 18 other countries. Restricted countries include Canada, Congo, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Samoa, Japan, Yemen, Sudan, Panama, Somalia, Samoa, etc. 

    Opening a Deribit Exchange Account

    To open a Deribit account for futures and options trading, go to https://www.deribit.com.

    Next, tap on the “Create Account” button

    On the Register page, enter your email address, phone number, and country of residence, and select a strong password. 

    You’ll also need to create a username. 

    Tap on the checkbox to confirm that you agree to their Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Fees.

    Click on the “Register” button

    Go to the email address you registered and click on the activation link sent to you by Deribit. 

    To do so, tap on the Trading button in the email. 

    That’s it! You’ve created your Deribit account. 

    However, to deposit funds to your Deribit Futures trading or Options trading account you’ll need to undergo their KYC verification. 

    Trading Experience

    After a detailed analysis and use of the Deribit crypto exchange, we discovered that the Futures exchange trading platform offers a highly sophisticated Futures and Options trading experience best for advanced crypto traders. 

    Users can participate in Futures and Options trading and perpetual swaps on Bitcoin and Ethereum as well as have access to some of the deepest crypto derivatives liquidity in the industry. 

    The Futures trading platform even provides users with a ton of market data to help users make the most effective trading decisions. 

    That said, the exchange allows you to start trading using its mobile app (iOS and Android devices) or web platform. 

    Customer Service

    Deribit offers customer support via Live Chat, email at support@deribit.com, and the Official Deribit Support at Zendesk. 

    Our direct experimentation with this crypto exchange has shown that it offers customer support via Telegram in English, Chinese, and Russian. 

    Deribit has a well-equipped knowledge base and a large community where users can find solutions to common problems encountered when using the platform. 

    Customer Satisfaction 

    Our detailed first-hand deep dive into this crypto exchange revealed that it is a good platform for Futures and Options trading. It however has a complex interface that is only suitable for advanced traders. 

    Does Deribit Exchange offer Education? 

    Yes, Deribit has an in-depth education center called Deribit Insights that features various courses on subjects such as options trading, margin trading, futures trading, leverage, etc. 

    The exchange also offers a section that features the latest happenings in the crypto space like “The Countdown to Blackrock ETF Approval”, etc.

    Deribit is Right for You If:

    • You are an advanced crypto trader interested in trading Futures Contracts and Options

    • You don’t mind having a limited selection of cryptocurrencies

    • Understand derivatives trading

    • Already own cryptocurrency

    • You don’t mind navigating a complex interface

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    Conclusion

    Deribit is an advanced cryptocurrency exchange that is best suited for experienced and professional traders looking for a high-end derivatives trading platform.

    Its biggest con is that it is unregulated and not available to United States residents or citizens. 

    That said, Deribit remains the largest Bitcoin and Ethereum Options trading platform in the world. 

    Deribit’s offerings are vast, but there’s a world of crypto platforms to explore. Get a fresh perspective with our Bitmex Review.

    FAQ

    Most frequent questions and answers

    Deribit only supports cryptocurrency withdrawal via Bitcoin and it takes a maximum of one confirmation to withdraw your assets from the derivative exchange. 

    That said, if Deribit does not have assets held in its hot wallet, withdrawals may take longer than usual.

    Deribit offers different fees based on the product being traded (Options, Futures, or Spot) and the fees are a percentage of the contract size.

    Deribit used to be located in the Netherlands but it is now headquartered in Panama City, Panama. 

    Unfortunately, users in the United States cannot sign up or use the crypto exchange. This is because the Futures and options trading platform isn’t licensed to operate in the United States. In general, Deribit isn’t regulated. 

    Yes, Deribit requires that all their clients go through their KYC and AML verification process. This means that you will need to provide a national ID document as well as proof of address such as your international passport, driver’s license, utility bill, etc.

    This wasn’t always the case but in 2020 the derivative exchange updated their terms of use and required that clients undergo the KYC verification process. 

    The Deribit insurance fund covers the deficit that occurs when there is a difference between the price at which the losing trader is liquidated and the price at which another trader takes over the position. The Insurance Fund ensures that the winning trader receives the full payout and that the losing trader is not in debt.

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    Skrumble.com provides all its content for informational purposes only, and this should not be taken as financial advice to buy, trade, or sell any investment instruments or products, including but not limited to cryptocurrencies, or use any specific exchange. Please do not use this website as investment advice, financial advice, or legal advice, and each individual’s needs may vary from that of the author. Investing in financial instruments, including cryptocurrencies, carries a high risk and is not suitable for all investors. It is possible to lose the entire initial investment, so do not invest what you cannot afford to lose. We strongly advise conducting your own research before making any investment decisions. This post includes affiliate links with our partners who may compensate us.

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