Blockchain is gradually proving that it has the power to change established
processes in a way that may boost productivity, increase optionality, and cut
costs.
Nowhere is this more obvious than in the financial services sector, where
cryptocurrency exchanges and financial products powered by blockchain quickly
overtake their traditional counterparts.
The variety of derivatives available on blockchain systems seems to have no end
as more on-chain synthetic assets are created.
What Are Derivatives?
A financial instrument known as a derivative is one whose value is based on a
feature of the underlying asset. In other words, there’s no real exchange of the
underlying asset involved in buying and selling a derivatives contract.
Instead, the value of the traded derivative depends on a certain, predetermined
criterion linked to its underlying asset. Since a derivative’s value is based on
a dynamic property of its underlying asset, the market price of a derivative
contract will often change during the period of the contract’s existence in line
with the anticipated outcome of the deal.
There are several derivatives that may be linked to practically everything
imaginable, from the price of soybeans to the results of the upcoming World Cup
2022, ranging from futures and options to swaps and collateralized debt
obligations.
The most traded kind of derivatives is futures. They’re an agreement to trade an
asset at a later time and are frequently used to get leveraged market exposure
or to hedge a sizable investment position without having to own the underlying
asset physically.
Flexible derivatives can provide investors with more options and are frequently
useful for increasing liquidity and assisting in managing various financial
risks. So, now you’re probably asking: “what is a crypto
derivative?”
What Are Crypto Derivatives?
The cryptocurrency market is still in its infancy. Throughout the past 10 years,
most cryptocurrency investors have mostly engaged in spot trading, which is the
immediate purchase and sale of an asset at a predetermined price.
However, as investor interest in the area has increased, new derivatives based
on cryptocurrencies have emerged, giving traders access to a wider variety of
potential investment methods.
In the same way as traditional derivatives operate, for crypto
derivatives, a buyer and a seller must engage in a contract to sell the
underlying asset. These assets are sold at a defined price and time. Derivatives
rely on the underlying asset’s value rather than having inherent worth.
An Ethereum derivative, for instance, depends on and derives value from the
value of Ethereum. The underlying asset isn’t held nor owned by derivative
deals. Futures, options, and perpetual contracts are the most common derivatives
in the cryptocurrency market.
The Growing Cryptocurrency Derivative Market
The first cryptocurrency derivatives entered the market in
2011, but they were only available as futures contracts based on the price of
Bitcoin (BTC).
By 2020, the trading market for cryptocurrency derivatives had
risen to record highs as exchanges started providing a wider variety of
derivatives that investors could use to profit from future price volatility and
hedge against anticipated market swings.
Many analysts think the trading volume advantage that crypto
derivatives currently have over crypto spot trading may grow even
bigger as more institutional investors make an effort to hedge their positions
in large-cap cryptos like BTC.
Although the rise in crypto-based derivatives is an exciting development that
shows how the sector is gradually maturing, most of these financial products
continue to function within the traditional parameters outlined by established
financial institutions.
As a result, one of the most intriguing intersections between blockchain
technology and the global derivatives market is how blockchain has the ability
to alter the fundamental structure of the existing derivatives’ market.
Crypto’s Push Into Regulated Markets
To accommodate the demand from ordinary traders who want to place highly
leveraged bets on digital assets, cryptocurrency businesses are expanding into
the tightly regulated derivatives market.
More than 60% of cryptocurrency trading is already accounted for by volumes in
derivatives. The majority of activity occurs on venues controlled by exchange
behemoth, Binance, located overseas and, as a result, aren’t or just lightly
regulated.
Now, cryptocurrency groups are attempting to establish beachheads in the closely
regulated sector by acquiring smaller businesses that already have operating
permits in their respective nations.
The cryptocurrency sector is moving further into regulated markets to increase
its user base and compete with existing financial firms like brokerages that
already provide trading in shares and other financial assets.
Borrowing and derivatives are frequently used to increase wagers on financial
assets. Although they may be used on various goods, including stocks,
currencies, and commodities, professional investors frequently use them.
