Cryptocurrency derivatives platform Delta Exchange now offers put and call options contracts settled in the stablecoin tetherUSDT$0.9984.
Calling the news an industry first, the Singapore-based firm also said Thursday it's one of just four crypto exchanges to offer a full order book for puts and calls.
Options contracts give holders the right to buy or sell the underlying asset at a set price on a set date in the future.
Unlike futures, a holder of an options contract is not required to buy or sell the asset if they choose not to do so – hence the name.
Delta Exchange CEO Pankaj Balani said the options market is an "integral part" of the derivatives ecosystem and he expects daily turnover on his platform to surpass futures demand in the next six to nine months.
The new call and put options, which are expected to attract retail and institutional traders alike, are available from today.
Investors are abandoning bitcoin and gold, perhaps sensing a coming end to Middle East hostilities.
What to know:
JPMorgan says the pandemic-era “debasement trade,” centered on bitcoin and then gold, is cooling, with recent outflows from bitcoin and gold ETFs and reduced institutional futures positions reflecting a broader pullback from macro hedges.
The bank's report suggested investors may be getting ahead of a U.S.-Iran peace deal.