We’ve witnessed a considerable increase in complicated financial instruments in the market due to the recent emergence of the crypto business. Due to these recent developments, traders and investors have begun to use crypto derivatives. Let’s have a look at what they are.

What are crypto derivatives?

Contracts based on following an underlying asset are known as derivatives. Stocks, commodities, currencies, bonds, and other financial instruments are examples of these assets.

There isn’t much of a difference in the essential functionalities of crypto derivatives. Users track an underlying asset using crypto derivatives at or before the expiration date.

Derivatives, in general, have an intrinsic value (this is the rate at which they are traded in the market). Traders and investors utilize crypto derivatives to protect themselves against the risks and returns connected with a particular asset. The market movements of these assets are determined by buyers’ and sellers’ assumptions about the future price of the underlying asset.

What are the different types of crypto derivatives?

• Crypto futures

A futures contract involves a buyer and seller agreeing to sell an item in the future. The exact day and money are also agreed upon in advance. The specifics of the contract may differ, but the terms are typically the same.

Futures are a prominent sort of cryptocurrency derivative that institutional investors employ. Futures data is commonly used to forecast future price changes and market sentiment.

Depending on future price fluctuations, traders may profit or lose. For example, if Bitcoin is now trading at $40,000, an investor might purchase or sell futures contracts to anticipate a price drop or rise.

In any instance, if a buyer buys a one-Bit futures contract for $40,000 and the price rises to $60,000 by the time the contract expires, the buyer will have made a $20,000 profit. On the other hand, if the price lowers to $30,000 before the contract is completed, the buyer will have lost $10,000.

• Crypto options

Another sort of derivative transaction is an option, which allows a trader to purchase or sell a particular commodity at a predetermined price at a later date. Unlike futures, however, options enable the buyer to choose whether or not to purchase the item.

There are call-and-put options, as well as American and European options, to choose from.

A trader can use call options to buy an asset on a specific date, while put options can be used to sell an item on the same day.

Furthermore, American options can be sold before the contract’s expiration date, but European options must be sold on the specified day.

• Perpetual contracts

The most common crypto derivative, also known as a perpetual futures contract or perpetual swap, is the perpetual contract, popular among day traders. In classical finance, a contract for difference would be equal to a perpetual contract.

The primary distinction between perpetual contracts and futures and options is that perpetual contracts have no expiration date. Positions can be held for as long as the trader desires as long as they pay the funding rate, which is a price for holding them. A minimal amount, known as the margin, must also be included in the account.

Because underlying assets fluctuate in value, the spread between the index price and the price of perpetual futures contracts is sometimes significant. If the perpetual contract’s price is greater than the index, investors who want to “go long” would generally pay the funding rate to make up the difference.

Similarly, if the perpetual futures contract price is lower than the index price, those who choose to “go short” will pay the funding rate to cover the price difference.

What are the advantages of crypto derivatives?

• Low transaction costs: Derivative contracts assist in minimizing market transaction costs since they are risk management instruments. As a result, the cost of transactions in derivatives trading is lower than in other securities such as spot trading.
• Market efficiency: Derivative trading involves arbitrage, which is essential for ensuring that the market achieves equilibrium and that the prices of the underlying assets are correct.
• Determines an underlying asset’s price: Derivative contracts are widely used to ascertain an underlying asset’s price.
• The risk may be transferred: Derivatives allow investors, organizations, and other parties to transfer risk to others.

What are the disadvantages of crypto derivatives?

• High risk: Due to the rapid change in the value of the underlying crypto coins/tokens, derivative contracts are very volatile. As a result, traders risk losing a significant amount of money.
• Speculative: Derivative contracts are commonly used as speculative instruments. Speculative investments can result in substantial losses due to the high risk involved and the unpredictability of their value fluctuations.

Final words

Crypto derivatives trading is a fantastic choice for both new and experienced crypto investors. You can choose from the numerous varieties covered in this article, but your investment should be entirely on your risk tolerance.

Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency is not a legal tender and is currently unregulated. Kindly ensure that you undertake sufficient risk assessment when trading cryptocurrencies as they are often subject to high price volatility. The information provided in this section doesn't represent any investment advice or WazirX's official position. WazirX reserves the right in its sole discretion to amend or change this blog post at any time and for any reasons without prior notice.