Cryptocurrency derivatives trading volume surged to almost $85.7 trillion in 2025, averaging about $264.5 billion a day, according to a report by liquidation data tracker CoinGlass.
Binance led the market with roughly $25.09 trillion in cumulative derivatives volume, or about 29.3% of global trading, meaning nearly $30 of every $100 traded ran through the exchange, CoinGlass said.
OKX, Bybit and Bitget followed, each posting $8.2 trillion to $10.8 trillion in yearly volume. These four exchanges accounted for about 62.3% of total market share.
CoinGlass said institutional pathways expanded through spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs), options and compliant futures, helping drive a structural rise for Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), which had already overtaken Binance in Bitcoin (BTC) futures open interest in 2024 and consolidated its footing in 2025.
Binance leads in terms of derivatives volume. Source: CoinGlass
Related: Bitcoin spot vs. derivatives trading: What’s the difference?
Derivatives grow in complexity
CoinGlass said that derivatives also grew in complexity in 2025. The market moved away from a retail-led, high-leverage boom-and-bust model toward a mix of institutional hedging, basis trading and ETFs.
This shift came with a cost, as deeper leverage chains and more interconnected positioning increased “tail risks.”
“Extreme events that erupted during 2025 imposed stress tests of unprecedented scale on existing margin mechanisms, liquidation rules, and cross-platform risk transmission pathways,” the report said.
Global crypto derivatives open interest sank to a yearly low of about $87 billion after deleveraging in the first quarter, then surged through the middle of the year to a record $235.9 billion on Oct. 7.
A sharp reset in early Q4 erased more than $70 billion in positions, roughly one-third of total open interest, in a flash deleveraging event. Even after that shakeout, year-end open interest of $145.1 billion still marked a 17% increase from the start of the year.
Related: Bitcoin due gains after record $24B options expiry lifts ‘lid’ on BTC price
October’s liquidation shock exposed plumbing risks
The biggest stress test of the year hit in early October. CoinGlass estimated total forced liquidations in 2025 at about $150 billion, but a big chunk of the damage came during Oct. 10 and Oct. 11, when liquidations topped $19 billion. Most of the wipeout was on the long side, with 85%–90% of liquidations coming from traders betting on higher prices.
Total liquidations in 2025. Source: CoinGlass
CoinGlass linked the crash to US President Donald Trump’s announcement of 100% tariffs on imports from China. That pushed markets into “risk-off.”
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