Why Trade Cryptos, Stocks, and ETFs on Deribit?
Since Coinbase completed its acquisition of Deribit (August 2025), the platform has undergone its biggest-ever product expansion. As of September 2026, Deribit offers 90+ new USDC-settled perpetual futures covering listed equities, ETFs, commodities, and pre-IPO valuations — alongside its flagship crypto options and futures markets.
🚀 One Platform, Every Market
| Asset Class | Examples |
|---|---|
| Single-stock perps | NVDA, AMD, TSLA, HOOD, INTC, MRVL, TSM, MSTR, CRCL |
| Commodity perps | GOLD, SILVER, BRENTOIL, WTIOIL |
| Pre-IPO perps | SpaceX (SPCX) |
| Index products | Coinbase 50 Index (COIN50) |
| Crypto | 60+ underlyings plus the industry’s deepest options market |
How it works: all RWA contracts are linear perpetuals, quoted, margined, and settled in USDC, tradable 24/7 (special pricing, liquidity, and risk rules apply outside regular market hours), with up to 50x leverage available on some products.
💡 Why Traders Choose Deribit
- Unified margin across crypto and traditional assets — one USDC-settled account cross-margins your BTC options and your NVDA perp, using Deribit’s proven perpetual framework for margining, funding, marking, and liquidation.
- 24/7 markets — react to weekend news and earnings moves immediately, not at Monday’s open.
- Deepest crypto derivatives liquidity — roughly $60B in open interest and over $1T traded last year, now running on Coinbase’s Starbase matching engine (migration completed September 9, 2026).
- Meaningful leverage — per Deribit’s Exchange Rulebook: up to 10x on single-stock Equity Perps and 20x on equity ETFs/indexes for Institutional and Qualified Investors (5x for others).
- Institutional risk management — separate insurance funds per asset, strict liquidation protocols, portfolio margining, and block-trade facilities.
💰 Fee Structure
Deribit uses a maker–taker model: orders that add liquidity (makers) pay less — or even earn a rebate — while orders that remove liquidity (takers) pay more. Fees vary by product and are calculated as a percentage of the underlying/notional value.
Trading fees by product
| Product | Maker | Taker | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perpetuals & futures (incl. equity, commodity & crypto perps) | ~0.015% | ~0.035% | Base tier; per Deribit’s fee restructure effective Aug 1, 2026, taker fees were lowered and maker rebates reduced, keeping net fees similar |
| Options | Capped | Capped | Fees capped at 12.5% of the option’s price |
| Spot | Waived | Waived | 0% until Deribit spot connects to Coinbase spot liquidity; thereafter max 2–5 bps even at the highest tier |
| Delivery/settlement | 0.015% of contract value | Charged on futures deliveries/settlement | |
| Liquidation | 1% flat across all products | Standardized Aug 1, 2026, supporting the Liquidity Support Program |
Base-tier figures per FeeEdge (verified Sept 2026) and CoinMarketFees; always confirm on Deribit’s official fees page, as the schedule changes with VIP tier.
Volume-based VIP tiers
Fees scale down with 30-day dollar-equivalent trading volume, via an automated VIP tier system (VIP1 through the new VIP7, added August 2026):
- Even the highest-paying tier tops out around 2–5 bps maker/taker, with fees dropping to 0/2 bps at the lowest-paying tiers for some products
- Volume requirements for tiers VIP2–VIP6 were lowered in the August 2026 restructure
- VIP7 perks include a 10% discount on block-trade fees and a full waiver of options settlement fees
- The old differentiated fees for daily vs. weekly futures were discontinued — all futures now share one fee schedule regardless of expiry
Fee optimizations worth knowing
- Combo discounts: multi-leg trades enjoy discounts on the cheaper legs — takers get a 100% fee discount on the cheapest leg, and option combinations (like verticals and calendars) benefit from the option combo fee discount. Straddles/strangles with all legs in the same direction don’t qualify.
- Iceberg orders: the visible portion can match as maker; the hidden portion always pays the taker fee.
- Block trades: carry their own fee schedule with identical maker/taker fees, independent of the standard model.
Why this fee structure matters
A base-tier 0.015% / 0.035% maker/taker on perpetuals sits below the industry averages of roughly 0.024% maker / 0.053% taker (per Traders Union’s benchmarks). For an active trader doing $15M+ in 30-day volume, futures fees can drop to around 0.01% maker / 0.03% taker — meaning the cost of holding NVDA, GOLD, and BTC exposure side-by-side on one venue can be materially cheaper than splitting the same flow across a traditional broker and a crypto exchange.
⚠️ What You Should Know Before Trading
| Consideration | Detail |
|---|---|
| Derivatives, not ownership | Perps provide price exposure — no voting rights, dividends, or shareholder rights |
| Geographic restrictions | Not available in the US and other restricted countries |
| Crypto-only funding | No fiat deposits; fund with BTC, ETH, USDC, or USDT |
| Leverage cuts both ways | Liquidation carries a 1% fee, on top of losing your margin |
| Tax complexity | P&L settled in USDC/crypto; no built-in tax reporting — consult a professional |
| Funding rates | Perpetuals carry ongoing funding payments, which are separate from trading fees |
📝 Bottom Line
Deribit has evolved from a crypto-derivatives specialist into a genuinely multi-asset venue: deep liquidity, unified USDC margining, 24/7 access, and a competitive maker–taker fee schedule that improves with volume. For derivatives traders outside restricted jurisdictions, consolidating crypto, equity, commodity, and pre-IPO exposure on one platform is now a compelling proposition.
If you are ready to open your account at Deribit, here a link for your convenience.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice. Leveraged derivatives involve substantial risk of loss. Fee schedules change — always verify current rates at Deribit’s official fees page before trading.
Sources: Deribit Insights (New Fee Schedule, product expansion announcements), Deribit Support (Fees, Exchange Rulebook, Membership Terms), Finance Magnates, CoinGape, FeeEdge, CoinMarketFees, Traders Union, Jean Galea.