Blockchain.com rolled out cryptocurrency options trading on Tuesday, Oct. 20, letting eligible users bet on price moves across seven digital assets with premiums starting at $5.
The contracts—structured as one-week expiries funded in USDC—cover bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), solana (SOL), hyperliquid (HYPE), avalanche (AVAX), XRP and tron (TRX). Traders pick a strike price, expiration date and position size. The platform auto-structures the call ("Above") or put ("Below") option.
Payouts trigger when settlement prices move past the chosen strike. Larger favorable moves generate larger returns. The mechanics eliminate margin calls—losses cap at the upfront premium paid.
Critical limitation: positions cannot be sold, adjusted or closed early. Traders hold through expiration regardless of market moves. Even profitable positions must stay open until settlement, leaving them exposed to reversals. A purchase fee applies upfront, plus a settlement fee only if gross payouts exceed the initial premium.
"We take care of the complexity in the background, so users get a simpler way to access a powerful trading service with clearly defined risk," said Taro Ugen, Blockchain.com's vice president of consumer.
The service excludes the U.S. U.K. and Canada—for now. Blockchain.com filed CFTC applications on Oct. 13 seeking authorization to operate regulated derivatives and futures trading in the United States. The filing signals the company's long-term push into federally regulated markets.
