Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, announced on Monday that it is opening access to bitcoin (BTC) "options writing" for all users. The move is a direct response to a significant increase in retail demand for more strategic and sophisticated trading tools. Options are derivative contracts that allow the purchaser the right to buy or sell the underlying asset at a pre-determined price on or before a specific date. A call option gives the right to buy and represents a bullish bet on the market while a put option offers downside protection. Writing options refers to selling call or put, which is akin to offering insurance against bullish or bearish price moves in the underlying asset. The writer (seller) is compensated for the same in the form of an upfront premium. Sophisticated crypto holders are known to write options to earn extra yield on top of the spot market holdings. “Accelerating crypto adoption will increase demand for more sophisticated liquidity tools and we are committed to building a fuller suite of derivative products to support our users.” Jeff Li, VP of product at Binance, commented on the development. Binance said it will maintain robust risk management controls, requiring options writers to pass a mandatory suitability assessment and post margin to collateralize their obligations. The announcement comes as the broader BTC options market has seen explosive growth, with total trading volume soaring over 3200% from $4.11 billion in 2020 to $138.76 billion in June 2025, Binance's press release shared with CoinDesk said. By enabling a broader user base to write options, Binance aims to empower traders to express market views, manage risk, earn upfront premiums, and implement strategies that go beyond simple directional bets. To celebrate the launch, Binance is offering a 20% discount on Taker and Maker fees for all newly listed options contracts, including those for ether (ETH), BNB (BNB), and Solana (SOL). The exchange is also improving its Options Enhanced Program for high-volume and institutional traders, offering lower qualification thresholds and more attractive fee structures. Read more: Coinbase Slides Nearly 20% in Worst Weekly Performance Since September 2024
