Derivatives Market
Markets for contracts whose value comes from another asset's price, such as futures, perpetual futures, and options.
Derivatives let participants hedge existing exposure, take a position without arranging custody, or apply leverage. In digital assets the dominant instrument is the perpetual future, and most contracts are cash settled in a stablecoin rather than delivered, so the underlying asset need never change hands. Activity is split between offshore venues and a smaller set of regulated exchanges that offer margined and cash-settled contracts to institutional clients. Reported derivatives turnover regularly exceeds spot turnover by a wide multiple, because a cash-settled contract can be opened and closed repeatedly without moving any underlying asset.
En pratique
A miner or a treasury desk can hedge exposure by selling futures against assets it already controls, which transfers price risk without transferring the assets.
Le malentendu courant
Derivatives turnover is not money invested in an asset; notional volume can far exceed spot activity because contracts settle in cash and turn over quickly.