Kraken Launches Options Contracts for Bitcoin and Ethereum

Kraken, a cryptocurrency exchange that also offers stock trading, has introduced a new lineup of options contracts on Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). This move aims to make sophisticated derivatives trading available to a broader group of professional and institutional investors as the crypto market matures.

The platform is rolling out European-style, cash-settled options that are linear and denominated in USD. These contracts provide direct exposure to the underlying assets in a format familiar to traditional finance professionals.

At launch, traders can access weekly, monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual expirations through a request-for-quote (RFQ) system on Kraken Pro. The initiative addresses a key gap in the crypto derivatives landscape, as options represent only a modest portion of overall crypto trading volume today.