What Deribit is
Deribit is the world's reference exchange for cryptocurrency options, founded in 2016 by brothers John and Marius Jansen in Amsterdam. It offers options, futures and perpetuals on Bitcoin, Ethereum and other assets, with high leverage, and has for years been the venue for most of the global open interest in crypto options. In April 2024 it obtained a conditional VASP licence from Dubai's VARA — the first crypto derivatives exchange to receive one — moving its headquarters there and appointing as CEO Luuk Strijers, with the company since 2019 as Chief Commercial Officer. The corporate turning point came in 2025: Coinbase announced its acquisition in May for around 2.9 billion dollars and completed the deal on 14 August 2025, integrating around 59 billion dollars of open interest and more than a trillion in annual volume. The founders left the company with the acquisition. (Verified: September 2026)
Regulation and licences
- MiCA-CASP: not applicable in the strict sense — derivatives are financial instruments and fall within the MiFID II perimeter, not MiCA. In the EU only those combining CASP and MiFID II authorisation can legally offer leveraged derivatives to retail clients; Deribit as an entity does not appear among them. How access for EU retail clients is handled after the integration into Coinbase (which holds its own MiCA licence) has not been publicly clarified.
- Dubai (VARA): VASP licence for exchange services (spot and derivatives) obtained in conditional form in April 2024; global headquarters moved to Dubai. (Verified: September 2026)
- Ownership: since 14 August 2025 Deribit (Sentillia B.V.) has been wholly owned by Coinbase, a Nasdaq-listed company. (Verified: September 2026)
- It has ceased serving the Russian market in compliance with EU sanctions. (Verified: September 2026)
Security
In November 2022 Deribit suffered a hot wallet attack estimated by industry sources at around 28 million dollars: it covered the loss in full from its own reserves, with no impact on customers, and withdrawals resumed normally. Most funds are historically held in cold storage; with the move into Coinbase, custody falls under the group's safeguards.
Alternatives
- Bybit — derivatives with a regulated European entity
- OKX — a broad crypto derivatives offering
- BitMEX — the pioneer of perpetuals (it has announced closure for September 2026)
FAQ
Is Deribit still an independent company? No. Since 14 August 2025 it has been part of Coinbase, which completed the acquisition announced in May 2025 for around 2.9 billion dollars in cash and shares. (Verified: September 2026)
Who leads Deribit today? The CEO is Luuk Strijers, appointed in April 2024 in place of co-founder John Jansen; the founding brothers John and Marius Jansen — the latter the company's COO — left the company with the acquisition by Coinbase. (Verified: September 2026)
Can an EU user use Deribit? Crypto derivatives in the EU fall under MiFID II: retail access to platforms without European authorisation is limited. Deribit has not publicly clarified how its offering to EU clients stands after the integration into Coinbase.
Verified sources
- https://www.theblock.co/post/366957/coinbase-completes-2-9-billion-cash-and-stock-acquisit
- https://www.coinbase.com/blog/deribit-joins-coinbase-unlocking-the-future-of-global-crypto
- https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/deribit-secures-conditional-dubai-vasp-lice
- https://insights.deribit.com/exchange-updates/deribit-first-derivatives-exchange-to-receiv
TEAM MEMBERS
LEADERSHIP
HQ OF THE DERIBIT
De Lairessestraat, 1071 NV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
CONTACTS OF THE DERIBIT
All images, branding and wording are copyright Deribit. All content on this page is used for informational purposes only. Spaziocrypto has no affiliation or relationship with the company mentioned on this page.
