Deribit: licences, security, fees and reviews

Centralized exchange

In short

Legal entity: Deribit FZE, Dubai World Trade Centre, commercial licence L-2994
Fees: Futures maker: 0.015% (1.5 bps) at the Standard tier, perpetuals and futures (as of 31 October 2026)
Risks and caveats: Derivatives are leveraged: a client can lose all assets deposited, and positions may be liquidated without prior notice when margin falls short.
Checked: 31 October 2026

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Key facts

Type: Centralized exchange
Exchange launched: 2016
Country of registration: United Arab Emirates
Operator: Deribit FZE (Dubai); clients may also be onboarded with DRB Panama Inc.; part of Coinbase since August 2025
Official site: deribit.com

Key facts checked on 31 October 2026 against official sources and regulator registers.

What is Deribit

Deribit is a centralised crypto derivatives exchange specialising in options, futures and perpetuals, launched in June 2016 as a bitcoin-only platform. It is operated by Deribit FZE, licensed by Dubai's VARA, and has been part of Coinbase since August 2025. It also offers spot markets.

Good to know

Clients face one of two legal entities: Deribit FZE in Dubai, or DRB Panama Inc. The account's legal page shows which one applies. ↗
DRB Panama Inc. describes itself as an unregulated broker that routes client orders to the exchange run by Deribit FZE. ↗
The VARA licence covers crypto-to-crypto activity only: no fiat deposits, withdrawals or transactions. ↗
The platform is closed to US, Canadian and Japanese residents, among others; UK retail clients are not accepted, and UAE and Panama retail clients may trade spot only. ↗
Since the Coinbase acquisition, former institutional Coinbase International Exchange accounts are migrated to Deribit's matching engine. ↗
Session profits can only be withdrawn after the daily settlement at 08:00 UTC, because of the socialised-loss system. ↗
Some spot pairs are routed to Coinbase Exchange and charged fees; pairs on Deribit's own spot book are charged 0%. ↗

Services

Services — Deribit
Parameter	Details
Derivatives	Inverse BTC and ETH options, futures and perpetuals; USDC-settled options, perpetuals and futures on several altcoins; DVOL volatility futures.
Spot trading	Spot markets, including some yield-bearing assets and gold.
Margin	Standard margin and portfolio margin models.
Custody / wallet	Exchange custody plus off-exchange and third-party custody options for institutional clients.
Fiat deposits	Not offered: accounts are funded in crypto such as BTC, ETH or USDC.

Licences and registrations

Licences and registrations — Deribit
Jurisdiction	Entity	Licence / registration	Regulator
United Arab Emirates (Dubai)	Deribit FZE	VASP Licence VL/23/12/002: Exchange Services (including exchange-traded derivatives) and Broker-Dealer Services; issued 1 November 2024; status Active	Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA)
Panama	DRB Panama Inc.	Unregulated broker (company statement); no licence	—

Security and audits

Most client assets are held in cold wallets with offline signing; only a small balance sits in a hot wallet for withdrawals.
Cold-wallet custody uses Fireblocks self-custody and third-party custodians including Coinbase Custody Trust Company, Zodia Custody, BitGo Bank & Trust and Fidelity Digital Assets.
Client virtual assets are kept in wallets separate from Deribit's own.
Deribit reports ISO 27001 (October 2023), SOC 2 Type II (November 2024) and CCSS Level III certifications.
An insurance fund covers bankrupt traders' negative equity; Deribit states that no socialised loss event has occurred.

Fees

Fees — Deribit
Parameter	Details
Futures maker	0.015% (1.5 bps) at the Standard tier, perpetuals and futures (as of 31 October 2026)
Futures taker	0.035% (3.5 bps) at the Standard tier, perpetuals and futures (as of 31 October 2026)
Options	0.03% of the underlying for maker and taker, capped at 12.5% of the option premium, Standard tier (as of 31 October 2026)
Spot maker	0% on Deribit's own spot book; 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker on pairs routed to Coinbase Exchange, Standard tier (as of 31 October 2026)
Deposits	Free (third parties may charge their own fees) (as of 31 October 2026)
Withdrawals	Varies by coin and network conditions; shown on each withdrawal page (as of 31 October 2026)

Who can use it

Verification: Identity verification (KYC) is required before any deposit, withdrawal or trading.
Not available in the US and US territories, Canada, Japan, Belarus, Russia, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Syria, Myanmar, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, CAR, Congo and occupied Ukrainian regions; no UK retail; UAE and Panama retail: spot only.

History

History — Deribit
Date	Event
2014	Founders John and Marius Jansen start the project.
June 2016	Deribit launches as a bitcoin-only trading platform.
October 2023	Deribit receives ISO 27001 certification.
1 November 2024	VARA's register shows the Deribit FZE VASP licence issued.
8 May 2025	Deribit announces an agreement to be acquired by Coinbase.
13 August 2025	Coinbase closes the acquisition; Deribit becomes part of Coinbase.

Risks and caveats

Derivatives are leveraged: a client can lose all assets deposited, and positions may be liquidated without prior notice when margin falls short.
Clients onboarded with DRB Panama Inc. deal with an entity that states it is unregulated.
If the insurance fund were ever depleted, losses would be socialised among winning traders for that day.
Not available to residents of the United States, Canada, Japan and several other countries; no fiat on- or off-ramp.

About the company

Legal entity: Deribit FZE, Dubai World Trade Centre, commercial licence L-2994
Legal entity: DRB Panama Inc., Panama City (broker entity)
Parent company: Coinbase (acquisition closed in August 2025)
Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates (originally founded in the Netherlands)
Founders: John Jansen and Marius Jansen
CEO: Luuk Strijers

Official links

Website: www.deribit.com
Fees: support.deribit.com/hc/en-us/articles/25944746248989-Fees
Licences: support.deribit.com/hc/en-us/articles/25944499603357-Regulation-And-Governance
Terms of use: support.deribit.com/hc/en-us/articles/25944471089437-Terms-of-Service-DRB-Panama-Inc
Security: support.deribit.com/hc/en-us/articles/25944737947805-Certifications
Blog: insights.deribit.com

Questions and answers

Is Deribit regulated?

Deribit FZE holds a VASP licence from Dubai's VARA (VL/23/12/002) for exchange, including exchange-traded derivatives, and broker-dealer services. DRB Panama Inc., the other client-facing entity, states it is unregulated.

Who owns Deribit?

Coinbase. The acquisition was announced on 8 May 2025 and closed in August 2025.

What are Deribit's fees?

At the Standard tier, perpetuals and futures cost 0.015% maker and 0.035% taker, and options 0.03% capped at 12.5% of the premium (as of 31 October 2026). Deposits are free.

Is Deribit available in the US or the UK?

No for the US. UK retail clients are not accepted; Canada and Japan are also restricted.

Does Deribit publish proof of reserves?

No proof-of-reserves report was found on Deribit's official pages; Deribit describes cold-wallet custody, asset segregation and an insurance fund.

Sources

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Page updated: 2026-10-31