Derive.xyz Review 2026: Pros, Cons, & Features

Derive.xyz Overview

What Is Derive.xyz?

Derive.xyz is the largest onchain options exchange in DeFi.

It lets you trade options contracts straight out of your self-custody wallet, without handing your funds over to a centralized exchange.

Derive started life as Lyra, an options protocol built on Ethereum Layer 2, Optimism. Over time, it grew into a full onchain trading platform that now supports options, perpetuals, spot trading, lending, and structured products – all in one place.

Options trading used to only happen on centralized platforms like Deribit.

These platforms offer speed and liquidity, but you have to trust the exchange with your money and accept limited transparency around risk.

Derive flips that setup by keeping margin, risk checks, and settlement all onchain – but it still feels super fast and responsive.

Kind of like Hyperliquid, but for options contracts.

Everything on Derive runs through a single margin account. That means your positions can offset each other, instead of each trade being isolated.

You can avoid tying up extra capital, since your positions from one part of the platform can fund your activity on another.

As DeFi gets more institutions involved, Derive is aiming to be the key place for them to trade.

This means white-glove support if you’re a big fish trying to get into onchain options and perpetual swaps.

It’s not beginner-friendly by any means, but you’re already comfortable with options basics, Derive is a great place to get a CEX-like performance onchain.

Derive.xyz Key Features

• Trade straight from your wallet: Just connect a wallet, add collateral, and start trading. There are no accounts to create, no KYC, and no risk of the exchange reusing your funds for anything else.
• Smarter cross-margin: All your positions sit in one cross-margin account, so they can offset each other. That usually means you need way less collateral to run the same strategies.
• Fast, CEX-like trading: Trades feel instant, with orders are matched off-chain for speed. They’re then settled onchain, so everything stays transparent and self-custodial.
• RFQ for big or complex trades: If you’re trading size or building multi-leg strategies, you can request private quotes instead of using the public orderbook. Avoid slippage and keep your trades from swaying the market.
• Institutional custody options: Funds and desks can trade using setups with Fireblocks, Copper, Anchorage MPC, or restricted WalletConnect flows, depending on their custody needs.
• Flexible collateral: You’re not locked into one asset. You can deposit 18+ different assets including $BTC, $ETH, or other ERC-20s as collateral – and even mix assets across strategies.
• More than just options: On top of options contracts, you can trade perpetual swaps, use structured products, lend or borrow, and run volatility-based strategies.
• Hands-on support for institutions: Big time traders can get direct help with onboarding, execution, and custom technical setups – instead of being left to figure it out alone.

Derive.xyz Fees

Derive.xyz keeps fees pretty simple with the usual maker/taker model across perpetual swaps and options.

Even though everything settles onchain, gas fees are barely noticeable thanks to its custom Optimism stack setup.

Institutional Incentives

There are also some incentives for institutions.

If they trade more or add liquidity, they pay less in fees – sometimes even getting rebates. On top of that, active traders can earn extra rewards in $USDC, $OP, and $DRV.

Our Expert Review of Derive.xyz

Let me be clear up front… Derive is NOT a beginner’s platform.

While I remember Lyra originally having a fairly simple interface, Derive has grown into a full-on advanced options trading setup that’s clearly built for experienced traders.

If you don’t already understand options basics – stuff like strikes, expiries, volatility, and margin – you’ll most likely find it overwhelming as hell.

This isn’t a place to learn from scratch.

Getting started with Derive.xyz

To get started with Derive, just head to the app and connect a Web3 wallet with funds in it.

Since this is a DeFi platform, there are no accounts or logins – your wallet is your account.

The app opens straight into the $ETH options screen, which feels a bit abrupt at first, I thought. But it makes sense, given that’s what most people are there for.

From there, you connect your wallet and agree to the terms.

It’s worth noting that Derive is not available in certain regions, including the US and Australia, and there’s a full list of restricted countries in their terms.

Once you’re in, you can deposit funds.

Derive supports 18+ different collateral types, including $USDC, $USDT, $BTC, $ETH, $HYPE, and more.

I deposited 100 USDC to test things out and enable gasless, instant trading.

The platform says deposits can take 5–10 minutes to finalize, but mine showed up in about 2 minutes, which was faster than expected.

What You Get on Derive

Derive gives you a real options trading setup without handing your funds over to an exchange.

You pick an asset like $ETH or $BTC, choose a strike and expiry, and trade calls or puts with full visibility into prices, volatility, and risk.

Trades feel fast and smooth, with tight spreads and pretty much instant execution.

If you’re trading with size, you can use RFQ to get private quotes instead of moving the market.

Everything runs from one account. You can see your buying power in real time, use portfolio margin so positions offset each other, and even earn yield on collateral that’s just sitting around.

If you’re an advanced trader, you’ll also be happy to know you get full access to Greeks and volatility data – while institutions get custody options and tools built for larger trades.

Making a Trade (Options)

Making an options trade on Derive is pretty straightforward.

All options are European-style and cash-settled, so there’s no drama with exercising your contracts – everything settles automatically at expiry.

Start by choosing the asset and expiry you want, then click directly on the bid or ask at the strike you’re interested in.

As soon as you do, an order panel pops up on the right side of the screen.

That panel is where you fine-tune the trade.

You can choose the order type (limit, stop-limit, take-profit), set your price, and decide how many contracts you want.

It also shows you exactly the details that matter before you click submit: your max cost, margin required, and any fees or $DRV rewards tied to the trade.

The coolest feature here is the payoff chart, at the bottom.

This gives you a visual snapshot of how the trade would perform at different prices at expiry, so you can instantly see your risk and upside without doing the math yourself.

Execution is super quick too – when I bought a put on $ETH, the order filled almost instantly.

Multi-Leg Strategies

What really makes Derive awesome for options traders is how it handles multi-leg strategies – that is, combining more than one type of options contract.

You can select multiple contracts, set the ratio between them, and analyze the combined payoff in one chart automatically.

Strategies like straddles, strangles, and spreads can all be wrapped into a single order, instead of juggling a bunch of separate trades.

RFQs (Request for Quote)

An RFQ is how you trade big or complex options positions on Derive without moving the market.

Instead of putting a big trade on the public orderbook, you can describe the trade you want (size, strikes, expiry, even multiple legs), and market makers send you private prices to choose from.

This is especially useful for spreads, straddles, or large trades that would normally push prices against you.

Everything stays off-screen until you accept a quote, so there’s no slippage or guesswork.

The best part is, it’s all still fully onchain and self-custodial. You keep control of your funds, but get execution that feels like an over-the-counter (OTC) trade desk, rather than a DeFi platform.

Perpetual Swaps and Spot Trading

Options are Derive’s main focus – but they’re not the only thing on offer.

The platform also supports perpetual swap futures trading, letting you trade with up to 15x leverage across 12+ major crypto assets.

This is what unlocks more advanced strategies.

You can combine perps and options in the same account to run strategies like covered calls, protective puts, or gamma scalping – without jumping between different platforms.

That said, Derive’s perps market is still early.

Volume and open interest aren’t yet on par with the big perp-only platforms like Hyperliquid – but it has plenty of room to grow.

Spot trading also exists on Derive, though it’s very new and currently thin on liquidity.

It’s clearly not a main feature yet, but it looks like something that will fill out over time.

Portfolio Tracking

Derive has a clean portfolio page that makes it easy to keep track of everything in one place.

You can see your balances and open positions, along with a simple chart showing how your performance has changed over time.

At a glance, it also shows your total balance, buying power, collateral value, margin usage, and margin type – so you always know where you stand without digging through menus.

Customer Service

Derive.xyz has a solid Help Center with guides, FAQs, and documentation that cover most common questions.

If you’re already familiar with options or onchain trading, you’ll most likely be able to find what you’re looking for here, without needing to reach out.

There’s also an in-app chat with real people on the other end.

When I tested it, I was told replies usually take around 10 minutes, but in reality it took over 24 hours to get a response – so response times might be hit or miss for everyday users.

For institutions, it’s a different story.

Larger traders and funds get white-glove support from Derive, including hands-on onboarding, execution help, and custom integrations.

Who’s Derive.xyz For?

• Experienced traders: People who already trade options or perps and want fast, powerful tools without handing their funds to an exchange.
• Advanced retail traders: Confident crypto traders who want a proper options platform, but still want to stay self-custodial.
• Funds and quant teams: Crypto-native teams running volatility or structured strategies who need deep liquidity, RFQ, and self-custody.

Who’s it Not For?

• Complete beginners: If you’ve never traded options or perps before, this platform will likely feel overwhelming.
• Hands-off traders: People who prefer a fully managed, centralized exchange or don’t want to think about custody and setup.
• Non-crypto-native users: Anyone uncomfortable using wallets or interacting with onchain tools.

Derive.xyz Alternatives

Derive.xyz vs Deribit

Deribit is the heavyweight of crypto options trading – massive volume, deep liquidity, and now backed by Coinbase.

But that comes with full centralization and KYC verification.

Derive.xyz gives up some of that depth for self-custody, no KYC, and fully onchain settlement, so you stay in control of your funds at all times

If liquidity is all that matters, Deribit definitely wins. If control and transparency matter to you more, Derive is the way to go.

Derive.xyz vs Aevo

Aevo and Derive.xyz are both onchain options platforms, built on OP-based Layer 2s. Neither requires KYC.

Aevo is simpler and runs lighter volume, while Derive has deeper liquidity, supports more markets, and is designed to be more efficient and institutional-grade.

Both are still small compared to Deribit, but if you’re a serious options trader onchain, Derive is probably the stronger choice.

Is Derive.xyz Safe to Use?

Derive.xyz is fully self-custodial, which gets rid of a lot of classic centralized exchange risks like frozen withdrawals.

That being said, instead of trusting a company, you’re trusting smart contracts – which shifts the risk, but also makes it far more transparent.

Derive.xyz Founders

Derive.xyz started life as Lyra Finance back in 2021, founded by Nick Forster, Michael Spain, Jake Fitzgerald, and Dom Romanowski.

After surviving multiple market cycles and two full bear markets, Lyra rebranded to Derive – a sign the platform had grown from a DeFi experiment into something more battle-tested and institutional-ready.

The current Derive team mixes real-world options trading experience with serious engineering chops, including time at firms like Susquehanna and Meta.

Derive.xyz Investors and Partners

Derive.xyz raised its first funding back in July 2021, when the project was still called Lyra.

That seed round brought in $3.3 million, led by Framework Ventures and ParaFi Capital, with another 16 investors joining in.

After that, Derive completed two additional funding rounds, though the amounts raised and investor details are unclear.

When it comes to partnerships, in December 2024, Derive partnered with Ethena in a multi-million-dollar deal.

As part of that partnership, $sENA holders received 5% of Derive’s $DRV token supply, and Ethena’s $USDe liquidity was added to Derive’s options, perps, and structured products to make trading more capital-efficient.

Derive.xyz Audits

Derive has had its code audited by Sigma Prime, a well-known Ethereum security firm, with the reports publicly available.

Although these audits don’t make Derive risk-free, they show that the code has been independently reviewed and stress-tested.

Derive has also been live for over five years and hasn’t had a single security or insolvency incident – which counts for a lot in DeFi.

Final Thoughts On Derive.xyz

Derive.xyz gives experienced traders exactly what they want:

Fast trades, powerful options tools, portfolio margin, and the ability to stay in control of their funds.

It does a lot, and it does it well – but that also means it can feel crazy complex if you’re new to options.

If you already know how options and perps work and want a serious, self-custodial trading platform, Derive is probably the best option out there.

If you’re just getting started, though, this probably isn’t the platform for you (yet).

Derive.xyz Frequently Asked Questions