Having established derivatives' growing relevance in the Bitcoin ecosystem, we now examine open interest across futures and options contracts to evaluate market leverage buildup.
Both markets have experienced remarkable OI growth over recent years: futures rising from $7.7B to $52.8B, and options expanding from $3.2B to $43.4B. Combined, total derivatives open interest peaked at $114B and remains elevated at ~$96.2B. This sustained expansion reflects significant leverage buildup within the Bitcoin economy, potentially heightening volatile price swing risks.