Coinbase could reportedly acquire crypto derivatives market Deribit for $5B

Coinbase Global Inc. is in talks to buy cryptocurrency derivatives startup Deribit, Bloomberg reported today.

It’s believed the deal could mark one of the crypto industry’s largest-ever acquisitions if it goes through. Rumors that Deribit may be sold first emerged in January. At the time, sources told Bloomberg that the company could be valued at between $4 billion and $5 billion.

Publicly-traded Coinbase operates the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S. Users can buy and sell hundreds of thousands of virtual assets, as well as manage them with a digital wallet provided by the company. Coinbase also offers other products for consumers, including a debit card with a crypto rewards program.

For financial institutions, the company provides a prime brokerage service. It’s a set of technology products that investors can use to carry out complicated cryptocurrency trades. The offering also provides access to other resources, including cryptocurrency loans that customers can use to finance their investments.

Alongside its core product portfolio, Coinbase operates a Bermuda-based platform that enables users outside the U.S. to trade crypto derivatives. A derivative is a financial instrument that derives its value from another asset. Acquiring Deribit would significantly grow this part of Coinbase’s business.

Founded in the Netherlands about a decade ago, Deribit operates a platform for trading crypto derivatives. It places particular emphasis on options. An option is a derivative that gives its owner the right to buy or sell a virtual asset at a future date.

According to Bloomberg, Deribit processes more transactions that involve Bitcoin and Ether options than any other crypto exchange. It also supports other derivatives such as futures. Across all the financial instruments that it processes, Deribit’s trading volume nearly doubled in 2024 to about $1.2 trillion.

Coinbase’s acquisition discussions with the derivatives specialist are believed to be in an advanced stage. The companies have reportedly disclosed the talks to regulators in Dubai, where Deribit holds a business license. However, Bloomberg’s sources cautioned that the sale may not materialize.

Coinbase regularly makes acquisitions to expand its feature set. In January, the company bought Spindl, a startup with a blockchain-powered advertising platform. It earlier hired the team behind Utopia Labs, which developed a service for processing cryptocurrency payments.

The report that Coinbase could buy Deribit comes a day after Kraken, one of Coinbase’s largest competitors, announced a high-profile acquisition of its own. It agreed to buy a futures exchange called NinjaTrader LLC for $1.5 billion. NinjaTrader competes with Deribit in certain segments of the cryptocurrency market. 

Photo: Coinbase