Crypto Options Exchange Deribit Attracting Takeover Interest: Report

Deribit, renowned as one of the largest exchanges to trade options in the crypto industry, is attracting interest from investors. According to a Bloomberg report citing anonymous sources, the trading platform has already named a financial adviser to help pick the best deal. While Deribit has been in the market for an M&A prospect, it has not officially confirmed it is up for sale. 

The Deribit Attractiveness as an Exchange

Per the Bloomberg Report, the crypto exchange is working with Financial Technology Partners LLC to negotiate the deal. Initially, the trading firm onboarded Financial Technology Partners to advise in its secondary stock sale proposal for current investors. Per the sources, the adviser’s role has expanded to include the whole firm.

Concerning the demand for anonymity, the sources have not disclosed the potential firms that have tendered an offer yet. However, Kraken Exchange once showed interest in the platform, though it did not materialize. 

The Bloomberg report noted that Deribit has an estimated $4 to $5 billion valuation. This is a fair valuation for an exchange that controls about $1.2 trillion in options, futures, and spot trading volume in 2024.

Deribit is an exchange with a diverse client base and enthusiastic community. The firm’s certified investors or corporate traders are managed by its Deribit FZE in Dubai. Meanwhile, retail investors can access the exchange’s outfit in Panama. Overall, the Deribit parent company is registered in the Netherlands.

Crypto Mergers and Acquisitions

Given the incoming Donald Trump administration, the prospects of regulatory clarity in the United States have fueled optimism for M&A activities. Complemented by the Markets In Crypto Assets (MiCA) regulation, the ecosystem now has clarity in compliance demands.

According to data from Architect Partners, M&A engagements crossed the $1.2 billion valuation. This figure outshines the $400 million recorded in the same period in 2023. The optimism in the market also sparked Moonpay and Helio acquisition talks in December 2024.

The Moonpay deal finally closed this week for $175 million. Besides Moonpay, Chainalysis also acquired security startup Alterya to bolster its foothold in the blockchain intelligence world.

Expectation From Donald Trump

Crypto investors expect a major turnaround in the United States digital assets ecosystem per policy considerations. With the President-elect’s pro-crypto stance, he has appointed a Crypto Czar, David Sacks, to help shape policy in the industry.

Some of the President’s nominations to key positions are also pro-crypto, hinting that his second term in office may not be business as usual. In an unusual move, David Sacks is set to host the first Crypto Ball in the White House.