Deribit and SignalPlus Close 2025 Trading Competition with $23B+ in Cumulative Notional Volume
Dubai, Dubai, January 5th, 2026, Chainwire
SignalPlus, a crypto options trading platform, and Deribit, a crypto derivatives exchange, have announced the conclusion of the 2025 Deribit x SignalPlus Trading Competition (Space Edition). The event concluded a year in which the competition series generated over USD 24 billion in cumulative notional trading volume, reflecting increased participation from both institutional and retail users in the crypto derivatives market.
The trajectory of the Deribit x SignalPlus partnership reflects rapid adoption and scaling. The competition series has evolved from generating USD 1 billion of volume in November 2023 to reaching USD 8 billion during Winter 2024 and finishing strong with cumulative volumes exceeding USD 23 billion in 2025. (“Summer Chase” & Winter’s “Space Edition”).
The approximate 3x year-over-year increase was achieved despite challenging market conditions and volatile sentiment, showcasing the rising role of options as a critical trading instrument in the investor toolkit. To support user participation, the competition incorporated more than ten gameplay formats, including features such as live perpetual quick battles and deposit-based missions. The event also included prize incentives such as Tesla vehicles and Unitree robots, contributing to ongoing trader engagement throughout the competition period.
This growth story is underscored by the resilience of the derivatives market, despite significant 2H market headwinds and the infamous 10/10 crash, which wiped out USD 19 billion in open interest market-wide. The event, along with other initiatives throughout the year, saw active participation from the broader community.
Key Highlights & Record Milestones
- Record Participation: Active traders reached more than 586, covering a wide gamut of both professional and retail traders.
- Peak Engagement: Daily active users (DAU) hit a new high of 391, despite ongoing market turbulence.
- Capital Inflow: An influx of USD 79 million in new competition-specific deposits further validates the trust traders place in the Deribit-SignalPlus infrastructure.
“I think what makes this different is the level of effort from both the team and the entire community. The feedback has been very positive. Strategy orders, RFQs, and the willingness to explore untried and untested approaches to profitability within this community have been exceptionally strong. From a P&L perspective, many participants performed well despite the decline in the underlying market,” said Luuk Strijers, CEO of Deribit.
“We congratulate all participants on a highly successful competition. Options play a critical role in helping traders manage risk and navigate volatility with more controlled downside exposure, which is essential for long-term participation in crypto markets. This competition showcased the growing sophistication of the trading community and reinforced our commitment at SignalPlus to providing institutional-grade tools that empower traders worldwide.” said Chris Yu, Co-Founder and CEO of SignalPlus.
Building skills alongside competition
Organizers emphasized that beyond prizes, the event doubled as an educational experience. Traders were provided with risk-management tools, analytics, and webinars to sharpen their strategies.
“We have done these competitions with SignalPlus during different market conditions since 2023 and have been successful each time. Our participants and community resonate strongly with the many challenges that we set up for them. It’s incredible how they rise to the situation and deliver,” said Sidrah Fariq, Head of Retail at Deribit.
As Bitcoin and Ethereum increasingly secure their positions in mainstream asset allocation portfolios, crypto options and perpetuals are evolving from mere speculation tools into essential risk-management infrastructure. Deribit and SignalPlus plan to continue their initiatives in 2026, including hosting additional trading competitions and launching collaborations focused on options education and automated strategy development, aimed at supporting traders navigating the evolving digital asset landscape.
About Deribit
Deribit is a centralized, institutional-grade crypto derivatives exchange for options and futures trading. With state-of-the-art infrastructure, Deribit offers instantaneous price discovery, low-latency trading, advanced risk mitigation services, and deep liquidity through a network of top-tier market makers. Led by a team with decades of experience in options trading across all markets, Deribit facilitates a significant majority of all crypto options trading and adheres to robust proof of assets and liabilities procedures to ensure the highest standards.
Disclaimer: Deribit FZE is licensed by the VARA to provide Virtual Asset Exchange Services and does service retail clients for derivatives. DRB Panama Inc. is not regulated and services both retail and non-retail clients. Virtual Assets are subject to extreme market volatility, involve a high degree of risk, and can lose value, in part or in full.
About SignalPlus
SignalPlus provides a world-class options trading dashboard that covers risk tracking, profit/loss attribution, strike and theta analysis. Users can execute multi-legged orders with embedded algorithms to minimize slippage and conduct in-depth profit/loss and exposure assessments using simulation tools and scenario analysis. SignalPlus also automates delta hedging across varying market conditions and offers real-time trade notifications through Telegram, empowering traders with the insights and tools needed for successful trading.