Bitget has made a significant stride in the cryptocurrency exchange landscape by launching US stock options trading on its platform, marking it as the first major crypto exchange to offer such services alongside its extensive range of crypto offerings. Announced on July 3, the new feature is part of Bitget’s Stock+ suite, which includes tokenized stocks, pre-IPO private market access, and a variety of CFD products covering gold, forex, commodities, and indices.
The newly introduced product allows eligible users to engage in single-leg long call and long put strategies. This means that traders can use call options to adopt a bullish stance on US-listed stocks, while put options can be utilized to express a bearish position or to hedge existing market exposures. The risks for buyers are limited to the premiums paid for the options, though it is important to note that contracts may expire worthless if the anticipated price movements do not occur.
This launch aligns with a growing trend in the use of listed options, with the US options market reportedly processing over 15.2 billion contracts in 2025, averaging around 60 million contracts per trading day. Both retail and institutional investors have increasingly turned to options trading for various strategic reasons, including directional exposures, portfolio hedging, and capital management.
Currently, the functionality of Bitget’s options trading is limited to single-leg buying as the exchange continues to develop the necessary infrastructure for more complex strategies, such as multi-leg options including spreads and straddles. To celebrate the launch, eligible users who execute their first US stock options trade might receive $15 worth of NVIDIA stock, subject to specific campaign terms and availability based on region.
Bitget’s initiative positions it ahead of notable competitors like Binance and OKX, which, despite expanding their traditional finance offerings, have yet to incorporate US stock options into their primary product lineup. The exchange’s strategy has evolved significantly since the introduction of Stocks 2.0 earlier this year, establishing Bitget as a robust platform for accessing regulated US equity markets, which now include tokenized stocks, pre-IPO access, and listed options.
Gracy Chen, the CEO of Bitget, emphasized the importance of this launch as part of a broader convergence strategy. “From tokenized stocks to now options, we are executing on convergence,” Chen said. “This is innovation crypto was born to push. Our products provide advanced trading access to stocks, gold, crypto, and worldwide assets.”
As crypto exchanges increasingly aim to diversify into universal trading venues, the success of such offerings will depend on whether the demand from crypto-native users translates into significant options trading activity. Additionally, the evolving regulatory landscape in key markets will play a crucial role in shaping the scalability and sustainability of this new product.
