State and Prospects of Using the Сryptocurrency Derivatives

The emergence and rapid development of the cryptocurrency market necessitated its organization and legal regulation. Today in Ukraine, businesses are allowed to record cryptocurrency as a financial asset (financial instrument / intangible asset), so cryptocurrency can be used by businesses and individuals as an investment. In developed countries, where the legal framework for the operation of cryptocurrencies has been created, new derivative financial instruments are emerging: Bitcoin futures and options on Bitcoin futures. The purpose of the article is to study the features of derivative financial instruments for cryptocurrencies and prospects for their use in Ukraine. The authors analyzed the peculiarities of the functioning of Bitcoin derivatives on Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). It has been established that both Bitcoin futures and options on Bitcoin futures are settlement contracts without the actual delivery of the underlying asset, and their value is formed depending on the spot prices for bitcoin. According to the results of the study, it can be argued that derivatives based on cryptocurrencies (bitcoin) are used mainly for speculative purposes, are highly volatile and high risk, require significant investment to participate in trading (compared to derivatives on traditional financial instruments) and do not involve any transactions with direct cryptocurrencies. Domestic legislation does not explicitly prohibit investments in cryptocurrencies and financial instruments derived from them, but does not determine the legal status of cryptocurrencies. National financial market regulators do not provide any guidance on valuation, accounting and cryptocurrency transactions to businesses, but only warn of the high risks of investing in cryptocurrencies.