According to a report by Binance Research's analytical division, the trading volume of perpetual contracts for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) exceeded $116 billion in the first seven months of 2026. The platform's share in this segment reached 74 percent by July, which indicates the formation of sustainable market leadership. At the beginning of the year, the weekly turnover of these instruments was minimal, but by the middle of the year it had increased to $30 billion, and the average monthly growth rate was 170 percent. Such financial instruments provide investors with the opportunity to gain exposure to a basket of stocks without the need to purchase a fund directly and regardless of the opening hours of traditional trading platforms.

The SOXL fund became the leader in trading volume, providing three times daily leverage on the semiconductor sector index, followed by instruments focused on the South Korean market, such as KORU and EWY. Analysts identify two main reasons for the high popularity of these assets. Firstly, users of the platform actively use leverage, with about 73 percent of their stock portfolio concentrated in the technology sector, where turnover significantly exceeds that of other categories. Secondly, the round-the-clock pricing of perpetual contracts compensates for the difference in time zones. For example, Korean stocks are traded during the opening hours of the American stock exchanges, which practically do not overlap with the Asian session, and access to local futures is limited. As a result, the turnover of the derivative instrument on KORU in July exceeded the trading volume of the underlying fund itself.

Despite the impressive growth rates, the perpetual contracts for exchange-traded funds segment still accounts for less than one percent of the total global ETF market. Trading in traditional funds in the first half of the year exceeded $40 trillion in notional volume, an increase of 50 percent compared to the same period last year. If the share of cryptocurrency derivatives increases to 10 percent of this figure in the future, the monthly turnover will grow to about $ 780 billion, and when it reaches 20 percent, it may exceed $ 1.56 trillion. Thus, the integration of traditional financial instruments into the infrastructure of cryptocurrency exchanges is at an early stage, but demonstrates significant potential for further expansion.

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The material has been prepared solely for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice or recommendation.