According to a study by the CoinGlass analytical platform, the trading volume of cryptocurrency derivatives in the first half of 2026 decreased by 15.7 percent year-on-year, amounting to $35.08 trillion. Experts attribute this decrease to a decrease in the number of short-term speculative transactions and the general caution of investors in the face of macroeconomic uncertainty. The total volume of liquidations of traders' positions during the specified period reached 73.35 billion dollars, while long positions accounted for 62.2 percent of the recorded losses. The maximum volatility was observed in June, when the volume of forced closing of positions exceeded $ 16 billion, reflecting the high sensitivity of the market to external economic shocks.

In the structure of the distribution of market shares, the Binance exchange holds the absolute leadership, providing 26.6 percent of the total trading volume in cryptocurrencies, which is equivalent to 9.34 trillion dollars. It is followed by the OKX, Bybit, MEXC and Gate platforms, consolidating a significant part of the market liquidity. It is noteworthy that the largest crypto exchanges are actively diversifying their product lines by integrating traditional finance tools. Binance accounted for more than 55 percent of the total volume of perpetual contracts for stocks, commodities and currencies, indicating a gradual blurring of the boundaries between classical and digital financial markets.

In parallel with the cooling of the derivatives market, institutional investors showed restraint in the segment of spot exchange-traded funds. The net outflow of capital from bitcoin ETFs amounted to 5.4 billion dollars, and from ether funds - 1.48 billion dollars, which led to a significant reduction in assets under management. At the corporate level, Strategy, the largest bitcoin holder, despite the overall increase in its portfolio, made spot sales of the asset at the end of the second quarter to finance its preferred stock obligations. Analysts emphasize that such dynamics have formed against the background of geopolitical tensions and rising energy prices, which temporarily changed the priorities of capital allocation in favor of more conservative instruments.

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