Gold-i Brings Onchain Options To Brokers As DeFi Liquidity Moves Into MT4 And MT5

Gold-i is moving deeper into DeFi connectivity with the integration of Derive.xyz into MatrixNET, giving brokers, prop trading firms and fund managers access to onchain options liquidity through trading platforms including MT4, MT5, DXtrade and CLEO.

The integration matters because it gives traditional brokerage infrastructure a route into one of the most difficult crypto derivatives markets to access: onchain options. Gold-i said Derive accounts for about 90% of onchain options volume and has processed more than $27 billion in cumulative volume. That remains small compared with centralized crypto options activity, but it is large enough to make onchain options a practical liquidity category rather than a theoretical DeFi product.

The move follows Gold-i’s recent integration with Hyperliquid, the decentralized exchange focused on perpetual futures and spot crypto trading. Taken together, the two integrations suggest that MatrixNET is becoming a bridge between traditional broker infrastructure and DeFi venues, rather than only a liquidity management platform for FX, CFDs and centralized crypto exchanges.

Gold-i Adds Derive After Hyperliquid Integration

Gold-i said the Derive integration gives its client base access to onchain options liquidity through MatrixNET, its multi-asset liquidity management and distribution platform. The company’s clients include brokers, fund managers, prop trading firms, liquidity providers, exchanges and crypto institutions.

MatrixNET is integrated with more than 80 liquidity providers and 35 crypto exchanges, according to Gold-i. The company also says the platform offers sub-2 millisecond latency and supports routing, aggregation, risk management and liquidity distribution across multiple asset classes.

For brokers, the practical point is access. Most CFD and FX brokers do not have the internal infrastructure, risk expertise or venue relationships required to offer crypto options directly. Options require a different risk framework from spot crypto or perpetual futures, especially around volatility, margin, expiry management and multi-leg execution.

By integrating Derive into MatrixNET, Gold-i gives brokers a way to access a specialized options venue through infrastructure they may already use. That does not remove the risk and product-design questions, but it lowers the operational barrier.

Nick Forster, CEO at Derive.xyz, commented, “Being the first options protocol integrated into MatrixNET is a meaningful milestone; it signals that institutional infrastructure is taking onchain derivatives seriously. More importantly, it opens a door that wasn’t there before. Institutional users of MatrixNET can now access Derive’s onchain options liquidity directly, without friction. TradFi and onchain are converging, and this integration is exactly the bridge we always knew was coming.”

Tom Higgins, CEO at Gold-i, said Derive currently handles about 90% of onchain options volume. He added, “Integrating Derive into MatrixNET aligns perfectly with our strategy of connecting clients to the best liquidity venues across both TradFi and DeFi.”

Why Onchain Options Matter For Brokers

Crypto options remain a concentrated market. Deribit, now owned by Coinbase after a $2.9 billion acquisition agreement announced in 2025, says it handled $1.875 trillion in traded volume in 2025 and holds more than 85% crypto options market share. That shows the scale gap between centralized and onchain crypto options.

That gap is exactly why Gold-i’s integration is interesting. Derive is not competing with Deribit on total volume. It is competing on market structure. Derive offers self-custodial options, perpetual futures and structured products across BTC, ETH, HYPE and other assets, with portfolio margining, RFQ block trading, cross-asset collateral and DeFi-native transparency.

For brokers, the operator question is not whether onchain options already rival centralized options. They do not. The question is whether onchain options are becoming accessible enough to become a new product category for sophisticated clients.

That could matter for several reasons.

• Brokers can test crypto options demand without building a full options venue.
• Prop firms and funds can access volatility products through existing liquidity infrastructure.
• Crypto-native clients gain a route into structured volatility trading through broker-facing systems.
• Liquidity bridges can become the distribution layer for DeFi venues that lack direct broker relationships.

This is not a mass-market retail product. Onchain options are complex, volatile and operationally different from spot crypto or CFDs. But for brokers serving experienced traders, fund managers and prop desks, the ability to offer access to volatility products could become a differentiator.

Derive Versus Deribit Shows The Real Market Gap

The comparison with Deribit is unavoidable. Deribit dominates centralized crypto options and has become one of the most valuable pieces of crypto market infrastructure. Coinbase’s move to acquire Deribit was widely read as a bet that crypto options will become a larger institutional market.

Derive sits on the other side of that trade. It is attempting to bring options, perps and structured products onchain while maintaining professional trading functionality. Its $27 billion cumulative volume shows that the market exists, but the scale remains early compared with centralized options venues.

That creates a useful signal for brokers. Onchain options are not yet a mainstream brokerage revenue line. But they are no longer irrelevant. A venue with 90% of onchain options share, $27 billion in cumulative activity and institutional tooling is large enough to be monitored by broker technology providers.

The real commercial opportunity may not be immediate retail options trading. It may be institutional access, hedging workflows, volatility strategies and structured product experimentation for professional clients already active in crypto markets.

Gold-i’s role is therefore less about promoting one DeFi venue and more about distribution. If brokers can access onchain liquidity through familiar systems, DeFi venues gain reach and brokers gain optionality.

Gold-i Is Building A DeFi Connectivity Layer

The Derive integration should be read alongside Gold-i’s Hyperliquid integration. Hyperliquid gave MatrixNET users access to DeFi perpetual futures and spot crypto liquidity. Derive adds onchain options.

That sequence matters. It suggests Gold-i is not treating DeFi integrations as isolated experiments. It is building a broader connectivity layer across decentralized venues that can be consumed by brokers through traditional infrastructure.

For years, the broker technology stack was divided into familiar categories: bridge, liquidity aggregation, risk management, platform connectivity and reporting. DeFi venues sat mostly outside that architecture. Brokers could access centralized crypto exchanges, but connecting directly to onchain markets remained operationally difficult.

MatrixNET now appears to be moving into that gap. If Gold-i can normalize access to DeFi venues through broker-ready infrastructure, it may benefit from a market shift where brokers want exposure to onchain liquidity without becoming DeFi infrastructure companies themselves.

The broker use case is clear. A broker may want to offer crypto derivatives exposure, test new liquidity sources, serve professional crypto traders or support fund-manager clients without managing wallets, direct protocol integrations, routing logic and monitoring across multiple DeFi venues.

That is where liquidity infrastructure vendors can capture value.

What Brokers Should Actually Consider

The integration creates opportunity, but it also raises questions brokers should answer before treating onchain options as a product expansion.

The first question is client suitability. Onchain options are not simple products. Brokers need to know whether their client base understands volatility, expiry, margin and liquidation dynamics. A broker that adds access without education and controls may create support, compliance and reputational risk.

The second question is risk model fit. Options do not behave like spot crypto or perpetual CFDs. They require better tooling around Greeks, volatility, exposure concentration, expiry risk and collateral. Brokers should not assume that existing CFD risk teams can manage options flows without additional expertise.

The third question is commercial structure. Onchain options may help brokers attract sophisticated traders, but the revenue model is not automatic. Brokers need to consider whether they monetize through spread, commission, access fees, institutional packages or broader client retention.

The fourth question is custody and counterparty design. Derive is self-custodial and DeFi-native, while brokers operate under different operational and regulatory expectations. The way access is structured will matter.

The fifth question is liquidity depth. Derive’s market share in onchain options is strong, but onchain options volumes remain much smaller than centralized options markets. Brokers should assess which products have enough depth for actual client demand rather than assuming all listed markets are usable.

For sophisticated brokers, the correct response is not immediate product rollout. It is structured testing. A sensible approach would be to start with professional clients, limited instruments, clear margin rules, transparent risk warnings and internal monitoring of execution quality.

Onchain Derivatives Are Moving Into Broker Workflows

The broader trend is clear. DeFi venues increasingly need distribution. Brokers increasingly need new products and alternative liquidity sources. Infrastructure providers sit between both sides.

Gold-i’s MatrixNET already connects clients to dozens of liquidity providers and crypto exchanges. Adding Hyperliquid and Derive extends that architecture into DeFi derivatives, first through perpetual futures and now through options.

That does not mean DeFi will replace centralized venues. Deribit remains dominant in crypto options. Centralized exchanges still provide scale, support and familiar institutional workflows. But onchain markets now offer enough liquidity and transparency to become part of the conversation for brokers serving more advanced clients.

The next stage will depend on adoption. If brokers use the Derive integration only as a niche institutional route, the market remains specialized. If they package onchain options into broader crypto derivatives offerings, it could become a new product layer for higher-value clients.

Either way, the integration shows that DeFi liquidity is no longer sitting entirely outside brokerage infrastructure. It is being routed, aggregated and distributed through the same systems brokers already use to access FX, CFDs and centralized crypto markets.

Infographic: Gold-i, Derive And The Onchain Options Opportunity