The Story of John Jansen and Deribit’s Rise in Crypto

• John Jansen founded Deribit, transforming crypto derivatives trading with innovative futures and options offerings.
• Facing regulatory challenges, John Jansen relocated Deribit to Panama in 2020 to maintain flexibility and continue its growth.

Imagine a man who began his career as a market maker on the Amsterdam stock exchange and later built one of the world’s largest crypto derivatives trading platforms. That is Deribit founder and CEO John Jansen. He is someone who has long understood risk and calculation, not a quick billionaire who stumbled onto success in the crypto space.

John first began his profession in the late 1990s, concentrating on stock options. But the financial scene was changing, and he wanted not to be behind. John entered the internet business, managing many enterprises when e-commerce started to flourish in the early 2000s. But everything changed in 2012 after he learned about Bitcoin.

“I considered it as the Wild West of finance,” John remarked in an old interview. Still, that added to make it intriguing.

From a Vision to Reality: The Birth of Deribit

John noted a larger discrepancy than many others who just bought and kept Bitcoin. Back then, there were few crypto trading sites and none particularly provided derivatives with a strong foundation. Why not crypto if the stock market can feature instruments like options and futures?

It was here that the concept originated. He began working on a derivatives trading platform idea in 2014, which finally turned out to be Deribit. The trip was difficult.

Derivatives trading’s infrastructure demanded a more complicated system than standard spot trading. Furthermore, during that period, the sector lacked many successful models.

But John was not one to give up readily. Deribit was officially released in June 2016, two years of development later. The platform drew the attention of professional players who sought to exploit the volatility of the crypto market with more advanced techniques fast, thanks to Bitcoin options and futures trading capabilities.

Turning Crisis into Trust: A Bold Leadership Move

As the boss of Deribit, John had to face various challenges. One of the most difficult moments occurred in October 2019 when a technical error caused the price of Bitcoin to plummet on the Deribit platform, causing many traders to suffer huge losses.

John and his team made a quick decision: to replace all the funds lost due to the error. The amount was not small, reaching around $ 1.3 million.

“We have to take responsibility since we know it was our fault at the time.” John remarked. Many people even more trust Deribit as a fair and open platform because of this decision.

Still, the difficulties continued from there. Early in 2020, especially in Europe, regulatory demands grew. John and his group had to decide whether to stay with the risk of stricter rules or go to a territory more hospitable to crypto companies.

At last, they agreed to relocate Deribit’s activities to Panama in February 2020. This action was regarded as a wise one to keep company adaptability.

John Jansen: A Visionary in Crypto Derivatives

John is still among the primary players in crypto futures trading in the middle of an ever-shifting sector. He revolutionized the way traders engage with the market in addition to laying a platform. Although many rivals have surfaced, Deribit stays one of the leaders in this industry.

What makes him special? Perhaps because he is someone who really knows the trade world, not just a businessman seeking a short profit. John Jansen is an illustration of how bravery and creativity may open the path for success from the stock market to the crypto revolution.

Now, given the maturing crypto industry, John Jansen’s next issue is: where else will Deribit be taken? Based on past performance, the response is probably farther ahead.