Binance has added U.S. stock and ETF options to its platform for users outside the United States, extending its push into traditional financial products. The offering is being provided through Nest Trading Limited, Binance’s regulated Abu Dhabi entity, in partnership with U.S.-licensed broker Alpaca Securities.
According to ABMedia, the service covers options linked to more than 1,000 U.S. stocks and ETFs. The article says this is not a tokenized equity product or a crypto perpetual contract. Orders are routed into the standard U.S. listed options market.
How the product works
Although the trading interface sits inside a crypto app, the underlying structure follows the rules of the U.S. options market.
- The underlying instruments are conventional securities options. All orders are sent through Alpaca into the U.S. options market, and the contract size is standardized at 1 contract for 100 shares of the underlying stock.
- Settlement is based on physical delivery. If a contract is held to expiry and exercised, it does not settle in stablecoins. The underlying stock is delivered instead.
- Trading hours follow the regular U.S. equity session. Orders and matching are available only from 09:30 to 16:00 Eastern Time, not on a 24/7 basis.
- Only the buy side is currently supported. Users can open Long Call and Long Put positions, while Short Call, Short Put, Covered Call, and other strategies that require dynamic margin coverage are not available.
NVDA example cited by the source
ABMedia says one of the best-known strategies associated with former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s family is the use of deep in-the-money LEAPS calls as a synthetic stock exposure strategy. The article argues that this approach can be highly capital-efficient on Binance’s new U.S. stock options offering.
It gives an NVDA example with the following contract details:
- Contract: NVDA Call @ 180
- Expiry: 20270917
- Latest premium: $69.30 per share
- Current spot price: $229.62
Since one U.S. options contract represents 100 shares, opening the position would cost $6,930 in premium.
Using the figures in the article, the intrinsic value is $229.62 minus $180, or $49.62 per share, equal to $4,962 per contract. The time value is $69.30 minus $49.62, or $19.68 per share, which comes to $1,968 per contract.
The breakeven price is listed as $249.30. ABMedia says that if the position is held until the September 2027 expiry and the holder plans to exercise into shares, NVDA only needs to rise to about $249.28 for the trade to begin generating a net profit. That would be about a 9.1% increase from the current spot price cited in the article.
Capital efficiency and leverage
The article compares the options trade with buying 100 NVDA shares outright. At the quoted spot price, purchasing the stock directly would require about $22,962. Using the call contract instead would require $6,930, or roughly 30% of the cash needed for the stock position, translating to about 3.3x effective leverage.
ABMedia also notes that, unlike futures or margin financing, a long options buyer has a maximum loss capped at the premium paid, in this case $6,930. As long as the contract duration is long enough, the holder does not face margin calls or forced liquidation during the life of the trade.
Binance versus traditional brokerages
The article compares Binance’s Alpaca channel with traditional overseas brokerages such as Firstrade and Interactive Brokers.
| Category | Binance via Alpaca | Traditional U.S. brokers |
|---|---|---|
| Market access | Standard U.S. listed options market with NBBO quotes | Standard U.S. listed options market with NBBO quotes |
| Contract size | 1 contract = 100 shares | 1 contract = 100 shares |
| Funding | Instant transfers using crypto stablecoins | International bank wire transfers |
| Strategy support | Buy-side single-leg only | Full multi-leg strategies including spreads, straddles, and strangles |
| Short option permissions | Not supported | Supported depending on account margin level |
ABMedia says Binance’s main advantage is the mobility of funds between crypto holdings and U.S. equity derivatives. The article points to the higher cost and slower deposit-withdrawal cycle of cross-border bank wires as a longstanding friction point in traditional brokerage access.
At the same time, the current product remains limited. The source says Binance only permits buy-side trades, which narrows the range of strategies available. It also states that investors cannot sell the option before expiration to lock in gains or close the position.
For users who are used to crypto volatility, hold stablecoins, and want limited-risk exposure to large-cap U.S. equities, ABMedia describes the new options product as a tool that may be worth trying.