Over $13.26B Bitcoin and Ethereum Options Will Expire in 10 Days – 5 Key Reasons to Stay Optimistic

Key Points

• $11.3 billion in Bitcoin options and $1.96 billion in Ethereum options expire on March 28.
• BTC trades above $81,000 and ETH is priced above $1,800, amidst market volatility.

About two hours ago, Deribit shared a significant Bitcoin and Ethereum options expiry alert set for ten days from now.

BTC and ETH are currently experiencing volatility ahead of tomorrow’s FOMC meeting but there are a few reasons for which the market should maintain optimism.

Bitcoin and Ethereum Options Expiry Alert

In a post on X, Deribit noted that on February 28, over $13.2 billion in BTC and ETH options are set to expire.

Approximately $11.3 billion in BTC options will expire with a Max Pain Point of $85,000. Also, around $1.96 billion in ETH options will expire with a Max Pain Point of $2,500.

The significant options expiry could trigger increased volatility in the market.

📢 2025 Q1 Options Expiry Alert 📢

In just 10 days, a massive ~$13.2B in options is set to expire on Deribit. $BTC : $11.3B notional | Max Pain: $85K $ETH : $1.96B notional | Max Pain: $2.5K

With low put/call ratios and heavy OI at key strikes, will volatility ramp up into… pic.twitter.com/wVmnh4RahE

— Deribit (@DeribitOfficial) March 18, 2025

It’s worth noting that the Max Pain price is higher compared to the current prices of the digital assets.

Today, the crypto market is also experiencing volatility with both Bitcoin and Ethereum prices dropping in the past 2 hours.

Bitcoin is Trading Above $81,000

At the moment of writing this article, BTC is trading above $81,000 down by almost 2% in the past 24 hours.

BTC price in USD today

Today, BTC price dropped earlier from above $83,000 continuing a sharper decline in the past hour.

Yesterday, CryptoQuant’s CEO, Ki Young Ju, also expressed a bearish stance, saying that Bitcoin’s bull market is over and he’s expecting 6 to 12 months of bearish price action.

Traditional stocks also experienced a drop today, and The Kobeissi Letter revealed that the Nasdaq 100 extended its decline to over 315 points, amidst geopolitical tension rise and trade war worries. They noted that the S&P 500 is now down by 80 points from its high which was seen minutes before the close yesterday.

BREAKING: The Nasdaq 100 extends its decline to over -315 points on the day as geopolitical tensions rise and trade war worries mount.

The S&P 500 is now down -80 points from its high seen just minutes before the close yesterday. pic.twitter.com/urgSl0U9Fz

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) March 18, 2025

Ethereum also recorded a price drop in the past hour.

Ethereum Trades Above $1,800

At the moment of writing this article, ETH is trading at $1,880, down by 0.6% in the past 24 hours.

ETH price in USD today

Today, the ETH price dropped from earlier levels above $1,900.

However, despite increased volatility, the crypto market maintains optimism due to more reasons.

5 Key Reasons to Maintain Optimism

1. Bitcoin Whale Accumulation

Earlier, CryptoQuant revealed that since November 2024, Bitcoin whales have collectively acquired over 1 million BTC and their accumulation pace has accelerated notably in recent weeks, accumulating 200,000 BTC just during March.

The Surge of New Bitcoin Whales

“Since November 2024, these wallets have collectively acquired over 1 million BTC… Their accumulation pace has accelerated notably in recent weeks, accumulating more than 200,000 BTC just this month.” – By @0nchained pic.twitter.com/jVsFPjY8WA

— CryptoQuant.com (@cryptoquant_com) March 18, 2025

2. Bitcoin ETFs Resume Inflows

Also, it’s worth noting that BTC ETFs recorded inflows again following a longer period of outflows, according to SoSoValue data. On March 17, BTC ETFs recorded inflows of over $274 million.

SoSoValue

3. Companies and Institutions Continue Investing in BTC

Also, companies like Strategy₿ continue to buy more BTC, launching new products to use the offering proceeds to acquire additional BTC.

4. The BITCOIN Act in the US to Become Law

Another bullish reason to remain optimistic is that the latest reports reveal that Congressman Nick Begich said that the likelihood of passing The BITCOIN Act of buying 1 million BTC over the next 5 years is growing.

He’s a long-term Bitcoin holder who believes in Americans’ right to self custody their BTC and understands the importance of BTC as a strategic reserve asset for the US.

The legislation for The BITCOIN Act was introduced on March 14 in the US, and it’s expected to be codified into law .

5. Global Bitcoin Adoption Intensifies

Apart from these reasons, global Bitcoin and crypto adoption continues – we recently highlighted that Russia is using BTC and crypto in oil trades with India and China to bypass the Western Sanctions.

Also, Europe is implementing clearer MiCA regulations which will promote easier crypto adoption.

So, regardless of the current market volatility ahead of tomorrow’s FOMC meeting and the upcoming significant options expiry, there are plenty of reasons to remain optimistic.