A currency option gives you the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a currency pair at a set price (the strike) on or before a set date (expiry). You pay a premium for that right.
Calls and puts
- A EUR/USD call at 1.15 profits if EUR/USD rises well above 1.15 by expiry.
- A EUR/USD put at 1.12 profits if it falls well below 1.12.
- If the option expires worthless, your loss as a buyer is limited to the premium.
Sellers (writers) of options receive the premium but take on potentially large losses – not a place for beginners.
What drives the premium
- Distance of the strike from the current price – options further away are cheaper.
- Time to expiry – more time, more value.
- Implied volatility – the market's expectation of future movement. Before events such as ECB meetings, implied volatility and premiums rise.
- Interest-rate differential between the two currencies.
Where Europeans can trade FX options
- Exchange-traded options, such as options on EUR/USD futures at CME, through multi-asset brokers like Interactive Brokers or Saxo.
- OTC vanilla options offered by some CFD brokers and banks, for example AvaTrade's AvaOptions and Saxo's FX options.
- Banks offer options and structured hedges mainly to businesses.
Binary options are banned for retail clients
Since July 2018, ESMA's measures – made permanent by national regulators – prohibit the marketing, distribution and sale of binary options to retail clients in the EU. The UK has the same ban. Any firm offering you binary options as a European retail client is either operating offshore or illegally. See unregulated and offshore brokers.
When options are useful
- Protecting an investment or future payment in a foreign currency, with a known maximum cost.
- Expressing a view on a large move with limited downside.
- Managing event risk around central-bank decisions.
Options add complexity – volatility, time decay, pricing models – so learn them on paper or a demo before using real money.
This guide is general information, not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Rules change; we review this page regularly and show the date of the last update above. Found an error? Tell us. See our editorial policy.
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