Crypto exchange Gemini, founded by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, is expanding in Europe with new Ethereum and Solana staking and derivatives offerings.
Gemini users in the European Economic Area (EEA) can stake Ether (ETH) and Solana (SOL), as well as trade perpetual contracts denominated in Circle’s USDC stablecoin, the company stated on Friday.
The launch follows Gemini’s approval under Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) in Malta in August and its earlier authorization under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) in May.
“Our goal is to be one of the major exchanges in Europe, and now that we have a full suite of products including spot exchange, staking, and perpetuals in the EU from a single interface, we believe that we’re a serious contender,” Gemini’s head of Europe, Mark Jennings, told Cointelegraph.
Derivatives gain traction as spot trading slows
Gemini’s push into derivatives in the EU comes as spot crypto trading — the buying and selling of tokens at current market prices — has been losing steam, particularly to exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
Despite the Bitcoin price rising in 2025, spot trading volumes declined 32% in the first two quarters, netting just $3.6 trillion in Q2, according to the crypto analytics platform TokenInsight. In contrast, crypto derivatives’ volumes netted $20.2 trillion.
“The global derivatives market has exploded in recent months,” Jennings said, adding that the sector is estimated to be worth $23 trillion by the end of 2025.
As crypto adoption grows, there is increasing demand for alternative, risk-managed financial instruments, and derivatives allow users to execute complex strategies to gain long or short exposure to crypto,” he added.
Ethereum staking deposits surge in EU
While crypto derivatives are regulated under the EU’s MiFID II, staking is regulated indirectly under the MiCA framework, which entered into full force in late 2024.
MiCA has driven significant growth in institutional staking activity in Europe, with EU staking participation surging by 39% in 2025, while non-EU staking growth remained at 22%, according to a study by CoinLaw in June.
“Staking is becoming increasingly popular in Europe,” Jennings said, citing CoinLaw’s data that Ethereum staking deposits in the EU surged by 28% in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching $90 billion in total staked ETH.
“Gemini Staking is available to retail and institutional investors, but we believe that it will be popular amongst sophisticated, professional retail investors who are looking to put their crypto funds to use and earn passive income from a single, integrated, centralized exchange,” the exec noted.
Gemini’s staking and derivatives launch in the EU came days after the exchange officially filed a Form S-1 for an initial public offering in the US. The company expects to sell 16.67 million shares priced between $17 and $19 per share, to raise up to $317 million.
Last month, Gemini launched the Gemini Wallet, a new self-custodial smart wallet. The wallet eliminates common user hurdles by removing the need for seed phrases or app downloads, offering gas-free transactions and free ENS subdomains.
