The social trading giant eToro has made a strategic investment in Extended, an on-chain derivatives platform, illustrating the accelerating convergence between traditional brokers and decentralized finance.
This operation is part of a broader trend where established financial players are seeking to integrate DeFi protocols into their offerings. Extended enables the trading of derivative products directly on the blockchain, offering transparency and automation via smart contracts, without a centralized intermediary.
In early July 2026, the global crypto market represents a market capitalization of $2,240 billion, with Bitcoin stable at $61,700 and Ethereum rising to $1,712. The DeFi sector continues to attract institutional attention, despite a still cautious market sentiment (Fear & Greed index at 21/100).
“eToro’s investment in Extended shows that traditional trading platforms do not want to miss the on-chain finance wave,” explains a sector analyst. “Derivatives represent the largest financial market in the world, and their migration to the blockchain is underway.”
Extended positions itself as a next-generation infrastructure for crypto derivatives, combining the liquidity of traditional markets with the programmability of DeFi. The platform notably enables the trading of futures contracts, options, and perpetual swaps, all executed via audited smart contracts.
For eToro, this strategic investment allows it to prepare for the future of online trading, where the boundaries between centralized finance (CeFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) are gradually blurring. The broker thus joins other traditional players like Robinhood, which recently launched its own public blockchain in partnership with dYdX Labs.
The race for DeFi integration among traditional brokers is expected to intensify in the coming months, as the European MiCA regulation comes into effect and provides a clarified framework for this type of activity.
DailyCryptoNews provides information, analysis, and educational content. No published content constitutes investment advice, a financial recommendation, or an incentive to buy or sell an asset.
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