International Finance Bank LTD

Binary Options

Binary Options

Binary options are a type of financial derivative that provide a fixed payout or no payout at all, depending on the outcome of a yes/no proposition. This proposition is typically whether the price of a particular asset, such as a stock, a commodity, a currency pair or an index, will be above or below a certain amount at a specific time. Hence the term "binary," because there are only two potential outcomes.


Here's how binary option trading works:

  1. Choosing the Market: First, the trader selects the asset they want to trade on. This could be a stock, a currency pair, a commodity, or an index.
  2. Determining the Expiry Time: The trader also needs to determine when the option will expire. This can range from as short as 60 seconds to as long as a few weeks or months, depending on the platform and the specific option.
  3. Deciding the Strike Price: This is the price level that the trader believes the asset will be above or below at the expiration time.
  4. Choosing a Position: If the trader believes the price will be above the strike price at the expiry time, they would buy a "call" option. If they believe it will be below, they would buy a "put" option.
  5. Placing the Trade: Once the trader has made these decisions, they can place the trade. The cost of the option is the premium, which is determined by factors such as the asset price, strike price, time to expiry, and market volatility.
  6. Outcome: If the trader is correct, they receive a predetermined payout, which is usually expressed as a percentage of the premium. If they are incorrect, they lose the premium they paid.


The simplicity of binary options – you simply need to decide whether the asset price will go up or down – makes them attractive to some traders. However, they are very risky instruments and have been associated with negativd activities in the past, leading to regulatory warnings and in some cases even bans. The all-or-nothing nature of the payout structure means that losing trades can result in significant losses. As such, it's important to understand the risks before trading binary options.