Deriv at 25: Taking Fixed-Odds Trading to the Masses

Deriv, one of the world’s biggest online trading platforms, has reached its 25th birthday.

Its history can be traced back to 1999 when Jean-Yves Sireau, the group’s Paris-born founder and CEO, laid the groundwork for the world’s first fixed-odds trading service. 

Fast forward a quarter of a century and the business employs somewhere in the region of 1,350 people based in 22 offices across 16 countries, and can boast an impressive turnover to date of US$15 trillion. 

Around the world, more than 2.5 million customers are using Deriv’s award-winning platform and services – backing up its pledge to “make trading accessible to anyone, anywhere”.

Trading for everyone 

As is still the case, Deriv was founded just prior to the Millennium with the aim of giving everyone – regardless of their experience – the chance to trade freely and at will. 

Back then the company was called Regent Markets Group, before a subsequent rebrand to Binary.com and, finally, Deriv.com. 

Sireau had realised in his late-20s there was little to no opportunity for retail investors to invest in the fixed-odds trade and saw a gap in the market for the creation of a dedicated platform. Together, he and his team built the necessary systems and algorithms, and Deriv was born. 

Deriv in its current form offers CFDs and other derivatives on forex, stocks and indices, cryptocurrencies, commodities and derived indices to its registered users across the globe.

There remains an emphasis on breaking free of the “high commissions and clunky products” of traditional brokers, but these days there is, understandably, a focus on digitally-inclined traders and ensuring they are delivered a world-class experience. 

At the heart of Deriv’s company culture is its four core values, which are as follows:

• Integrity: We serve our customers with fairness and transparency. We settle all contracts by the book and speak plainly and truthfully.
• Customer focus: We put the customer first and strive to build products that deliver the best customer experience.
• Competence: We value colleagues with the ability to use good judgement and an aptitude to learn and grow.
• Teamwork: We value team players that collaborate freely across departments with humility and ambition.

Deriv: A Great Place to Work

Plaudits earned by Deriv in recent years suggest the organisation is taking a people-first approach and prioritising the wellbeing of employees. 

Deriv was certified as a Great Place to Work in 2023, achieving an overall score of 88% which saw it surpass many industry peers.

The company has also received Platinum accreditation from Investors in People and been named a Best Workplace for Women in Paraguay and the UAE. 

From a sustainability perspective, Deriv announced an intensified commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from its Cyprus office, beginning with the donation and planting of more than 2,000 saplings in the Palodia region, Limassol, with plans to plant 3,000 more. 

“Our environmental efforts are intertwined with our team’s milestones,” said Sireau at the time.

“By combining ecological responsibility with employee recognition, we’re nurturing a culture of sustainability that extends beyond our company.”

Over the past 12 months, Deriv’s CSR programme ‘Deriv Life’, has been responsible for several significant initiatives, including sponsoring a prosthetic limb for Malaysia’s youngest elephant amputee. 

These actions have reinforced Deriv’s dedication to CSR as a core aspect of its identity and mission.

******

Check out the latest edition of FinTech Magazine and sign up to our global conference series – FinTech LIVE 2024. 

******

FinTech Magazine is a BizClik brand.