01 · Executive summary
What changed across the BTC volatility surface.
Front-end ATM IV decreased, averaging -0.33 volatility points across 1W, 2W and 1M.
Long-dated ATM IV increased, averaging +0.15 volatility points across 6M and 1Y.
RR25 was broadly unchanged, averaging -0.02 volatility points across the six headline tenors.
BF25 was broadly unchanged, averaging +0.02 volatility points across the six headline tenors.
The largest standard-tenor ATM IV move was -0.50 volatility points at 2W.
Universe roll: added 16MAY26; removed 12MAY26. Comparisons use common expiries only.
02 · Standard-tenor ranking
Largest surface events
Largest eligible smile rotation
15MAY26, +1.49 vol ptsLargest standard-tenor ATM IV move
2W, -0.50 vol ptsLargest eligible SVI sigma move
29MAY26, -0.3116 paramLargest standard-tenor BF25 move
2W, +0.17 vol ptsLargest standard-tenor RR25 move
3M, +0.16 vol ptsLargest eligible SVI rho move
26MAR27, -0.0921 param03 · ATM volatility
Standard-tenor ATM implied volatility.
| Tenor | Current (vol %) | Previous (vol %) | Change (vol pts) | Relative change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1W | 35.00 | 35.34 | -0.34 vol pts | -0.96% |
| 2W | 35.29 | 35.79 | -0.50 vol pts | -1.40% |
| 1M | 36.79 | 36.94 | -0.15 vol pts | -0.41% |
| 3M | 39.19 | 39.18 | +0.01 vol pts | +0.03% |
| 6M | 42.24 | 42.11 | +0.13 vol pts | +0.31% |
| 9M | 43.87 | 43.72 | +0.15 vol pts | +0.34% |
| 1Y | 44.61 | 44.43 | +0.18 vol pts | +0.41% |
04 · Risk reversals
RR25 skew moved most at 3M.
RR25 was broadly unchanged, averaging -0.02 volatility points across the six headline tenors. Negative RR25 denotes a richer 25-delta put wing under the call-minus-put convention.
| Tenor | Current (vol %) | Previous (vol %) | Change (vol pts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1W | -2.41 | -2.34 | -0.07 vol pts |
| 2W | -2.98 | -2.83 | -0.15 vol pts |
| 1M | -3.43 | -3.29 | -0.14 vol pts |
| 3M | -3.73 | -3.89 | +0.16 vol pts |
| 6M | -4.06 | -4.01 | -0.05 vol pts |
| 9M | -3.92 | -3.96 | +0.04 vol pts |
| 1Y | -3.71 | -3.84 | +0.13 vol pts |
05 · Butterflies
BF25 convexity changed most at 2W.
BF25 was broadly unchanged, averaging +0.02 volatility points across the six headline tenors. BF25 measures the average 25-delta wing premium over ATM IV.
| Tenor | Current (vol %) | Previous (vol %) | Change (vol pts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1W | 1.43 | 1.34 | +0.09 vol pts |
| 2W | 1.64 | 1.47 | +0.17 vol pts |
| 1M | 1.93 | 1.87 | +0.06 vol pts |
| 3M | 1.99 | 2.01 | -0.02 vol pts |
| 6M | 2.32 | 2.45 | -0.13 vol pts |
| 9M | 2.34 | 2.46 | -0.12 vol pts |
| 1Y | 2.29 | 2.36 | -0.07 vol pts |
06 · Expiry effects
Near-settlement moves, shown with context.
Contracts with fewer than 2 full days to expiry remain in the tables but are excluded from headline rankings. Settlement proximity, time decay, changing liquidity and fewer quotes can exaggerate their changes.
Smile rotation
13MAY26, -16.95 vol ptsSmile rotation
14MAY26, -4.76 vol pts07 · Volatility term structure
Today against the previous 24-hour snapshot.
The ATM chart above is the standard-tenor term structure. The listed-expiry table below preserves the exchange maturity detail underneath those interpolated tenors.
| Expiry | Time left | Forward now (USD) | Forward change (USD) | ATM IV now | ATM IV change | RR25 change | BF25 change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13MAY26Expiry effect | 0.3 days | 80,494.02 | -1237.82 USD | 26.64% | -5.54 vol pts | -1.83 vol pts | -0.97 vol pts |
| 14MAY26Expiry effect | 1.3 days | 80,510.7 | -1225.43 USD | 31.02% | -3.07 vol pts | -0.88 vol pts | -0.28 vol pts |
| 15MAY26 | 2.3 days | 80,512.56 | -1245.42 USD | 35.29% | +0.10 vol pts | +0.20 vol pts | +0.20 vol pts |
| 22MAY26 | 9.3 days | 80,530.79 | -1234.35 USD | 34.96% | -0.43 vol pts | +0.10 vol pts | +0.10 vol pts |
| 29MAY26 | 16.3 days | 80,551.6 | -1232.85 USD | 35.39% | -0.62 vol pts | -0.19 vol pts | +0.15 vol pts |
| 26JUN26 | 44.3 days | 80,676.35 | -1235.61 USD | 37.32% | -0.04 vol pts | -0.08 vol pts | -0.02 vol pts |
| 31JUL26 | 79.3 days | 80,859.16 | -1207.18 USD | 38.65% | -0.06 vol pts | +0.26 vol pts | -0.02 vol pts |
| 25SEP26 | 135.3 days | 81,225.7 | -1254.69 USD | 40.37% | +0.04 vol pts | -0.04 vol pts | -0.02 vol pts |
| 25DEC26 | 226.3 days | 81,970.44 | -1259.14 USD | 43.26% | +0.12 vol pts | -0.05 vol pts | -0.17 vol pts |
| 26MAR27 | 317.3 days | 82,656.88 | -1272.57 USD | 44.28% | +0.16 vol pts | +0.09 vol pts | -0.09 vol pts |
08 · Smile movement
Reconstructed SVI smiles for every common expiry.
Each overlay uses the stored five-parameter SVI fit and the snapshot-specific time to expiry. Ultra-short expiries are displayed but do not determine the headline ranking.
Surface movement heatmap
Each cell is the fitted IV change in volatility points. Rows are listed expiries; columns run from the put wing through ATM to the call wing.
09 · SVI diagnostics
Daily movement in a, b, rho, m and sigma.
Among ranking-eligible expiries, the largest absolute rho change occurred at 26MAR27; the largest sigma change occurred at 29MAY26.
| Expiry | Δ a | Δ b | Δ rho | Δ m | Δ sigma | Smile classification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13MAY26 | +0.01980 | -0.04830 | -0.18830 | -0.09620 | +0.08160 | rotation towards puts, wing steepening |
| 14MAY26 | +0.02580 | -0.02960 | -0.03520 | -0.00780 | -0.11620 | rotation towards puts, wing steepening |
| 15MAY26 | +0.02130 | -0.01250 | +0.05990 | +0.02920 | -0.13860 | rotation towards calls, wing steepening |
| 22MAY26 | +0.05650 | -0.02770 | +0.07590 | +0.02100 | -0.26880 | rotation towards calls, wing steepening |
| 29MAY26 | +0.07660 | -0.03370 | +0.08610 | +0.02110 | -0.31160 | wing steepening |
| 26JUN26 | +0.00530 | -0.00410 | -0.01430 | -0.01260 | -0.00470 | limited movement |
| 31JUL26 | -0.00030 | +0.00140 | -0.04290 | -0.06100 | +0.00040 | limited movement |
| 25SEP26 | -0.00030 | -0.00160 | -0.00160 | -0.00090 | +0.00680 | parallel shift higher |
| 25DEC26 | -0.00070 | -0.01000 | -0.04160 | -0.04140 | +0.04810 | parallel shift higher |
| 26MAR27 | -0.00100 | -0.00680 | -0.09210 | -0.12260 | +0.04810 | parallel shift higher |
10 · Current surface characteristics
Where normalized model Greek intensity is highest.
These are comparable Black-forward Greeks for a one-BTC ATM-forward call at each listed expiry—not portfolio exposure, open interest or a prediction of dealer positioning.
11 · Methodology and provenance
Generated from measured Derivasys surface data.
- Current snapshot
- 12 May 2026, 23:59 UTC
- Comparison snapshot
- 11 May 2026, 23:59 UTC
- Source
- Derivasys proprietary historical SVI surface database
- Comparison window
- Nearest successful surface snapshots approximately 24 hours apart
- RR convention
- 25-delta call IV minus 25-delta put IV
- BF convention
- Average 25-delta wing IV minus ATM forward IV
- Fixed tenors
- Fixed-tenor measures are interpolated independently at 1W, 2W, 1M, 3M, 6M, 9M and 1Y; headline rankings prioritise 1W, 2W, 1M, 3M, 6M and 1Y.
- Smile reconstruction
- Listed-expiry smiles are reconstructed from stored SVI total-variance parameters on a fixed log-moneyness grid.
- Ultra-short expiries
- Expiries with fewer than 2 full days remaining stay in detailed tables but are excluded from headline rankings. Settlement proximity, time decay, changing liquidity and fewer quotes can exaggerate their changes.
- Greek normalization
- Black forward Greeks for a normalized one-BTC ATM-forward call, zero rate, fitted SVI IV
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