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Bitcoin’s Estimated Leverage Ratio on Binance has dropped to 0.152, suggesting a rapid deleveraging across the derivatives market.
Rising tensions between the United States and Iran following joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28 have rattled global markets. Oil prices and risk assets have faced volatility, with investors turning risk-off.
Bitcoin Leverage Reset Points to Risk-Off Shift
CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost noted that rising geopolitical tensions are beginning to influence how investors deploy leverage. Investors typically turn away from risk-taking under uncertain macroeconomic conditions. Bitcoin’s Estimated Leverage Ratio (ELR) on Binance reflects this shift.
The ELR measures how much leverage traders are using in the derivatives market by comparing total futures open interest to the amount of Bitcoin held on exchanges. According to Darkfost, the ratio has fallen from 0.198 to 0.152 since February.
He added that declines of this scale are usually seen following periods of intense volatility and large price swings. During the same time, Bitcoin’s price dropped from roughly $96,000 to about $69,000.
“Such a move tends to create fear among investors, pushing some of them to close their leveraged positions, while others are forced out through liquidations. This process leads to a sharp decline in Open Interest and reflects a broader deleveraging across the derivatives market,” the analyst wrote.
Darkfost added that periods of deleveraging often help the market reset on “healthier foundations.” Reduced leverage lowers systemic risk in the derivatives market. This, in turn, can help stabilize price movements before Bitcoin enters its next directional phase.
When traders rely heavily on borrowed capital, price swings tend to become amplified as liquidations cascade through the derivatives market. As leverage declines, the risk of forced liquidations decreases. This allows price movements to be driven more by organic buying and selling than by highly leveraged positions.
“If the Estimated Leverage Ratio does not start rising again while Bitcoin continues to consolidate, it may indicate that the spot market is taking over as the main driver of price action, helping to stabilize the market,” the analyst added.
Along with the drop in leverage, Bitcoin reserves on derivative exchanges have also declined to their lowest level since late January 2026. This reinforces the broader deleveraging picture.
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Lower reserves may indicate less selling pressure and reduced volatility. Often, moving funds off derivative exchanges signals a preference for spot holdings or self-custody, a more risk-averse approach.
Meanwhile, whale behavior also paints an optimistic picture. On-chain data shared by analyst CW89 on X indicates that large holders’ Bitcoin holdings are increasing again.
After reaching 86k, whales' holdings of $BTC are increasing again.
— CW (@CW8900) March 9, 2026
The 1-year change in total whale holdings is also approaching neutral.
They have almost fully recovered the amount they sold from 123k to 86k. Whales sold high and bought low, and their holdings have only… pic.twitter.com/mOI2aLFpvK
Thus, reduced leverage, shrinking derivative reserves, and whale accumulation highlight a market in transition. Whether that structure translates into a sustained price rally depends on whether spot demand materializes at scale.
For now, President Trump’s remarks have eased some selling pressure in crypto markets. BeInCrypto Markets data showed that Bitcoin appreciated by over 4% in the past 24 hours. At the time of writing, the flagship cryptocurrency was trading at $71,064.
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