Six-Figure Bitcoin Price in Sight as BTC Call Options Go Berserk

Bitcoin’s price surged to an intraday high of $79,989 on Monday, August 24, 2026, as futures and options markets saw a sharp increase in open interest and premium levels.

Futures Open Interest Nears $58 Billion

Exchange‑traded Bitcoin futures open interest climbed toward $58 billion, up from roughly $49 billion only days earlier. Binance held the largest share with about 144,050 BTC ($11.51 billion), followed by CME with 125,950 BTC ($10.07 billion). Other notable platforms included MEXC ($5.60 billion), Gate ($4.75 billion) and Bybit ($4.64 billion). Over the prior 24 hours Binance’s open interest rose 5.05 %, CME 3.62 %, MEXC 4.77 % and Bitget 4.62 %. BingX experienced the biggest jump, expanding 103.60 % to $1.16 billion.

Call Options Dominate the Options Market

Calls accounted for 59.37 % of total Bitcoin options open interest, representing 294,641.17 BTC, while puts covered 40.63 % (201,606.44 BTC). In the last 24 hours calls captured 57.50 % of options volume. Total options open interest rose toward $39 billion, up from around $25 billion earlier in the month.

Deribit’s September 25 $70,000 call led open interest with 11,037.4 BTC, and the December 25 $80,000 call held 8,749.3 BTC. Larger strikes at $100,000 and $120,000 also rank among the biggest positions.

Premiums and Call Skew Spike

Call volume on BlackRock’s IBIT spot Bitcoin ETF broke a record with 1.58 million contracts on Wednesday and stayed above one million contracts for the next two sessions. Call skew—a measure of bullish premium relative to downside protection—rose by 0.05 over three days, the largest three‑day increase in at least two years.

Max‑Pain Levels and Near‑Term Outlook

Deribit’s max‑pain price, where the greatest amount of options would expire worthless, sits near $78,000 for the August 25 expiry and slides to about $70,000 for the August 28 expiry. Binance shows comparable levels. The concentration of call buying could support further price gains, but a rapid unwind could reverse the momentum.

With Bitcoin approaching the $80,000 threshold, the market is watching whether the derivatives‑driven buying pressure sustains the rally or dissipates as expirations approach.