Currency Option is a contract that grants the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell currency at a specified exchange rate during a specified period of time. For this right, a premium is paid to the broker, which will vary depending on the number of contracts purchased. Currency options are one of the best ways for corporations or individuals to hedge against adverse movements in exchange rates.A Currency option (also FX, or FOREX option) is a financial product called a derivative where the value is based off an underlying instrument, which in this case is a foreign currency. FX options are call or put options that give the buyer the right (not the obligation) to buy (call) or sell (put) a currency pair at the agreed strike price on the stated expiration date.
FOREX option trading was initially conducted only by large institutions where fund managers, portfolio managers and corporate treasurers would offload risk by hedging their currency exposure in the FX option market. However, currency options are now very popular amounst retail investors as electronic trading and market access is now so widely available.
The FX options market is the deepest, largest and most liquid market for options of any kind in the world. Most of the FX option volume is traded OTC and is lightly regulated, but a fraction is traded on exchanges like the International Securities Exchange, Philadelphia Stock Exchange, or the Chicago Mercantile Exchange for options on futures contracts.