Learn Derivatives with CFI

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value is linked to the value of an underlying asset. They are complex financial instruments with a wide variety of purposes, including hedging and getting access to additional assets or markets. Whether you’re completely new to capital markets or a seasoned professional, understanding complex financial instruments like derivatives is vital to your career.

Explore derivatives courses

Explore derivatives resources

Start Learning For Free

What's Available

Derivatives are powerful tools in the financial system, but they carry risk and must be understood to leverage them effectively. Mastering derivatives is important for students and finance professionals looking to build careers in capital markets. CFI's derivatives courses are 100% online and self-paced. Using proprietary technology and leading instructors, CFI promotes the ideal learning environment for real-world skills and retention.

World-class courses

Consisting of over 630 lessons

Interactive exercises

Learn by doing with guided simulations

Expert instructors

Learn from the very best

New courses monthly

On need-to-know subject matter

Blockchain certificate

To verify your skills

500,000+ 5-star ratings

Best-in-class training, as rated by you

Start Your Derivatives Learning Path

Ranging from beginner courses to advanced courses and case studies, derivatives courses at CFI develop the full range of skills to prepare for a career in capital markets, such as investment banking, treasury, sales and trading, and more. Many derivatives courses are required for CFI’s Capital Markets & Securities Analyst (CMSA)® Program, which teaches strategies used in the finance and capital markets industries.

Top Derivatives Courses

Browse all courses

Discover Free Derivatives Resources

Fed Put

November 22, 2023

CFI Team

Inflation Swap

November 22, 2023

CFI Team

Call Warrant

November 21, 2023

CFI Team

Equity Futures Contract

November 22, 2023

CFI Team

Fixed Income Forward Contract

February 20, 2024

CFI Team

Quant Fund

December 10, 2023

CFI Team

Interest Rate Derivatives (IRD)

November 22, 2023

CFI Team

Index Option

November 22, 2023

CFI Team

Implied Rate

November 22, 2023

CFI Team

Interest Rate Options

November 22, 2023

CFI Team

Interest Rate Collar

November 22, 2023

CFI Team

Interest Rate Call Option

November 22, 2023

CFI Team

See all derivatives resources

Why Learn Derivatives with CFI?

Created with the guidance of professional Wall Street trainers with over 20 years of experience training new hires at investment firms, CFI’s courses are designed for success in finance careers. Courses blend theory with real-world application to build valuable skill sets for finance professionals.

Using innovative design and a fully online format, the courses at CFI give learners the flexibility to build their skill sets anywhere, at any time, and prepare for a career on their own schedule and pace.

With our derivatives courses, you will learn:

About futures and forwards and how they work

About options and how we use them in the markets

About swaps and their uses

How professional traders use derivatives to express their views on the markets

How to hedge exposures using derivatives

The theories and models traders use to price and value derivatives

How to spot arbitrage opportunities between derivatives and their underlying assets

Who is professional derivatives training for?

CFI’s derivatives courses cover basic, intermediate, and advanced topics to help both students and professionals develop skills to prepare for careers in investing and trading, sales, and other finance disciplines.

Investment professionals

Management consultants

Financial analysts

Registered provider: National Association of State Boards of Accountancy

All courses are accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), CPA Institutions in Canada, and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) in the US. Most courses qualify for verified CPE credits for CPA charter holders.

Courses include video lessons, quizzes, and final assessments.

Frequently asked questions

What is a derivative in finance?

A derivative is a contract between two or more parties whose value is based on underlying financial assets like commodities, currencies, bonds, interest rates, or stocks. Derivatives take the form of futures, forwards, swaps, and options, and are used to either mitigate or assume risk.

What is a derivative market?

Most derivatives are traded over-the-counter (OTC). Some contracts, including options and futures, are traded on specialized exchanges. The biggest derivative exchanges include the CME Group (Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Chicago Board of Trade), the Korea Exchange, and Eurex.

What are futures and forwards?

Futures and forwards are financial contracts that obligate the buyers of the contract to purchase an asset at a pre-agreed price on a specified time in the future. The seller of the contract is obligated to sell or deliver an asset at a pre-agreed price on a specified time in the future. Both forwards and futures are essentially the same in their nature, with a few nuances in flexibility.

What are options?

Options give buyers the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset for an agreed-upon price on an agreed-upon date. Call and put options are the bases for a range of options strategies for hedging and speculation.

What are swaps?

A swap is a derivative contract that involves two parties exchanging cash flows or liabilities from two different financial instruments. Swaps typically involve cash flows based on loans or bonds. The most popular types of swaps are interest rate swaps, commodity swaps, and currency swaps.