Internalized Hedging

Context

Internalized hedging, within cryptocurrency, options trading, and financial derivatives, describes a strategy where a market maker or liquidity provider simultaneously executes client orders and hedges their resulting inventory risk internally, without explicitly revealing the hedging activity to external counterparties. This contrasts with traditional hedging, where a separate entity executes the hedge. The practice is prevalent in decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and centralized platforms offering perpetual futures and options on digital assets, where market makers are incentivized to maintain liquidity and manage their exposure to price fluctuations.