In this thesis our aim is to become familiar with derivative financial instruments, from the simplest options that are traded on the stock exchange and to complex derivative securities that can be found only on the OTC market. The goal is to get to know the place and role of derivative securities in the capital market, more detailed display types of financial derivatives, their advantages and disadvantages, present structure of the derivatives markets, participants in the derivatives markets, their interest in investments in derivative securities and the risks that such investment brings.