The exchange today announced the launch of Equity Perps, a new derivatives product. It lets traders gain exposure to major U.S. stocks and equity indices using cryptocurrency as collateral.
The move highlights how crypto platforms are steadily blending with traditional finance.
What Are Equity Perps and Why They Matter
Equity Perps are cash settled perpetual swap contracts. In simple terms, they are trading instruments that follow the price of a stock or index without an expiry date. Instead of owning shares of Apple or tracking the S&P 500 directly, traders speculate on price moves through a contract.
Like BitMEX’s well known crypto perpetuals, Equity Perps rely on a funding rate. This small periodic payment helps keep the contract price close to the real market price. Traders can go long if they believe prices will rise or short if they expect a drop, with leverage of up to 20x. Bitcoin or Tether can be used as margin, removing the need for traditional brokerage accounts or fiat rails.
The key difference is availability. These contracts trade 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even when U.S. stock markets are closed.
24/7 Access Meets Traditional Markets
At launch, BitMEX supports Equity Perps linked to widely followed names and benchmarks, including Amazon, Apple, Coinbase, Nvidia, Tesla, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq. During U.S. market hours, prices closely track live equity data. Outside those hours, pricing is supported by tokenized spot prices from multiple venues.
A real world example helps illustrate the appeal. Imagine a trader in Asia reacting to an earnings report from a U.S. tech giant released after the closing bell. Instead of waiting for the next trading day, they can adjust their position immediately using Equity Perps.
BitMEX applies a maker rebate of 2.5 basis points and a taker fee of 7.5 basis points on these products, with funding exchanged every eight hours. Corporate actions like stock splits trigger early settlement to keep contracts fair and transparent.
A Measured Expansion Beyond Crypto
BitMEX CEO Stephan Lutz says Equity Perps allow traders to access U.S. equities flexibly while maintaining the reliability that BitMEX provides. That reliability matters. Since launch, BitMEX reports no loss of customer funds due to hacks and continues to publish proof of reserves and liabilities twice weekly.
To celebrate the launch, BitMEX is offering a 70,000 USDT prize pool for eligible users who trade Equity Perps. This promotion gives both new and experienced traders an extra incentive to explore the new contracts while earning rewards. Alongside the prize pool, BitMEX continues to provide maker rebates on all Equity Perps trades, making it more cost effective for traders to enter and exit positions.
Disclaimer
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