Unified accounts and traditional trading models: Why is flexibility important?

Unified accounts are an integrated trading system that supports seamless trading across multiple methods such as spot trading, margin trading, perpetual contracts, futures, and options within a single account. Compared to traditional models that require frequent transfers between multiple accounts, this design significantly reduces trading complexity.

Core Competitive Advantages Analysis

Enhanced Capital Utilization Efficiency

Under the unified account framework, profits and losses generated in different markets can offset each other. For example, if you profit $1,000 in the spot market and lose $800 in futures, the system will automatically settle P&L, resulting in a net settlement of only $200. This mechanism allows every dollar of capital to be used to its maximum potential.

Convenience of Multi-Currency Trading

In traditional methods, users need to manually transfer assets between different accounts to participate in multi-currency spot and derivatives trading. Unified accounts eliminate this barrier, allowing users to manage multiple currencies and various position types within a single interface simultaneously.

Systematic Risk Management

Margin requirements are no longer calculated based on isolated positions but are dynamically adjusted according to the overall risk exposure of the entire account. This makes complex hedging strategies and cross-market arbitrage feasible.

Margin Mode System Details

Trading platforms typically offer four margin modes to meet different needs:

Basic Mode

Enabled by default for new users, this mode does not support margin trading functions. Suitable for beginners to familiarize themselves with the platform basics.

Single-Currency Margin Mode

Margin is concentrated within a single currency. All positions of the same currency share a common margin pool, allowing profits to offset losses, but different currencies are independent of each other.

Multi-Currency Margin Mode

Allows margin and risk compensation across multiple currencies. The available margin comes from the combined value of all held currencies, offering the highest flexibility.

Portfolio Margin Mode

Designed specifically for derivatives trading. Margin for derivatives positions of the same index can offset each other—for example, Ethereum perpetual contracts and Ethereum futures can hedge risks.

Isolated Margin Mode System

Within the variants of single-currency isolation, multi-currency isolation, and portfolio isolation, each position’s risk is calculated separately and isolated from others. This is suitable for conservative traders who want to control the risk exposure of individual positions.

Practical Differences Brought by Unified Accounts

Trading Flexibility

Traditional models restrict users to a single type of trading, with spot and contract accounts separated, leading to frequent asset transfers, time costs, and fee losses. Unified accounts realize true “one account for all,” enabling users to freely switch between spot, margin, futures, etc., as needed, without interrupting trading or waiting for transfer confirmations.

Capital Efficiency Comparison

In traditional methods, users must reserve sufficient margin for each trading type, resulting in large amounts of idle capital. The cross-product P&L offset mechanism of unified accounts significantly reduces the total margin required, allowing users to leverage less capital for larger trading volumes.

Risk Control Dimension

Margin requirements in unified accounts are based on the overall risk of the entire account rather than individual positions. This encourages users to adopt more balanced investment portfolios, especially when executing advanced hedging strategies.

Quick Start Guide

Account Mode Switching Steps

1. Enter the trading function module
2. Click the menu icon in the top right corner
3. Select “Settings” or “Preferences”
4. Find the “Account Mode” or “Account Type” option
5. Choose the desired mode from available options and confirm

Operational Tips

• Some account modes may require passing relevant knowledge tests before enabling
• Mode switching is not possible if there are open orders or positions; all must be closed or canceled first
• After switching, data and position information from the previous mode will still be retained for reference

Unified accounts represent an upgrade to trading infrastructure, simplifying operational processes and optimizing capital allocation, providing significant convenience for active traders and strategic investors. For users new to margin trading, progressing gradually from basic to advanced modes is a wise approach.