Whether you’re looking for a seamless, flexible user experience or performant API trading, Kraken Futures offers a wide range of products on a robust, low latency, high-performance trading platform.
Why trade Bitcoin futures?
Bitcoin futures are an agreement between two counterparties to buy and sell a specific amount of BTC at a specific future Bitcoin price on a specific date and time
They allow you to gain exposure to Bitcoin without ever having to own it
Individuals and organizations that do own Bitcoin can use futures to hedge exposure against market movements
The Kraken Futures multi-collateral advantage
Gain exposure to a wide range of assets without owning them outright. With a variety of collateral options, you have flexibility when opening new positions or maintaining existing positions. And no matter what crypto you trade, you can choose to convert any profits into a currency of your choice.
The multi-collateral wallet allows you to use a variety of collateral types to manage all of your positions, without needing to move funds around. For example, you can open a position on BTC/USD, use USDT as collateral and convert any profits to Bitcoin.
Kraken Futures offers leverage, allowing you to amplify your buying or selling power.
Flexibility in risk management
New margin mode functionality allows you to trade using isolated margin to limit your downside per contract, or use cross margin to utilize all of your collateral across all positions.
Trade a range of currency pairs
Gain exposure to a variety of pairs using your multi-collateral futures wallet with 9 different collateral options.
Bitcoin hodlers: Hedge volatility with Kraken Futures
Use futures to hedge against spot market volatility – no matter which way the underlying market moves.
Unlock advanced crypto trading with Kraken Pro
Trade spot, margin, futures and staking all in one place.
A crypto futures contract is an agreement between a buyer and a seller that represents opposite views on the future value of a cryptocurrency. Traders use futures to take a view on future price changes of a digital currency by taking long or short positions.
Bitcoin futures contracts track the spot market price of BTC, allowing traders to gain market exposure to the Bitcoin price without having to hold the underlying digital asset.
Individual traders and institutional investors who hold Bitcoin can use crypto futures to hedge against spot price fluctuations and safeguard against volatile price swings.
If you have an Intermediate or Pro verified Kraken account, you can start trading Bitcoin futures on Kraken Futures today. Open the Kraken Futures platform, transfer funds to your futures wallet, and submit a Buy/Long or Sell/Short order depending on your view of the market.
Note: Kraken Futures is currently not available to clients in the US and other countries. Check your eligibility here.
How to go long on Bitcoin using futures contracts?
Traders can “go long” on Bitcoin using futures contracts when they believe the price of the underlying asset will increase. The strategy is to buy low, then sell when the price moves up.
To open a long futures position with supported assets on Kraken Futures:
Transfer funds to Kraken Futures, then fund your futures wallet with your choice of fiat, stablecoins and/or crypto to collateralize your position.
Return to the trading page and select Buy/Long from the market selector. Set the parameters of your trade (e.g., limit price, quantity).
Click the “Place Buy Order” button in the order form.
How to go short on Bitcoin using futures contracts?
Traders can “go short” on Bitcoin using futures contracts when they believe the price of the underlying asset will decrease. Their strategy is to sell high, then buy when the price moves down.
To open a short futures position:
Transfer funds to Kraken Futures, then fund your futures wallet with your choice of fiat, stablecoins and/or crypto to collateralize your position.
Return to the trading page and select Sell/Short from the order form. Set the parameters of your trade (e.g., limit price, quantity).
Click the “Place Sell Order” button in the order form.
Keep sailing the high seas of success! What’s next?
Trading futures, derivatives and other instruments using leverage involves an element of risk and may not be suitable for everyone. Read Kraken’s risk disclosure to learn more.
