TL;DR
- US retail traders can now access spot margin trading on Kraken Pro; this is regulated spot margin trading in the US.
- Spot margin means borrowing against your crypto holdings without selling them.
- Your spot margin fee is shown before you confirm. Your liquidation price and available margin are visible the moment your position opens.
- Start small. The mechanics reward discipline, not size.
The margin gap US retail traders have lived with
You have held your BTC through a 30% drop. You did not sell. But last month, you needed capital.
A pro trader in that situation would not have sold either. They would have borrowed against what they held, stayed in their position, and repaid when they closed the trade. Their holdings would have remained intact the entire time.
Until now, that option did not exist for US retail traders. That gap pushed activity offshore, to unregulated venues with none of the protections that come with a regulated market.
That changes now.
Your spot margin trading platform of choice
Kraken Pro’s spot margin trading is offered through a CFTC-registered entity. Now available to all eligible US Kraken Pro traders. Up to 10x leverage, long or short.
This is not a small update. For years, access to margin trading on a regulated US venue was restricted to Eligible Contract Participants: institutions and high-net-worth individuals meeting a $10 million portfolio threshold. If you were a retail trader and wanted margin, your choices were to go without or to take it offshore.
US retail traders can access spot margin on a US platform. Not offshore. Not through an institution. Here, with full pre-trade visibility of every cost and risk.
The offshore option carried real risk. Unregulated venues offer no consumer protection, no transparency requirements, and no recourse when things go wrong.
Kraken Pro has changed the equation. Retail traders in the US now have access to regulated spot margin on Kraken Pro, with every cost visible before they commit, and with the same infrastructure that institutional traders have relied on.
What the strategy is
Spot margin trading on Kraken Pro means trading with leverage using the crypto you already hold as collateral. Up to 10x leverage. Go long or short, without selling your holdings.
Instead of selling your BTC to access capital, you use it as collateral and borrow against it. You trade with the borrowed funds. When you close the trade, you repay what you borrowed. Your BTC stays in your account the whole time.
This is how professional traders maintain exposure to assets they believe in while still accessing liquidity. The position keeps working without being sold.
How it works
Set your amount
Decide how much to borrow and what position to open. Start small. Not because it is safer in a vague sense. Because testing the mechanics at small scale is how disciplined traders operate.
Check the numbers
On your open order, you’ll see:
- Estimated liquidation price: the level at which your position closes automatically to repay what you borrowed
- Estimated borrow cost per day: what this position costs to hold, charged every 4 hours, locked at the rate shown when you enter
What is at risk
If the market reaches your liquidation price, the position closes automatically and the borrowed amount is repaid from your collateral.
Set a stop-loss order above your liquidation price before you step away from an open position. It closes your position automatically before liquidation is reached. Pro traders always use one.
Who this is for
Three types of US trader find this most useful:
The long-term holder who needs liquidity
You have held your position through multiple cycles. You do not want to sell. You need capital for something else. As a US retail trader on Kraken Pro, margin lets you access that capital without touching the position you built.
The active trader who wants more flexibility
You trade regularly. You want to increase your position size or trade both directions without selling your existing holdings. Spot margin gives you that capacity with full cost visibility before entry.
The disciplined first-timer
You have been aware of spot margin but stayed away because you could not see the downside clearly before committing. The three numbers on the order form are exactly that visibility. Start with a small position. Learn the mechanics. Scale when you are ready. Unleash your trading potential.
Spot margin trading involves substantial risk and is not suitable for everyone. You may lose all or more than the initial investment, exceeding the value of collateral deposited with the firm to open and maintain the position. You may be required to provide additional collateral on short notice or no notice, and you may remain responsible for any deficiency after liquidation and collateral application. Trading should be undertaken only with risk capital—funds that can be lost without jeopardizing one’s financial security or lifestyle—and only by those who can afford such losses. While leverage can increase potential returns, it also significantly increases risk. Leverage available may vary by asset. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Availability of spot margin trading through Kraken Derivatives US is subject to certain limitations and eligibility criteria. View Risk Disclosure Statement.
Spot margin trading is provided by NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC d/b/a Kraken Derivatives US, a CFTC-registered Futures Commission Merchant and NFA Member (NFA ID: 0309379), with financing provided by Payward Accredited LLC. View Disclosures.