What are Perpetual Futures?

Perpetual futures are leveraged derivatives that let you speculate on the price movements of cryptocurrencies. Unlike traditional futures contracts, perpetual futures do not have an expiration date, so you can hold your position for as long as you want with no overnight financing – provided you meet margin requirements.

What’s the difference between Perpetual Futures and CFDs?

Perpetual futures (also known as “Perps”) and Contracts for Difference (CFDs) are both popular tools for speculating on price movements without owning the underlying asset.

They are similar in many ways — both allow for leveraged trading, short or long positions, and are often used by traders looking to capitalise on market volatility – but there are a few key differences:

• Exchange-traded vs. OTC: Perps are traded directly on exchanges, while CFDs are over-the-counter (OTC) contracts, typically offered by brokers. This means perps often benefit from deeper liquidity, greater transparency, and in some cases, tighter spreads.
• Variety and speed to market: Because perps are exchange-traded, new markets — especially for emerging coins or tokens — are usually launched more quickly. This can result in a broader selection of assets becoming available via perps before they're offered as CFDs.

For example, Axi offers access to over 150 cryptocurrency markets via perpetual futures, compared to 30+ available through CFDs. This expanded range gives traders more flexibility and choice when selecting which assets to trade.

While both instruments can serve similar purposes, the choice between perps and CFDs depends on the individual trader’s goals, strategy, and preferred trading environment.

Who can trade perpetual futures?

Perpetual futures are available to clients who are registered and verified on the Axi Trading Platform mobile app. Please note: these products are not available on the MT4 or MT5 platform.

Trading hours

Perpetual futures can be traded 24/7, with a short maintenance window from 16:59 - 17:05 UTC every week. Check our Product Schedule for additional details.