Hassan Maishera
2026 is here, and the innovation in the crypto space continues. BitMEX, one of the safest crypto exchanges in the world, has announced the launch of Equity Perps. This product will make it easier for traders to gain access to a wide range of U.S. stocks and equity indices.
BitMEX Launches Equity Perps
In a press release shared with Cryptowisser, BitMEX stated that it has launched Equity Perps, a new derivatives product that allows traders to gain exposure to major U.S. stocks and equity indices using cryptocurrency as collateral.
This latest offering expands BitMEX’s suite of products beyond crypto-native markets, enabling 24/7 trading on traditional equity benchmarks, including when U.S. stock markets are closed.
BitMEX explained that Equity Perps are cash-settled perpetual swap contracts that track the price of individual U.S. stocks or indices and do not have an expiry date.
This product operates similarly to BitMEX’s existing crypto perpetuals, which utilize a funding rate mechanism to anchor prices to the underlying reference index. Traders can take long or short positions with up to 20x leverage, using assets such as Bitcoin or Tether as margin collateral.
While commenting on this launch, Stephan Lutz, CEO of BitMEX, said,
“Equity Perps give traders a more flexible way to access U.S. equity markets using crypto. By removing traditional market hours and allowing crypto collateral, we are extending our derivatives expertise to a broader set of global markets while maintaining the reliability and performance BitMEX is known for.”
Equity Perps Supports a Wide Range of U.S. Stocks and Indices
BitMEX added that at launch, Equity Perps are available on a selection of widely traded U.S. stocks and indices, including Amazon, Apple, Circle, Coinbase, Meta, Nvidia, Robinhood, Tesla, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq.
The cryptocurrency exchange plans to expand the range of available contracts over time. Trading is open 24/7, with index pricing during U.S. market hours based primarily on real-time equity prices and, outside those hours, supported by tokenized spot prices from multiple exchanges.
BitMEX added that all Equity Perps traded on its platform feature a maker rebate of 2.5 basis points and a taker fee of 7.5 basis points. Furthermore, funding is exchanged every eight hours, consistent with BitMEX’s existing perpetual swap products, regardless of U.S. equity market hours.
Finally, should a corporate action such as a stock split happen, affected contracts will be settled early and relisted once the action is complete.
To celebrate this launch, BitMEX announced that it will offer a 70,000 USDT prize pool to eligible users who trade Equity Perps, alongside maker rebates on all Equity Perps contracts.
