Bitget has officially launched U.S. stock options trading, becoming one of the latest crypto exchanges to bridge the gap between digital assets and traditional financial markets. The initial offering includes more than 540 underlying assets, covering the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Dow Jones 30 indices, along with popular ETFs such as SPY, QQQ, and DIA. The exchange said it will gradually expand to all U.S. stocks and ETFs in the future.
Trading Rules and User Experience
The options product follows a T+1 settlement cycle, consistent with the standard U.S. stock settlement timeline. Trading hours are 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time (corresponding to 9:30 PM to 4:00 AM Beijing time during daylight saving time). Only cash-based transactions are supported—no margin financing is allowed. The margin requirement for both long calls and puts is set at 100%, meaning the full premium must be collateralized upfront. Bitget has integrated a profit/loss estimation tool before order submission, along with order modification, cancellation, and history query features. Users must update the Bitget app to version 2.87.0 to access the new functionality.
Lowering the Entry Barrier to Traditional Options
Traditional U.S. stock options trading typically requires a brokerage account with significant capital, complex paperwork, and asset verification. By offering the same product directly on a crypto exchange, Bitget enables users to trade with USDT or other digital assets as margin, eliminating the need for a separate broker account and reducing the friction of cross-border fund transfers. For existing crypto holders, this represents a seamless way to diversify into traditional equity derivatives without leaving the crypto ecosystem.
The Convergence of CeFi and TradFi
Bitget is not the first crypto exchange to offer traditional financial products—Coinbase and Binance have previously launched tokenized stocks or gold. However, Bitget's direct listing of real U.S. stock options (as opposed to synthetic assets or CFDs) marks a deeper integration between centralized crypto platforms and traditional brokerages. This strategy can attract a new user base of traditional investors, generate fee revenue independent of crypto market volatility, and reduce the platform's reliance on crypto bull/bear cycles. As more exchanges follow suit, the distinction between crypto accounts and traditional investment accounts may blur further, giving users unified access to a broad range of assets.
(Source: ChainCatcher; Link: https://www.chaincatcher.com/newsflash/2274693)