In the world of cryptocurrency trading, futures trading has gained significant attention due to its leverage feature. As a leading global exchange, Binance offers a comprehensive suite of futures trading services. This article provides a detailed guide for beginners on how to trade futures on Binance safely and effectively.
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Futures trading is essentially a type of financial derivative that allows traders to profit by predicting the price movements of an asset without owning the actual asset. Compared to traditional spot trading, the most notable feature of futures trading is leverage. Binance supports leverage of up to 125x, but it's important to note that leverage amplifies both gains and risks proportionally. For beginners, it’s advisable to start with low leverage of 5x–10x and gradually build experience.
Main types of futures contracts include:
USDT-Margined Contracts: Use USDT as margin and settlement currency
Coin-Margined Contracts: Use the corresponding cryptocurrency as margin
Delivery Contracts: Contracts with a fixed settlement date
Perpetual Contracts: Contracts with no expiration date
Risk Warning: Futures trading may result in losses exceeding your initial capital. Beginners are advised to use low leverage (5x–10x) and not to invest more than 5% of their total assets.
Before trading, you need to open a futures account. The process is as follows:
After registering/logging into your Binance account, click on the "Derivatives" menu and select the "Futures" option. The system will guide you through a risk assessment questionnaire, which aims to help traders understand the risk characteristics of futures trading. After completing the questionnaire, you must carefully read and agree to the risk disclosure agreement.
For account security, it's strongly recommended to enable two-factor authentication (2FA), set a separate trading password, and regularly update your login credentials.
Regarding fund transfers, users can transfer assets from their spot account to their futures account (auto-transfer supported). It’s suggested to start with a trial deposit of 100–200 USDT, and remember that different futures wallets are isolated from each other.
Binance’s futures trading interface is professional and feature-rich. The central area displays the price chart, supporting various technical indicators from TradingView. On the right side is the order panel, offering multiple order types. For beginners, it's crucial to understand the difference between limit and market orders:
Limit Order: Allows you to set a specific execution price
Market Order: Executes instantly at the best current price
Once you gain experience, you can use Stop-Limit or Take-Profit/Stop-Loss orders.
Below the chart is the depth chart, which displays market buy/sell orders—an important tool for assessing market liquidity.
Key features supported:
Professional TradingView charting
Add indicators like MACD, RSI, Bollinger Bands
Set price alerts and view depth chart and trade history
Using the BTC/USDT perpetual contract as an example:
If you anticipate a market uptrend, you can open a long position. First, set a suitable leverage—beginners should not exceed 10x. Then enter your desired entry price and set a stop-loss to manage risk. According to capital management rules, you should not invest more than 20% of your margin in a single trade.
Once all parameters are confirmed, submit the order, and the system will execute it when the market hits your price.
It’s recommended for beginners to start with major trading pairs like BTC/USDT, ETH/USDT, or BNB/USDT.
Example:
Select BTC/USDT Perpetual Contract
Set 10x Leverage
Input Entry Price (e.g., 30,000)
Set Stop-Loss Price (e.g., 29,500)
Set Take-Profit Price (e.g., 31,000)
Input Investment Amount (e.g., 50 USDT)
Confirm Order Details and Submit
Effective risk management is the key to success in futures trading. Every trade should have a stop-loss, either using:
Fixed percentage stop-loss (e.g., 2% of capital)
Technical stop-loss (e.g., break of support/resistance levels)
Use leverage cautiously. In times of high market volatility or major news events, consider lowering leverage. For capital management, limit each trade’s risk to 1–3% of your total capital. Set a daily loss limit of 5% to preserve enough trading capital in case of continuous losses.
Liquidation is a critical concern for beginners. When your margin ratio falls below the maintenance margin, the system will automatically close your position. To avoid this, monitor the liquidation price on your interface and add margin when necessary.
Funding Rate is a unique mechanism for perpetual contracts, settled every 8 hours. When the rate is positive, long positions pay shorts—this affects long-term holding costs.
To reduce slippage, avoid placing large trades in illiquid markets.
Binance offers a wealth of educational resources, including video tutorials and demo trading features. Beginners should make full use of these tools. It's also helpful to keep a trading journal, regularly reviewing each trade’s decision process.
Follow technical analysis on TradingView and market data on CoinMarketCap to improve analytical skills. Engaging in discussions in trading communities is another effective way to gain hands-on experience.
It’s important to emphasize that futures trading carries high risks and may lead to the total loss of capital. Beginners are advised to practice thoroughly with demo accounts before investing real funds. Maintaining discipline and rationality is far more important than chasing short-term profits in futures trading.
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