Comparing the Three UTA Modes

[Estimated reading time: 5 minutes]

Bitget's unified trading account (UTA) offers three account modes: isolated, basic, and advanced. The key differences come down to how the margin pool works and which products you can trade. In isolated mode, each coin's assets are tracked separately, and margin isn't shared across coins. In basic mode, only USDT and USDC can be used as margin. Advanced mode supports cross-asset margin based on collateral ratios and gives you access to every trading type UTA offers.

1. What trading types are supported in each mode?

The available products in each account mode are as follows:

2. What are the core features of each mode?

2.1 Who is the isolated mode suitable for?

In isolated mode, each position's margin pool is limited to a single coin. Assets for each coin are accounted for independently and are not shared as margin, which makes it a good fit for users who want to keep the risk of each position fully separate.

Sources of valid margin: each position uses only its own settlement coin as margin.

Supported trading types: spot and isolated-margin futures.

Not supported: cross-margin futures and spot margin.

Key features:

• PnL is fully isolated by coin—a loss on one futures position won't affect your other holdings.

• Margin calculations are the simplest of the three modes, making this a good starting point for futures beginners.

2.2 Who is the basic mode suitable for?

In basic mode, only USDT and USDC can be used as margin. This mode is suitable for futures traders who primarily hold stablecoins and prefer simple, transparent margin calculations.

Sources of valid margin: only USDT and USDC are included. Holdings in other coins are not counted as margin.

Supported trading types: spot, cross-margin futures, and isolated-margin futures.

Not supported: cross-margin spot margin and Coin-M Futures.

Key features:

• Valid margin is calculated solely based on USDT and USDC balances and is not affected by price fluctuations of other coins.

• Basic mode also supports cross-margin futures, unlike isolated mode, giving you higher margin efficiency.

• USDT and USDC form one shared margin pool for your whole account, so PnL from different positions can affect each other.

2.3 Who is the advanced mode suitable for? 

Advanced mode supports cross-asset margin, where major coins like BTC, ETH, and SOL count toward your margin based on their collateral ratios. The mode offers full features and is suitable for advanced users and institutions holding diversified crypto assets.

Sources of valid margin: the platform supports more than 500 coins as collateral. You choose which ones to use, and your holdings in those coins count toward your effective margin based on their collateral ratios.

Supported trading types: spot, cross-margin spot margin, cross-margin futures, isolated-margin futures, and Coin-M Futures (both cross- and isolated-margin).

Key features:

• Custom collateral settings: you can choose the coins to include in valid margin calculations. (For more details, refer to: Custom collateral settings in Bitget UTA advanced mode and UTA terminology and formulas)

• Coins with outstanding debts will reduce the valid margin at a 1:1 ratio and are not subject to the collateral ratios.

• Cross-asset margin is shared across your entire account for the highest margin efficiency—but that also means a loss on one position can affect your overall account margin.

• Supports manual borrowing and repayment mode settings. (For more details, refer to Borrowing, interest, and repayment in UTA)

• Advanced mode users who are whitelisted are eligible to enable the delta-neutral mode in account settings to implement delta-neutral strategies.

3. Which mode is right for me?

4. What are the requirements for switching account modes?

You can switch modes once you meet both of the following conditions:

(1) Clear unsupported products: close any positions and cancel any open orders for trading types your target mode doesn't support. Positions and orders supported by the target mode will not be affected and do not need to be cleared in advance.

(2) Meet account risk-control requirements: specific risk-control indicators may vary depending on the switch target.

For a complete guide on the switching process and requirements for all modes, refer to Account mode switching rules.

5. How can I upgrade to the unified trading account (UTA)?

As of June 13, 2026, there's no longer any minimum asset requirement to upgrade to UTA —all users can upgrade for free. For the upgrade process and eligibility details, refer to Upgrade from classic account to UTA. If you want to switch back, refer to How to switch back to classic account.

FAQs

1. Can I hold both cross-margin and isolated-margin positions in the advanced mode?

Yes. Advanced mode supports the simultaneous holding of cross-margin and isolated-margin positions in the same account. For the same trading pair, you may hold up to one isolated long position and one isolated short position.

2. In which mode is the custom collateral feature available?

Custom collateral settings are only available in advanced mode —basic mode is limited to USDT and USDC, with no customization. In advanced mode, you can select up to 100 coins as collateral through the custom settings, or select all coins to automatically enable all of the more than 500 coins supported by the platform for inclusion in the valid margin.

3. Will switching account modes affect my existing positions?

When you switch modes, you'll need to close positions and cancel orders for any trading types your target mode doesn't support (for details, refer to Account mode switching rules). For example, to switch from advanced mode to isolated mode, you must first close any cross-margin futures and cross-margin spot margin positions. Your spot holdings and isolated-margin futures positions will not be affected.

4. What is the delta-neutral mode? Who can use it?

The delta-neutral mode is an exclusive feature in advanced mode. Users on a whitelist may enable it in account settings. Once enabled, your hedged positions rank lower in the auto-deleveraging (ADL) queue, making them less likely to be affected. To join the whitelist, contact Bitget customer service.

5. Do the isolated mode and the isolated-margin mode for futures positions refer to the same thing?

No. They are concepts at two different levels:

• Isolated mode (account level): refers to the account's margin management method, under which assets for each coin are accounted for independently and are not shared.

• Isolated-margin mode for futures (position level): refers to the act of allocating a fixed amount of margin to an individual position when opening it. The PnL of that position does not affect the rest of the account's assets.

Key takeaway: isolated mode, basic mode, and advanced mode all support isolated-margin futures positions —you don't need to switch to isolated mode just to open one. In advanced mode, isolated-margin futures positions are not allowed when delta-neutral mode is enabled.