Bitget Unified Trading Account FAQ

[Estimated reading time: 5 minutes]

1. Account modes

1. What modes does the unified trading account support? What are the differences?

The unified trading account currently supports three modes:

Mode	Key features
Basic mode	Supports USDT and USDC as margin. Supports spot and cross-margin trading. Doesn't support isolated margin.
Isolated margin mode	Supports spot and isolated-margin futures trading. Doesn't support cross-margin trading or cross-margin futures trading.
Advanced mode	Supports multi-asset margin, mixed cross-margin and isolated-margin trading, and all four trading types.

 

2. What is the difference between margin in basic mode and isolated margin mode?

• Basic mode uses a cross-asset margin pool. Multiple assets, such as BTC and ETH, can be converted into margin, and different assets can support one another.
• Isolated margin mode uses a separate margin pool for each asset. Each asset is calculated independently, and assets can't support one another. For example, a BTC position can only use BTC as margin, and a USDT position can only use USDT.

 

3. What is custom collateral in advanced mode?

Advanced mode lets you choose which assets count toward your adjusted equity (collateral):

• USDT is mandatory collateral and can't be disabled.

• USDC is enabled by default but can be disabled.

• You can select mainstream assets such as BTC, ETH, and SOL, up to 100 assets in total.

• Assets you don't select aren't included in the adjusted equity calculation.

Isolated margin mode doesn't support cross margin, so it has no collateral settings. Basic mode doesn't support customization and always uses USDT and USDC as collateral.

 

4. What should I do if I can't switch account modes?

Switching between modes has prerequisites. Common requirements include having no positions or open orders of the relevant type and no outstanding liabilities (borrowed assets) in your account. Close your positions, cancel any open orders, and repay outstanding liabilities before trying again.

 

5. What should I do if I see "Can't disable" when changing a collateral setting?

Before you disable an asset as collateral, make sure it has no balance holdings, no open margin orders, and no open futures orders or positions. Close positions, cancel orders, and repay any borrowed assets first, then try again.

 

2. Account upgrade and switch-back

1. How do I upgrade from a classic account to a unified trading account? What are the requirements?

To upgrade, your spot and margin accounts must have no open orders, positions, or borrowed assets, and your futures account must have no positions or open orders. Once you meet these conditions, you can apply for the upgrade in account settings. The upgrade is processed in the background, so you can leave the page and wait for it to finish.

 

2. Why did my upgrade fail?

Common reasons include open positions, open orders, or outstanding liabilities on your account. Other common reasons include taking part in copy trading, elite trading, or trading bots, having account assets below the minimum upgrade requirement, being an institutional loan user, or being in a region where upgrades aren't currently supported for compliance reasons. Check each item based on the on-screen prompt, then try again. If the issue persists, contact customer service.

 

3. Can I use my account during the upgrade?

No. Your account is temporarily frozen during the upgrade, and transfers, trading, and withdrawals are disabled (deposits aren't affected). Your account unfreezes automatically once the upgrade is complete, and the status on your assets page updates in real time.

 

4. What changes after I upgrade?

• Your original spot account becomes your funding account, which handles deposits and withdrawals.

• Your original margin and futures accounts merge into your unified trading account and are no longer shown separately.

• Your funds migrate automatically, so no manual action is required.

 

5. Are my assets safe during the upgrade?

Yes. The upgrade is all-or-nothing and every asset migration is recorded, so you won't lose any assets. If anything unusual occurs, the system handles it automatically and makes sure your account returns to normal. If the upgrade is still not complete after a long time, we recommend contacting customer service for help.

 

6. Can I switch from a unified trading account back to a classic account?

Yes, but your unified trading account must have no open orders, no open positions, and no outstanding liabilities. Once all three conditions are met, you can apply to switch back.

 

3. Margin and risk management

1. What is adjusted equity?

Adjusted equity is the total margin value your account can actually use to absorb risk. The calculation takes into account each asset's collateral ratio (non-USDT assets are discounted proportionally), the margin locked in isolated-margin positions, and the discount loss on open spot orders. Put simply, it's the total value of your assets converted to USD and then discounted by each asset's collateral ratio.

 

2. What's the difference between initial margin and maintenance margin?

• Initial margin (IM): the margin locked when you open or hold a position. It's the threshold you need to meet before placing an order.
• Maintenance margin (MM): the minimum margin required to keep a position from being liquidated. Falling below this level triggers liquidation.

Initial margin is higher than maintenance margin. Initial margin is the requirement to open a position. Maintenance margin is the minimum needed to keep it open.

 

3. Why is my available margin different from my adjusted equity?

• Available margin = adjusted equity – initial margin – pre-deducted funding fee

Available margin is the balance left after subtracting the margin already in use. You can use it to open new positions. The displayed amount is reduced by a further 1% as a buffer, which helps prevent orders placed right at the limit from failing during sharp price swings.

 

4. What is IMR? What does it trigger?

IMR (initial margin rate) = initial margin ÷ adjusted equity. When IMR reaches 100% or higher, the system automatically cancels pending futures orders that open positions. Spot and margin orders aren't affected, and you can still place closing orders and reduce-only orders.

 

5. What is MMR? When does liquidation happen?

MMR (maintenance margin rate) = maintenance margin ÷ adjusted equity. There are three risk levels:

MMR level	Platform action
≥ 90%	Sends a liquidation warning notification
100%–160%, and the account is back at a safe level after tiered position reduction	Automatic tiered position reduction
≥ 160%, or account equity ≤ 0	Triggers full-account liquidation

 

6. What should I do if I receive a liquidation warning?

We recommend taking one of the following actions as soon as possible: deposit funds to add margin, lower your leverage, reduce your positions, or repay part of your borrowed assets. If you don't act in time, your account may be liquidated.

 

7. Will any assets remain after a cross-margin account is liquidated?

During liquidation, the system settles futures positions at the bankruptcy price and uses your account's positive assets to cover liabilities. Any positive assets that remain afterward are returned to you. If a shortfall remains, the Insurance Fund covers it. A 2% fee applies to asset conversions during this process.

 

8. What is ADL (Auto-deleveraging)? Will it affect my account?

ADL is triggered when the Insurance Fund can't cover the platform's losses. The system automatically reduces the positions of profitable traders to offset the shortfall. The trigger condition is that the Insurance Fund's assets plus unrealized profit fall to zero or below. Positions are prioritized for ADL based on profit level and leverage level. You'll be notified if your position is reduced through ADL, and the reduction price won't be lower than your own liquidation price.

 

4. Trading and order placement

1. Why does openable size show 0 even though my account has assets?

This can happen for several reasons:

1. Existing positions already use up most of your adjusted equity

2. Your account is in a risk-control state where orders are canceled (IMR ≥ 100%).

3. Your current position has reached the upper limit of its position tier.

4. You've reached your margin borrowing limit.

Check your MMR and IMR, and consider reducing positions or adding margin as needed.

 

2. Why does the actual cost of a filled limit order differ from what I expected?

When you place a sell order in a unified trading account, the system calculates its price using the higher of your order price or the current market reference price (the best ask, last traded price, or mark price, in order of priority). This keeps risk calculations conservative and prevents low-priced sell orders from avoiding margin requirements.

 

3. What are reduce-only orders and what are its limits?

Reduce-only is an order type that can only decrease a position, never increase it. It gives you precise control over your position and is available only in one-way mode for futures. The order quantity can't exceed the size of the opposite position, and the order doesn't use margin.

 

4. Why was my take-profit or stop-loss order canceled?

Common reasons include insufficient assets or position size when the order triggers, and repeated trigger failures. The order can also be canceled if your account is in or near liquidation, the related position is fully closed, or the trading pair is delisted.

 

5. What's the difference between ordering by cost and ordering by notional value?

Order method	Input	Meaning
By quantity	Order quantity, such as the number of BTC	The most common method. Enter the futures quantity directly.
By cost	Cost amount, such as an amount in USDT	The system works out the quantity from your leverage so that the cost doesn't exceed the amount you enter.
By notional value	Notional value, such as an amount in USDT	The system calculates the quantity from the market value, without involving leverage. Leverage only affects the margin required.

 

6. Why can't I increase my futures leverage?

Your current position value may have reached the maximum allowed at that leverage level, or we may have adjusted the maximum leverage for that trading pair. Your account may also have triggered a risk control limit. If you're an institutional loan user, dedicated leverage limits apply.

 

5. Fund transfers

1. Why can't I transfer funds out of my unified trading account?

Possible reasons:

1. Your assets are locked as margin for open positions

2. Your account has outstanding liabilities

3. Your IMR is close to 100% (a transfer would push your risk ratio over the limit)

4. Transferring unrealized profit is limited by your margin sufficiency

 

2. Why can't I transfer out my unrealized profit?

Unrealized profit counts toward your transferable spot balance, but the total transferable amount is capped by your "margin sufficiency" limit. In simple terms, your margin balance backs your unrealized profit, and the margin you have left decides how much of it you can transfer out.

 

3. What is borrowed asset transfer? Can I transfer out borrowed assets?

Yes, but these limits apply:

1. Only assets that can be used as margin and can be borrowed are supported

2. You must actively enable the function to transfer borrowed funds on the transfer page (disabled by default)

3. Not available to institutional loan users

4. Borrowed assets can't be transferred between main accounts and sub-accounts.

5. The transferable amount is limited by your remaining available margin

 

4. Why was a small balance in my account automatically transferred out?

This is the normal "Automatic Transfer of Small Balances" feature. Any asset with a balance under $0.10 that hasn't changed in 24 hours is automatically transferred to your funding account every 7 days. This keeps small, fragmented balances out of your account. You can view the transfer record in your funding account.

 

5. How do I convert multiple small balances into BGB at once?

Use the "Convert Small Balances to BGB" feature. On the assets page, select the assets you want to convert, each worth less than $10. The system converts them into BGB and charges a 2% fee. You can convert up to 50 assets at a time, with a total value under $200.

 

6. Liquidation mechanism

1. Does liquidating an isolated margin position affect my other positions?

No. Isolated margin positions are independent risk units, so liquidation affects only that specific position. Note, however, that when a cross-margin account triggers risk-control order cancellation or liquidation, all open orders are canceled at the same time, including orders on isolated margin positions. Tiered position reduction and liquidation themselves don't apply to isolated margin positions.

 

2. Are the liquidation thresholds the same for isolated margin and cross margin?

No, they differ:

Mode	MMR Calculation	Warning	Tiered position reduction	Liquidation
Isolated margin	Maintenance margin ÷ isolated position equity	≥ 80%	100%–160%	≥ 160%
Cross margin	Maintenance margin ÷ adjusted equity	≥ 90%	100%–160%	≥ 160%, or account equity ≤ 0

 

3. How is the estimated liquidation price calculated?

The estimated liquidation price is the theoretical market price at which your position's margin would be fully depleted. For long positions, liquidation is triggered if the price falls to this level. For short positions, it's triggered if the price rises to this level. If it shows "--", the current price won't trigger liquidation for now.

 

4. How can I reduce my liquidation risk?

We recommend adding margin to isolated positions, lowering your leverage, or partially closing positions to reduce your position size. You can also deposit funds to increase your total account assets or repay borrowed assets to reduce margin usage.

 

5. Why didn't I receive a liquidation warning even though I have open positions?

Possible reasons include push or email notifications not being turned on, or your risk level not having reached the warning threshold yet. There's also a minimum interval between warnings at the same risk level, so you may have already received one. The notification may also have been incorrectly marked as spam. Check your site messages and notification settings.

 

7. Loan and interest

1. How Is interest charged on loans in a unified trading account?

Interest is charged every hour, on the hour. It's deducted when you reduce a position but not during liquidation. If your account has unrealized losses, part of your liabilities may qualify for an interest-free quota. Common interest-free quotas:

Asset	Interest-free quota
USDT	10,000 USDT
USDC	10,000 USDC
BTC	0.1 BTC
ETH	4 ETH

 

2. How do I repay multiple liabilities at once?

Use the "Quick Repayment" feature. The system automatically identifies your liabilities, uses suitable positive assets to repay them, and uses Convert to cover any portion that remains unpaid. Not all assets support quick repayment. The system also repays automatically when you transfer the relevant asset into your account, manually convert funds, or when profit is settled or generated. Quick repayment isn't available when your risk ratio is too high (maintenance margin ÷ adjusted equity ≥ 90%). You need to lower your risk first.

 

3. How Does BGB fee deduction work?

When enabled, transaction fees are paid with BGB first and get a 20% discount for both spot and futures. This is turned off by default, so you need to turn it on manually. If your BGB balance can't cover the full fee, the entire fee is charged in the original fee currency.

 

4. Why Is there a large price difference when repaying borrowed assets?

For assets with relatively low liquidity, the conversion during repayment may involve a price spread. This is related to market depth and is normal.

 

8. Other common questions

1. Why was my order canceled shortly after it was placed?

Your order was likely canceled by risk control. When IMR (initial margin ÷ adjusted equity) reaches 100% or higher, the system automatically cancels cross-margin futures orders that open positions. Check your risk ratio, reduce your position, or add assets, then place your order again (closing orders and reduce-only orders aren't affected).

 

2. Can sub-accounts use all unified trading account features?

Some limits apply. Virtual sub-accounts, custodial sub-accounts, and other special sub-account types can't be upgraded to a unified trading account. Borrowed asset transfer isn't supported between main accounts and sub-accounts. Regular and virtual sub-accounts also aren't included in the automatic transfer of small balances.

 

3. What's the difference between demo trading and live trading rules?

The rules for the unified trading account are basically the same in demo trading and live trading. Order logic, margin calculations, and risk-control rules are identical.

 

4. Why does the displayed "Available" amount differ from what I can actually use when placing an order?

This is normal. The available margin shown on screen is reduced by a further 1% as a buffer, so the displayed number is slightly lower than the actual value. When you place an order, the system checks it against your full available margin. This design helps prevent order failures caused by small price movements when you place an order at the displayed limit in a volatile market.

 

Quick troubleshooting guide

Issue	Where to check	Related section
Can't open a position	IMR and MMR risk ratios, borrowing limit, position tier	3, 4
Can't transfer funds out	Available margin, unrealized profit limits, liabilities	5
Account liquidated	Cross-margin and isolated-margin MMR, whether a warning was received	6
Take-profit or stop-loss order disappeared	Cancellation reason, whether assets are sufficient	4
Want to learn how interest works	Interest rules, interest-free quota, liability size	7
Want to switch account modes	Switching conditions, status of positions, orders, and liabilities	1
UTA upgrade failed	Account status check, asset requirements	2

If this doesn't resolve your issue, submit a ticket to contact customer service.