What types of margin are available in Tiger.com Broker?
Last updated
Last updated
Margin is your available balance that serves as collateral for opening and maintaining futures positions. The type of margin used determines the amount of available funds in your account and affects protocols related to auto-deleveraging and position liquidation. Depending on the exchange you trade on via Tiger.com Broker, you can configure different types of margin. In this article, we will describe the distinctive features of each margin mode available for Binance and Bybit.
The selected margin type is particularly important if you are trading futures with leverage. You can read more about how leverage works here.
When trading on Binance, you can choose from three margin modes:
Single-Asset Mode + Isolated Margin
Single-Asset Mode + Cross Margin
Multi-Asset Mode + Cross Margin
You can switch from isolated to cross margin on the Leverage page:
The preferred asset mode can be set in your profile settings:
Let's say you deposit 1,000 USDT to your Binance account via Tiger.com Broker and allocate it as follows:
500 USDT in your spot wallet
500 USDT in your futures wallet
Then, you buy BTC/USDT worth 300 USDT from your spot wallet, leaving you with 200 USDT in free funds. Similarly, you buy ETHUSDT worth 200 USDT from your futures wallet, leaving you with 300 USDT in free funds.
Now, you set 10x leverage for a BNBUSDT futures trade and plan to open a position worth 1,500 USDT. The way your available balance is distributed depends on the chosen margin mode:
Single-Asset Mode + Isolated Margin
With isolated margin, you risk only the margin allocated to a specific position.
In this case, 1/10 of the BNB position size (150 USDT) will be locked in your futures wallet.
If the position is liquidated, only 150 USDT will be lost.
The remaining 150 USDT (from the free balance) is not affected by the liquidation.
Spot BTC and free USDT in your spot wallet are not used as collateral for the position.
Single-Asset Mode + Cross Margin
Your entire available portfolio balance can be used as collateral.
The available margin is dynamic, meaning it changes based on the unrealized PnL of other open positions (such as BTCUSDT).
Example: If your BTC position has an unrealized loss of -50 USDT, your portfolio value decreases by 50 USDT.
If the BNB price moves against you, all available balance will be used to maintain the position until the exchange liquidates it.
If the BNB position is liquidated, your BTCUSDT position may also be forcibly closed by Binance.
In this mode, you can use other assets (not just USDT) as collateral.
The following coins can be used as collateral for futures trading: BTC, XRP, TUSD, BNB, ETH, USDT, USDP, USDC.
Important:
With the current balance allocation (500 USDT in spot, 500 USDT in futures), your total collateral remains 500 USDT.
Spot and futures wallets are separate, meaning margin from the spot wallet cannot be used for futures trades unless manually transferred.
If you want to use spot BTC/USDT as collateral for a BNBUSDT futures position, you must first transfer BTC from your spot wallet to your futures wallet.
Margin calculation and liquidation procedures follow the same rules as in Single-Asset Mode + Cross Margin.
On Bybit, you can choose between Isolated Margin and Cross Margin.
Bybit via Tiger.com Broker uses UTA (Unified Trading Accounts).
Your entire balance serves as a single margin pool for both futures positions and spot trading.
You deposit 1,000 USDT into your Bybit UTA account and allocate funds as follows:
Buy BTC/USDT (spot) worth 300 USDT
Buy ETHUSDT (futures) worth 200 USDT
500 USDT remains as free funds
Set 10x leverage for a BNBUSDT futures trade and plan to open a 1,500 USDT position.
How the balance is allocated depends on the selected margin mode:
Isolated Margin
You only risk the margin allocated to a specific position.
1/10 of the position size (150 USDT) will be locked as margin.
If the BNBUSDT position is liquidated, only 150 USDT is lost.
The remaining 350 USDT (free funds) will not be affected.
Only the initial margin is used as collateral.
Your entire available portfolio can be used as collateral.
Margin is dynamic, depending on the unrealized PnL of other open positions.
Example: If your BTC position has an unrealized loss of -50 USDT, the portfolio value decreases by 50 USDT.
If the BNB price moves against you, all available balance will be used to maintain the position until Bybit liquidates it.
If the BNB position is liquidated, your BTCUSDT position may also be forcibly closed by Bybit.
All assets in your unified trading account are used as collateral.
If you want to limit risk, use Isolated Margin—only the allocated margin will be at risk.
If you want to maximize collateral and use your entire balance as margin, use Cross Margin.
On Binance, you can choose between Single-Asset or Multi-Asset modes.
On Bybit, all balances are in a Unified Trading Account.
