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Top Stablecoin Issuers & Use Cases (2025)

Compare the leading stablecoin issuers by reserves, fees, regions, and best use cases. Pick the right coin for trading, payments, or DeFi.
Sam Monac
5 min
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Why stablecoin issuers matter in September 2025

Stablecoins have become crypto’s settlement rail, powering exchanges, DeFi, remittances, and payments. In 2025, clarity is improving and liquidity is consolidating—so choosing stablecoin issuers with sound reserves, clear disclosures, and fit-for-purpose design matters more than ever.
Definition: A stablecoin issuer is the organization or protocol that mints and redeems a token designed to track a reference asset (usually USD), with reserves and/or mechanisms intended to hold the peg.
This guide evaluates the leading issuers globally and maps their best use cases—from high-volume trading to compliant payments and decentralized collateral. We focus on reserves quality, transparency, networks supported, institutional access, fees, and regional eligibility. Secondary topics include “USDC vs USDT,” euro/SGD options, and decentralized alternatives that can complement centralized choices. Circle+2Circle+2

How We Picked (Methodology & Scoring)

  • Liquidity (30%): Scale of circulation and exchange/DeFi depth for tight spreads and fast settlement.

  • Security (25%): Reserve quality, segregation, audits/attestations, onchain safety, and incident track record.

  • Coverage (15%): Multi-chain support, fiat rails, and breadth of supported currencies (USD, EUR, SGD).

  • Costs (15%): Primary mint/redeem fees, network costs, and known program fees.

  • UX (10%): Accessibility, APIs, documentation, and fiat on/off-ramps.

  • Support (5%): Enterprise support, disclosures, and transparency cadence.

We relied on official product/docs/security pages from each issuer and used market datasets (e.g., CCData/Kaiko/CoinGecko) for cross-checks only. Last updated September 2025. Circle+1

Top 10 stablecoin issuers and use cases in September 2025

1. Tether — Best for global, always-on liquidity

Why Use It: USD₮ (USDT) is the deepest liquidity pool across CEXs and many L2s—useful for traders and market makers who prioritize fills and routing. Tether publishes quarterly reserve attestations by BDO and a detailed reserves breakdown, improving transparency versus prior years. Tether+1
Best For: Active traders, OTC desks, market makers, emerging-market remittances.
Notable Features: Multi-chain footprint; public reserve updates; operational resilience at massive scale. Tether
Consider If: U.S. persons cannot use Tether’s own platform services under its Terms; rely on supported exchanges instead. Regions: Global (platform restrictions apply). Fees/Notes: Account verification and certain fees apply at the platform level. Tether+1
Alternatives: Circle (USDC), First Digital Labs (FDUSD).

2. Circle — USDC / EURC — Best for regulated, enterprise-grade rails

Why Use It: Circle emphasizes transparency, monthly reserve attestations, and segregation of funds. USDC is widely integrated with banks, fintechs, and onchain apps; EURC brings a euro option under the same standards. Circle+1
Best For: Enterprises/fintechs, payment flows, compliant treasuries, DeFi power users.
Notable Features: Circle Mint for programmatic mint/redeem; monthly attestations; multi-chain support; extensive docs. Fees/Notes: Institutional fee schedule applies for certain high-volume flows. Circle+1
Regions: Global (availability varies by partner/exchange).
Alternatives: Paxos (USDP), PayPal USD (PYUSD).

3. MakerDAO — DAI — Best decentralized, overcollateralized dollar

Why Use It: DAI is minted against overcollateralized crypto via the Maker Protocol, giving a censorship-resistant alternative to fiat-custodied coins. The Peg Stability Module (PSM) smooths peg fluctuations by allowing swaps with other stables. docs.makerdao.com+1
Best For: DeFi natives, long-term onchain treasuries, collateralized borrowing.
Notable Features: Onchain transparency; collateral diversity with governance controls; mature integrations across DeFi. docs.makerdao.com
Consider If: Exposure to crypto collateral and governance risk differs from fiat-backed models. Regions: Global.
Alternatives: Liquity (LUSD/BOLD), Frax (frxUSD).

4. First Digital Labs — FDUSD — Best for Asia-centric trading depth

Why Use It: FDUSD is fully reserved and designed for 1:1 redemption; it has become a deep-liquidity quote asset on major Asian venues. Issuance moved to a BVI entity (FD121 BVI) in 2025 to support global accessibility. firstdigitallabs.com+1
Best For: Traders on Asia-focused exchanges, cross-border settlement in APAC, OTC desks.
Notable Features: Monthly attestations; segregation of assets with qualified custodians; institutional onboarding. Fees/Notes: Primary mint/redeem requires becoming a client; retail typically uses secondary markets. firstdigitallabs.com+1
Regions: Global (institutional primary; retail via exchanges).
Alternatives: Tether (USDT), Circle (USDC).

5. Paxos — USDP — Best for NYDFS-regulated issuance

Why Use It: USDP is issued by Paxos Trust (NYDFS-regulated), held 100% in cash and cash equivalents, and redeemable 1:1. Paxos provides enterprise APIs and no-fee mint/redeem for primary customers. Paxos+1
Best For: Enterprises needing regulated counterparties, payment processors, fintechs.
Notable Features: Segregated, bankruptcy-remote client assets; Ethereum & Solana support; rich developer docs. Fees/Notes: No Paxos fee to mint/redeem USDP; bank/network fees may apply. Paxos+1
Regions: US/EU/APAC via partners; check onboarding eligibility.
Alternatives: Circle (USDC), PayPal USD (PYUSD).

6. PayPal USD (PYUSD) — Best for consumer payments in the U.S.

Why Use It: PYUSD brings stablecoins to familiar wallets (PayPal/Venmo), with instant P2P and merchant flows for eligible U.S. users. It’s issued by Paxos Trust and is redeemable within the PayPal ecosystem; PayPal has also launched an optional rewards program for eligible U.S. users. PayPal+1
Best For: U.S. consumers and SMBs using PayPal/Venmo, payment acceptance, loyalty.
Notable Features: Wallet-native UX; on/off-ramps; integrations expanding across networks. Fees/Notes: No fees to buy/sell/hold/transfer PYUSD inside eligible U.S. PayPal balances; conversion fees apply when swapping with other crypto. PayPal
Regions: U.S. only for consumer access via PayPal/Venmo.
Alternatives: USDC (for global reach), USDP (enterprise rails).

7. Ethena Labs — USDe — Best synthetic dollar for DeFi yields (advanced users)

Why Use It: USDe uses a delta-neutral mechanism (spot + perps/futures) to target dollar stability without relying solely on banks. sUSDe offers onchain, variable rewards sourced from the strategy. This is a crypto-native design and differs from fiat-redeemable models. docs.ethena.fi+1
Best For: Sophisticated DeFi users, L2 yield strategies, protocols integrating synthetic dollars.
Notable Features: Whitelist-based mint/redeem; peg supported by hedged positions; extensive docs. Fees/Notes: Not available to U.S. users; USDe is not redeemable for fiat by design. docs.ethena.fi+1
Regions: Global (restricted jurisdictions excluded).
Alternatives: DAI, frxUSD.

8. Frax Finance — frxUSD — Best modular stable for DeFi integrations

Why Use It: Frax introduced frxUSD, a fully collateralized, fiat-redeemable stablecoin with “enshrined custodians” while retaining Frax’s modular DeFi stack. It aims to couple institutional-grade backing with protocol-level tooling (lending/AMMs). Frax
Best For: DeFi builders, protocols needing composability, multi-product integration.
Notable Features: Hybrid custody model; Fraxtal/Frax ecosystem; onchain transparency dashboard. Fees/Notes: Details governed by Frax docs and custodial partners. Frax+1
Regions: Global (availability via exchanges/integrations).
Alternatives: USDC, DAI.

9. StraitsX — XSGD — Best for SGD settlements and APAC fintech rails

Why Use It: XSGD is a Singapore dollar stablecoin with monthly reserve attestations and a strong focus on compliant payments infrastructure across Southeast Asia. It’s widely integrated with regional wallets, OTC, and DeFi. straitsx.com+1
Best For: APAC businesses, cross-border SGD flows, FX pairs (XSGD↔USD stables).
Notable Features: Monthly attestations; issuer entities for SGD/USD; APIs for swaps/OTC. Fees/Notes: Platform and network fees apply; see issuer terms. straitsx.com
Regions: APAC (global transferability on supported chains).
Alternatives: USDC (USD rails), Monerium (EURe for EUR rails).

10. Monerium — EURe — Best for euro e-money compliance

Why Use It: Monerium issues EURe as regulated e-money under EU rules with segregated, over-collateralized assets—designed for compliant euro settlements onchain. Tokens live on Ethereum, Gnosis, and Polygon with instant redeemability. Monerium+1
Best For: European fintechs, treasuries needing euro rails, compliant B2B payments.
Notable Features: Authorized EMI; 102% safeguarding policy; e-money legal clarity; audited financials. Fees/Notes: Published fee schedule; standard banking/network fees may apply. Monerium+1
Regions: EU/EEA (global transferability on supported chains).
Alternatives: Circle (EURC), StraitsX (XSGD for SGD).

Decision Guide: Best By Use Case

  • Global trading liquidity: Tether (USDT). Tether

  • Regulated U.S./enterprise rails: Circle (USDC), Paxos (USDP). Circle+1

  • U.S. consumer payments/Loyalty: PayPal USD (PYUSD). PayPal

  • Decentralized/censorship-resistant: MakerDAO (DAI); Liquity (LUSD/BOLD) as alt. docs.makerdao.com+1

  • APAC settlement/SGD pairs: StraitsX (XSGD). straitsx.com

  • Euro compliance: Monerium (EURe), Circle (EURC). Monerium+1

  • DeFi-native synthetic dollar/yields: Ethena (USDe). docs.ethena.fi

  • Modular DeFi integration: Frax (frxUSD). Frax

How to Choose the Right stablecoin issuers (Checklist)

  • Region & eligibility: Are you a U.S. consumer, EU business, or global trader? (PayPal vs Circle/Paxos vs Tether/DeFi.) PayPal

  • Reserves & attestations: Look for frequent, third-party reports and clear segregation of client assets. Circle+1

  • Mechanism fit: Fiat-backed vs overcollateralized vs synthetic—match to risk tolerance. docs.makerdao.com+1

  • Chains & integrations: Ensure support for your target L2s, exchanges, and wallets.

  • Fees & slippage: Primary mint/redeem costs, network gas, conversion spreads. Paxos+1

  • Operational needs: APIs, treasury tools, reporting, and support SLAs.

  • Red flags: Vague reserve language, infrequent disclosures, or unclear redemption policies.

Use Token Metrics With Any stablecoin issuers

  • AI Ratings surface quality signals behind liquidity metrics.
  • Narrative Detection spots capital rotation into specific stablecoin ecosystems.

  • Portfolio Optimization helps size stablecoin sleeves by mandate (trading vs yield vs payments).

  • Alerts & Signals track peg deviations, volume spikes, and exchange outflows.
    Workflow: Research → Select → Execute with your chosen issuer/exchange → Monitor with alerts.


Primary CTA: Start free trial

Security & Compliance Tips

  • Enable 2FA and secure treasury ops (role-based access, hardware keys).

  • Confirm custody setup (segregated accounts; multi-sig or MPC for smart-contract risk).

  • Complete KYC/AML where required; verify permitted jurisdictions. Tether+1

  • Use RFQ/OTC for large conversions to reduce slippage.

  • Practice wallet hygiene: label treasury addresses, restrict permissions, and test redemptions.

This article is for research/education, not financial advice.

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

  • Treating all stablecoins as identical; mechanisms and risks vary.

  • Ignoring fee schedules and settlement timelines for large redeems. Circle Help+1

  • Using a region-restricted product (e.g., PYUSD outside the U.S.; USDe app in restricted markets). PayPal+1

  • Overconcentrating in a single issuer or chain.

  • Skipping ongoing monitoring of peg, reserves, and disclosures.

FAQs

1) What are the main types of stablecoin issuers?
Three broad models: (1) Fiat-backed (Circle, Paxos, First Digital Labs), (2) Overcollateralized crypto-backed (MakerDAO DAI; Liquity), and (3) Synthetic/hedged (Ethena USDe). Each has distinct reserve/risk properties. docs.ethena.fi+3Circle+3Paxos+3

2) Which stablecoin is best for trading liquidity?
USDT typically leads on global CEX depth and pairs, with USDC often preferred for fiat-connected flows and DeFi. Choose based on venue support and treasury needs. Tether+1

3) Can U.S. users access every stablecoin?
No. PYUSD is for eligible U.S. PayPal/Venmo users; some protocols (e.g., Ethena) restrict U.S. access to their app. Always check terms. PayPal+1

4) How do fees work for minting and redeeming?
Paxos states no fees for mint/redeem USDP/PYUSD for primary clients; Circle has institutional schedules; Tether lists platform fees. Secondary-market trades still incur exchange/gas costs. Paxos+2Circle Help+2

5) Are euro or SGD stablecoins useful?
Yes. EURC/EURe enable euro settlements under EU rules; XSGD supports APAC rails and FX paths versus USD stables. Circle+2Monerium+2

6) Is DAI safer than fiat-backed coins?
“Safer” depends on your risk lens. DAI reduces bank/custodian reliance but adds crypto-collateral and governance risk; fiat-backed coins rely on custodians and regulators. Diversification is common. docs.makerdao.com

Conclusion + Related Reads

If you need global trading liquidity, start with USDT/USDC. For enterprise-grade compliance, Circle/Paxos shine. For decentralized resilience, DAI (and Liquity) fit. For regional rails, consider XSGD (APAC) and EURe/EURC (EU). Pair the right issuer with your use case, then monitor peg, reserves, and policy changes over time.

Related Reads:

  • Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges 2025

  • Top Derivatives Platforms 2025

  • Top Institutional Custody Providers 2025

‍

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Research

How Do I Keep My Cryptocurrency Safe?

Token Metrics Team
8 min

The cryptocurrency market has created life-changing wealth for millions, but it has also attracted hackers, scammers, and bad actors. From exchange hacks to phishing scams and rug pulls, billions of dollars in crypto have been lost due to poor security practices.

If you’re serious about trading or investing in crypto, one of your top priorities should be keeping your cryptocurrency safe. In this guide, we’ll walk through the biggest risks to your crypto security, best practices to protect your assets, and how Token Metrics can help you make informed, safe decisions when navigating the crypto market.

Why Is Cryptocurrency Security So Important?

Unlike a traditional bank account, cryptocurrency transactions are irreversible. If your funds are stolen, there’s usually no way to recover them.

  • No centralized authority: There’s no bank to call for refunds.
  • Pseudonymous transactions: It’s nearly impossible to trace funds once they’re moved.
  • High-value targets: Hackers actively target crypto investors due to the potential for large payoffs.

This means you are your own bank—and you’re responsible for protecting your funds.

Common Threats to Your Cryptocurrency

Before learning how to protect your crypto, you need to know what you’re up against:

1. Exchange Hacks

Crypto exchanges are frequent targets for hackers. Even top-tier exchanges like Mt. Gox and FTX have experienced devastating losses.

2. Phishing Attacks

Scammers use fake websites, emails, or social media accounts to trick you into revealing your private keys or login credentials.

3. Malware & Keyloggers

Cybercriminals install malicious software on your devices to steal passwords and seed phrases.

4. Rug Pulls & Scams

Fraudulent projects lure investors with promises of high returns, then disappear with the funds.

5. Human Error

Lost passwords, mishandled private keys, or accidental transfers can lead to permanent loss of funds.

How to Keep Your Cryptocurrency Safe

Here’s a step-by-step approach to safeguarding your crypto:

1. Use a Secure Wallet

Hardware Wallets:

  • The safest option for long-term storage.
  • Devices like Ledger or Trezor keep your private keys offline, out of reach of hackers.

Software Wallets:

  • Convenient for active trading but more vulnerable to attacks.
  • Use reputable wallets like MetaMask or Trust Wallet and enable strong security features.

Pro Tip: Use a hardware wallet for long-term holdings and a software wallet for small, active trading balances.

2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Always enable 2FA on your exchange accounts, wallets, and email addresses.

  • Use Google Authenticator or Authy, not SMS-based 2FA, which is susceptible to SIM swaps.

3. Beware of Phishing & Fake Websites

  • Double-check URLs before logging into exchanges or wallets.
  • Never click links from suspicious emails or DMs.
  • Bookmark the official websites of your exchanges and platforms.

4. Keep Your Seed Phrase Offline

Your wallet’s seed phrase is the master key to your funds.

  • Write it down on paper and store it securely (safe, vault).
  • Avoid storing it in digital form (cloud storage, photos).
  • Consider splitting the phrase into parts and storing them in separate locations.

5. Research Projects Before Investing

Many scams and rug pulls target uninformed investors chasing hype.

How Token Metrics Helps:

  • Use AI-powered Investor Grades to assess projects for long-term viability.
  • Leverage Moonshot Finder to discover vetted early-stage tokens with real growth potential—not scams.

6. Diversify Your Storage

Don’t keep all your crypto in one place.

  • Use multiple wallets for different purposes (trading vs. holding).
  • Spread funds across hardware, software, and exchange wallets.

7. Stay Updated on Threats

The crypto landscape changes fast.

  • Follow credible crypto news platforms.
  • Monitor regulatory updates and security alerts.
  • Use Token Metrics to stay ahead of market narratives and avoid projects flagged as high-risk.

How Token Metrics Helps You Stay Secure

While Token Metrics isn’t a wallet or exchange, it’s a powerful AI-powered platform designed to help you make safer investment decisions.

1. AI-Powered Risk Analysis

Token Metrics uses AI-driven evaluations to score projects, helping you avoid high-risk tokens and scam projects.

2. Investor & Trader Grades

Our proprietary grading system helps you quickly identify safe, high-quality assets for both short-term trading and long-term holding.

3. Moonshot Finder

Interested in low-cap tokens? The Moonshot Finder helps you spot legitimate early-stage projects before they pump—without falling into scams.

4. Narrative & Market Tracking

Stay ahead of emerging narratives and security concerns with Token Metrics’ real-time AI-driven analysis, helping you dodge risky trends.

Practical Security Checklist for Every Crypto Holder

  1. Use a hardware wallet for long-term holdings.
  2. Enable 2FA on all accounts—never rely on SMS-based security.
  3. Store seed phrases offline and securely.
  4. Avoid suspicious links and verify all URLs.
  5. Research every project using platforms like Token Metrics.
  6. Diversify storage across multiple wallets.
  7. Stay informed about new threats and market risks.

Final Thoughts

So, how do you keep your cryptocurrency safe? It comes down to strong storage practices, personal vigilance, and making informed investment decisions.

While hardware wallets and 2FA secure your assets, knowing where to invest is just as important. That’s where Token Metrics comes in—using AI-powered analysis to help you avoid scams, choose safe projects, and trade with confidence.

In crypto, you are your own bank—so take your security seriously. And with Token Metrics guiding your decisions, you can navigate this high-risk market safely and profitably.

Research

What Are Trading Fees and How Do They Work?

Token Metrics Team
8 min

If you’ve ever bought or sold cryptocurrency, you’ve likely noticed that exchanges charge trading fees. While these fees may seem small at first glance, they can add up significantly over time, especially for frequent traders.

Understanding how trading fees work is essential for maximizing your profits and choosing the right platform and strategy. In this guide, we’ll explain what trading fees are, how they’re calculated, the different types of fees, and how Token Metrics can help you minimize costs while optimizing your trades.

What Are Trading Fees?

Trading fees are charges imposed by cryptocurrency exchanges whenever you execute a trade—whether you’re buying, selling, or swapping digital assets.

  • Purpose:

    • They compensate exchanges for providing liquidity, security, and order-matching services.
    • They discourage spam orders that could overload the exchange.

Example:
If you buy $1,000 worth of Bitcoin with a 0.1% trading fee, you’ll pay $1 in fees for that transaction.

How Are Trading Fees Calculated?

Most crypto exchanges calculate fees based on:

  1. Trade Value (Percentage):

    • The most common model.
    • Fees are a percentage of the total trade amount (e.g., 0.1% per trade).

  2. Flat Fees:

    • Some platforms charge a fixed fee per trade, regardless of trade size.

  3. Tiered Fee Structures:

    • Frequent traders often benefit from lower fees when they reach certain monthly trading volumes.

Maker vs. Taker Fees

Many exchanges use a maker-taker model to incentivize liquidity:

  • Maker Fees:

    • You pay a lower fee (or sometimes nothing) when you add liquidity by placing a limit order that isn’t immediately matched.

  • Taker Fees:

    • You pay a higher fee when you remove liquidity by placing a market order that is filled instantly.

Example:
On Binance, makers might pay 0.08%, while takers pay 0.1%.

Types of Crypto Trading Fees

When trading crypto, you’ll encounter more than just trading fees:

1. Trading (Transaction) Fees

  • Charged when buying or selling crypto.
  • Often range from 0.05%–0.5% depending on the exchange.

2. Deposit Fees

  • Some exchanges charge when funding accounts via credit card, PayPal, or bank transfers.
  • Crypto deposits are typically free.

3. Withdrawal Fees

  • Charged when moving funds off the exchange.
  • Often fixed per withdrawal (e.g., 0.0005 BTC).

4. Network (Gas) Fees

  • Separate from exchange fees, paid to blockchain validators.
  • Ethereum and other networks can have high gas fees during peak demand.

Why Do Trading Fees Matter?

Even small fees can significantly impact your profits, especially if you trade often.

Example:

  • A day trader making 50 trades/month with a 0.1% fee per trade on $1,000 positions will pay $50/month in fees.
  • Over a year, that’s $600 lost to fees—before considering withdrawal or gas costs.

This is why reducing fees is crucial for active traders.

How to Minimize Trading Fees

1. Use Low-Fee Exchanges

Compare platforms—Binance, Bybit, and Kraken often offer competitive rates for high-volume traders.

2. Increase Your Trading Volume

Many exchanges lower fees as your monthly trading volume increases.

3. Use Limit Orders

Save on fees by acting as a maker instead of a taker whenever possible.

4. Pay with Exchange Tokens

Some exchanges offer discounts when fees are paid with their native token (e.g., BNB on Binance).

5. Optimize Your Trading Strategy with AI

Instead of making dozens of small trades, use data-driven insights from Token Metrics to make high-probability trades—reducing overall fee impact.

How Token Metrics Helps You Save on Fees

Token Metrics isn’t an exchange—it’s an AI-powered crypto research and trading platform designed to maximize your profits.

Here’s how it helps with trading fees:

1. AI-Powered Trade Optimization

Token Metrics provides bullish/bearish trading signals based on 80+ technical indicators, helping you enter fewer but higher-quality trades—minimizing unnecessary fees.

2. Trader & Investor Grades

Our proprietary grading system helps you identify top-performing cryptos, reducing guesswork and avoiding costly trial-and-error trading.

3. AI-Managed Indices

Instead of manually rebalancing portfolios (and paying multiple trading fees), use Token Metrics AI-driven crypto indices, which rebalance intelligently while keeping transaction costs low.

4. Narrative Tracking

Our AI detects emerging crypto narratives early, helping you position yourself before the market gets crowded—reducing the need for excessive short-term trading.

Practical Example: Using Token Metrics to Reduce Fees

Imagine you’re trading altcoins manually and make 20 trades/month.

  • At 0.2% per trade on $1,000 positions, you pay $40/month in fees.
  • With Token Metrics AI signals, you cut this down to 8 high-probability trades per month—reducing your fees by 60% while increasing win rates.

This is how data-driven trading saves both money and stress.

Final Thoughts

So, what are trading fees and how do they work? They’re the charges exchanges take for facilitating trades, withdrawals, and transactions—and while they may seem small, they can eat into your profits quickly.

The good news? You can minimize trading fees with the right strategies—and Token Metrics can help.

By providing AI-powered trading signals, long-term Investor Grades, and automated crypto indices, Token Metrics helps you reduce unnecessary trades, make smarter decisions, and maximize your returns—all while minimizing the impact of trading fees.

Whether you’re a beginner or advanced trader, using Token Metrics means trading smarter, not harder.

Research

Should I Use Leverage When Trading Crypto?

Token Metrics Team
8 min

Leverage trading has become a hot topic in the crypto world. Many traders are attracted by the promise of amplified profits—but fail to realize it also magnifies losses. If you’ve been wondering, “Should I use leverage when trading crypto?” the short answer is: only if you fully understand the risks and have a solid strategy.

In this guide, we’ll break down what leverage trading is, how it works, its pros and cons, and how AI-powered tools like Token Metrics can help you make smarter decisions when trading with leverage.

What Is Leverage Trading in Crypto?

Leverage trading lets you borrow funds from an exchange to increase your position size, allowing you to control more capital than you actually own.

For example:

  • If you have $1,000 and use 10x leverage, you’re trading with $10,000.
  • A 10% price increase can give you a 100% profit on your original investment.
  • But a 10% price drop could wipe out your position completely.

Popular platforms like Binance, Bybit, and OKX offer leverage levels from 2x to 125x for certain assets.

Pros of Leverage Trading

Leverage isn’t all bad. When used responsibly, it offers several benefits:

1. Higher Profit Potential

Even small price movements can generate significant returns when using leverage.

2. Portfolio Efficiency

Traders can free up capital for other positions while maintaining large exposure in a leveraged trade.

3. Opportunities in Bear Markets

Leverage allows for short selling, enabling you to profit when prices go down.

Cons of Leverage Trading

The same factors that make leverage attractive also make it high-risk:

1. Amplified Losses

Just as leverage magnifies profits, it magnifies losses. A minor price drop could liquidate your entire position.

2. Liquidation Risk

When your collateral falls below a certain threshold, the exchange automatically closes your position, locking in your losses.

3. Emotional Stress

Leverage trading is fast-paced and stressful, often leading to panic selling or revenge trading after losses.

Should Beginners Use Leverage?

No.
If you’re new to trading, avoid leverage until you have:

  • A proven strategy with consistent results in spot trading.
  • Strong risk management skills (e.g., using stop-loss orders).
  • The ability to stay disciplined under pressure.

For beginners, leveraged trading can be a fast track to losing your capital.

When Does It Make Sense to Use Leverage?

For experienced traders, leverage can make sense when:

  • You’re hedging your portfolio against downside risk.
  • You have high conviction in a trade and want to maximize gains.
  • You’re trading high-liquidity assets like BTC or ETH with well-defined stop-losses.

How Token Metrics Helps You Trade Smarter with Leverage

Leverage trading requires precision, and that’s where Token Metrics gives you an edge.

1. AI-Powered Bullish & Bearish Signals

Identify high-probability trades with real-time AI signals based on 80+ technical indicators. This helps you avoid entering positions blindly.

2. Trader & Investor Grades

Use Trader Grades for short-term trading opportunities and Investor Grades for long-term positions—helping you decide when to scale up or reduce leverage.

3. Risk Assessment Tools

Token Metrics evaluates crypto projects and market trends to reduce exposure to high-risk assets—a must for leveraged positions.

4. AI-Driven Indices

Don’t want to trade manually? Use our AI-managed crypto indices to gain diversified exposure without taking unnecessary leveraged risks.

5. Narrative Detection

Our AI identifies emerging narratives before they hit mainstream attention, giving you a strategic edge in timing trades—crucial when using leverage.

Best Practices for Using Leverage in Crypto

If you decide to use leverage, follow these rules:

  1. Start Small: Use low leverage (2x–3x) instead of going all in at 20x or 50x.
  2. Set Stop-Loss Orders: Always predetermine your maximum loss tolerance.
  3. Trade Liquid Assets: Stick to high-volume coins like BTC and ETH to avoid slippage.
  4. Don’t Overtrade: Only use leverage on trades with strong conviction and proper analysis.
  5. Use AI Tools: Let Token Metrics guide your entries and exits with data-driven insights.

Why Overleveraging Is Dangerous

Many traders lose money by overleveraging, which leads to:

  • Margin calls and forced liquidations.
  • Revenge trading, where losses push traders into reckless decisions.
  • Complete portfolio wipeouts from one bad trade.

Pro Tip: Only trade with leverage on funds you can afford to lose.

Final Thoughts

So, should you use leverage when trading crypto?

For beginners, the answer is no—focus on mastering spot trading first. For experienced traders, leverage can be a powerful tool when used with strict risk management and data-driven insights.

That’s where Token Metrics makes a difference. With AI-powered trading signals, real-time risk analysis, and narrative tracking, Token Metrics helps you trade smarter, reduce emotional mistakes, and optimize your leverage strategy.

Leverage can make you or break you—so don’t go in blind. Use Token Metrics to guide your trades and stay ahead of the market.

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