Portfolio margin mode is an advanced account feature that allows traders to manage multiple positions—including spot, margin, perpetual futures, expiry futures, and options—within a single account. This mode uses a risk-based model to calculate margin requirements, enabling more efficient use of capital and reduced margin needs through risk offsetting.
By consolidating all positions, portfolio margin provides a holistic view of risk, helping traders optimize their strategies and improve capital efficiency. All assets are converted into a USD-equivalent value for margin calculation, simplifying the management of multi-currency portfolios.
What Is Portfolio Margin Mode?
Portfolio margin mode assesses the combined risk of all your holdings. Instead of treating each position in isolation, it groups instruments based on their underlying assets. This approach allows for natural hedging—where losses in one position may be offset by gains in another—resulting in lower overall margin requirements.
The system automatically incorporates spot assets into the relevant risk units. When spot holdings and derivatives within the same risk unit form a hedged position, the margin requirement is reduced accordingly.
Qualification Requirements
To be eligible for portfolio margin mode, you must meet two primary criteria:
- Maintain a minimum net equity of $10,000 in your account.
- Acknowledge that you understand the concepts and risks associated with portfolio margining.
These requirements help ensure that users have sufficient capital and knowledge to manage the complexities of this advanced mode.
How Risk Offsetting Works
The core of portfolio margin is risk unit consolidation. Instruments with the same underlying asset are merged into a single risk unit.
For example, all Ethereum (ETH)-based derivatives—such as ETHUSDT perpetual futures, ETHUSD expiry futures, and ETH options—are grouped together with ETH spot holdings. This consolidation allows the system to calculate a net risk exposure for the entire group.
When the combined delta of derivatives within a risk unit is negative and you hold a positive spot equity, the system recognizes a hedged position. This reduces the total margin required for that unit.
Calculating Portfolio Margin
The margin calculation in this mode is a two-step process: determining the Maintenance Margin Requirement (MMR) and then deriving the Initial Margin Requirement (IMR) from it.
The MMR is calculated by simulating various adverse market scenarios for each risk unit to determine the potential maximum loss. The USD value of each unit's MMR is then summed to create a total portfolio MMR. The IMR is typically set at 1.3 times the derivatives MMR plus any borrowed IMR.
Understanding "Spot in Use"
"Spot in use" refers to the amount of spot assets allocated to hedge derivatives within the same risk unit. The calculation depends on the delta of the derivatives and the equity of the spot holding:
- If spot equity is positive and derivatives delta is negative: Spot in use is the minimum of the absolute equity, the absolute delta, or a user-defined threshold.
- If spot equity is negative and derivatives delta is positive: Spot in use (borrowing) is the negative value of the same minimum calculation.
- In all other cases, spot in use is zero.
Key Components of Portfolio Margin
Portfolio margin is composed of two main parts:
- Derivatives Margin: The margin required for all derivative positions within the consolidated risk units.
- Borrowing Margin: The margin required for any potential or actual borrowing within the account.
The final MMR is the sum of the Derivatives MMR and the Borrowing MMR.
The Role of Market Risk Scenarios (MR1-MR9)
The system calculates the Derivatives MMR by stress-testing each risk unit under nine specific market risk scenarios and taking the maximum value from these calculations. These risks include:
- MR1: Spot Shock: Simulates significant price movements in the underlying asset.
- MR2: Theta Decay Risk: Measures the time decay of options values over 24 hours.
- MR3: Vega Risk: Assesses the risk from changes in implied volatility across different option expiries.
- MR4: Basis Risk: Evaluates the risk of futures prices diverging from spot prices.
- MR5: Interest Rate Risk: Measures the impact of shifts in the yield curve on options pricing.
- MR6: Extreme Move: Tests for catastrophic price movements beyond standard spot shocks.
- MR7: Minimum Charge: Covers potential slippage and trading fees during liquidation.
- MR8: Borrowing Margin: Calculates margin for potential borrowing needs.
- MR9: Stablecoin Depegging Risk: Measures the risk associated with stablecoins losing their peg to the USD.
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Auto-Borrow vs. Non-Auto-Borrow Mode
Portfolio margin mode offers two sub-modes for handling borrowing:
- Auto-Borrow Mode: If your total USD-equivalent equity is sufficient but you lack a specific currency, the system will automatically generate a potential borrowing position, allowing you to execute trades.
- Non-Auto-Borrow Mode: You can only place orders using the available balance or available equity of a specific currency. Potential borrowing may still be generated passively in certain situations, such as when a loss is settled in a currency where your equity is insufficient.
Testing Your Portfolio Margin
You can simulate margin requirements for existing or hypothetical portfolios using the Position Builder tool. This allows you to:
- Add simulated positions to see their impact on IMR and MMR.
- Combine existing positions with new simulated ones.
- View a detailed breakdown of the MMR by market risk type.
This tool is invaluable for planning strategies and understanding how new trades will affect your overall margin requirements.
The Liquidation Process
Liquidation in portfolio margin mode is triggered when the maintenance margin ratio falls to 100%. The process is multi-staged and designed to reduce the account's risk profile step-by-step:
- Dynamic Hedging for Stablecoin Risk (DDH1): Executed if stablecoin depegging risk (MR9) is the dominant risk.
- General Dynamic Hedging (DDH2): Applied when spot shock risk (MR1) is largest, adjusting perpetual and expiry futures positions.
- Basis Hedge Process: Reduces basis risk (MR4) by liquidating expiry futures with different dates simultaneously.
- General Position Reduction: The system liquidates positions tier-by-tier until the maintenance margin ratio returns above 110%.
Each step is irreversible and continues only if the account remains at risk after the previous step.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main advantage of portfolio margin mode?
The primary advantage is capital efficiency. By netting off correlated and hedged positions across different products, the total margin requirement is often significantly lower than in isolated margin modes, freeing up capital for other opportunities.
Who is portfolio margin mode best suited for?
This mode is designed for experienced traders with diverse portfolios who engage in complex strategies like hedging and arbitrage across spot, futures, and options markets. It is less suitable for beginners due to its complexity.
How does risk unit merge work?
Risk unit merge groups all instruments—perpetual futures, expiry futures, options, and spot—that share the same underlying asset (e.g., ETH) into a single unit. The system then calculates a net risk exposure for the entire group, allowing gains in one position to offset losses in another for margin purposes.
Can I test how a new trade would affect my margin?
Yes, you can use the Position Builder tool to simulate new positions and see their immediate impact on your Initial and Maintenance Margin Requirements without actually executing the trades.
What happens if a stablecoin depegs?
The MR9 (Stablecoin Depegging Risk) calculation is designed to cover this scenario. If a depeg occurs and MR9 becomes the dominant risk, the liquidation process will first initiate a dynamic hedging process (DDH1) to mitigate this specific risk.
Is my entire portfolio liquidated at once if I get liquidated?
No, the liquidation process is a multi-step procedure. The system liquidates positions in a specific order to methodically reduce risk. The goal is to return the account to a safe status (margin ratio > 110%) by only liquidating the necessary amount of positions.