XM Crypto Trading: Bitcoin CFDs, 24/7 Hours and Leverage

XM offers cryptocurrency CFDs, which XM calls crypto derivatives, that trade 24/7, including on public holidays. XM's published table lists Bitcoin (BTCUSD) and Ethereum (ETHUSD) with maximum leverage of 1000:1, and smaller coins such as Solana, Dogecoin and Cardano at 50:1. Crypto trades on MT5 and the XM App. You trade the price only; you don't own or transfer any coins.

Crypto's round-the-clock market and big swings attract traders, but they also mean prices can move sharply while you sleep. That makes leverage and position size the whole game.

XM's crypto CFDs

XM's cryptocurrency page shows its top 10 crypto instruments, with more available after you register.

Spreads are in the coin's price units: a Bitcoin spread of 40 means $40 between the buy and sell price. Those are XM's published figures and can widen in volatile periods.

Leverage on crypto

XM's crypto leverage is among the highest you'll see, up to 1000:1 on Bitcoin and Ethereum, subject to your account's equity tier. At that level, a 0.1% move against you wipes out your margin on the position, and Bitcoin can move several percent in an hour. XM's copy trading uses a fixed 20:1 margin for crypto in Investor Accounts, a sensible benchmark for your own trading. Our XM stop out guide explains what happens when margin runs out.

Trading crypto 24/7

XM's Help Center says cryptocurrencies can be traded around the clock because they're part of a global market that stays open across time zones, even on public holidays. The other side of that is weekend and overnight risk: prices can gap while other markets are shut, and liquidity thins out at quiet times. Our XM trading hours guide covers every market.

What crypto trading costs at XM

There is no commission on crypto at XM; the spread is the main cost, plus swaps on positions held overnight. Swaps on crypto can be large relative to the position, so check the swap in the instrument's information before holding a trade for days. XM's thematic Crypto 10 Index offers another route, a single instrument tracking a basket of coins. Our XM indices guide covers it.

Crypto CFDs vs owning coins

XM's negative balance protection means a crypto crash can't leave you owing money beyond your balance, a real safeguard in a market that can gap.

How to trade crypto at XM safely

1. Open or use an MT5 account, or trade from the XM App.
2. Set a low account leverage before your first crypto trade.
3. Risk 1% to 2% of the account per trade, sized from your stop.
4. Check the swap before holding overnight.
5. Reduce size into weekends and major crypto news.

Crypto in copy trading and indices

Two other XM products give crypto exposure. XM Copy Trading applies a fixed 20:1 margin to crypto in Investor Accounts, whatever the manager uses, with a minimum copied size of 0.01 lots. The thematic Crypto 10 Index bundles a basket of coins into one instrument with 50:1 leverage and a wide average spread of 115.5 points. Both reduce single-coin risk, but neither removes crypto's volatility.

A weekend checklist

• Decide before Friday if you'll hold crypto over the weekend at all.
• Halve position size for weekend holds; liquidity is thinner.
• Keep a stop loss on every position; it's your only protection while you're away.
• Remember that XM blocks withdrawals below a 400% margin level at weekends.

Swaps and holding periods

Crypto CFDs at XM are designed for trading, not storing value. Holding a leveraged Bitcoin position for weeks means paying a swap every night, and the leverage that makes short trades efficient makes long holds fragile: a slow 20% slide is routine in crypto and would wipe out any position opened above 5:1 without a stop. If your plan is to hold coins for months, owning them on a regulated exchange avoids both problems; XM's CFDs suit hours-to-days trading.

What 1000:1 means on a Bitcoin trade

Leverage decides margin, not profit per move. At 1000:1, a crypto position worth $10,000 needs about $10 of margin, and a move of just 0.1% against you uses it up. XM's equity tiers still apply, so leverage falls to 500:1 once your account equity passes $40,000, and XM's stable leverage policy means it isn't cut during news. On a market that can move several percent in an hour, most careful traders set their own leverage far lower before they place a crypto trade.

Frequently asked

Related reading

• XM trading hours
• XM stop out and margin
• XM indices
• XM trading platforms
• XM trading fees
• Our full XM review