## What Is BitMEX? BitMEX is a peer-to-peer ([P2P](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/what-is-peer-to-peer-p2p)) cryptocurrency exchange and professional derivatives trading platform founded by HDR Global Trading Limited and registered in Seychelles under the International Business Companies Act. BitMEX stands for Bitcoin Mercantile Exchange. It focuses primarily on advanced investors and seasoned traders who are familiar with the concepts of [leveraged tokens](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/leveraged-tokens) and [margin trading](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/margin-trading). The platform claims to stand out from the competition due to deep liquidity for Bitcoin [perpetuals](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/perpetual-contracts), a professional trading dashboard, low trading fees, and no deposit or withdrawal fees. BitMEX offers futures and other derivatives, but for beginners, the functionality of the exchange can be complex. On top of that, BitMEX only does crypto-to-crypto trading without the possibility of depositing fiat. The leveraged trading platform for [Bitcoin](https://coinmarketcap.com/ru/currencies/bitcoin/) traders has reportedly never been hacked. BitMEX claims to keeps encrypted crypto funds in cold storage and offers clients multi-signature wallets. The developers also highlight an MPC system, which enhances the security for the deposit/withdrawal of funds and prevents any actions of intruders. ## Who Are the BitMEX Founders? The project was co-founded by banking experts Arthur Hayes (CEO), Samuel Reed (CTO), and Ben Delo (CSO). Arthur Hayes is an entrepreneur, derivatives trader, and crypto enthusiast. Hayes graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School of Business) with a Bachelor of Science in economics and finance. He worked for Deutsche Bank and Citibank as a market maker, discovered an interest in Bitcoin in 2013, became part of BitMEX in 2014, and left the post of CEO of the company in 2020. ## When Did BitMEX Launch? It was established in 2014 in Hong Kong and registered in Seychelles. BitMEX is owned by HDR Global Trading Limited. ## BitMEX Restricted Countries The Seychelles-based exchange is not regulated in the United States, so it's not available to U.S. residents/citizens. Moreover, the exchange does not provide services for accounts located in Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Crimea and Sevastopol, Donetsk People’s Republic, Luhansk People’s Republic of Ukraine, Kherson Oblast and Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Seychelles, Bermuda, Japan, Ontario Canada, and Quebec Canada. ## What Coins Are Supported on BitMEX? BitMEX is one of the leading crypto derivatives exchanges where users can purchase [futures](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/futures)/[perpetual](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/perpetual-contracts) contracts on a wide variety of assets like BTC, ETH, LTC, XRP, SOL, ADA, BCH, BNB, LINK, DOT. The derivatives platform supports more crypto choices than the spot one. ## How Much Are BitMEX Fees? The exchange uses the maker & taker model. The trading fee on BitMEX starts at 0.025%. For spot trading, the fees are 0.01% for makers and 0.075% for takers. As for derivatives, the trading fees are 0.075% for takers, and makers receive a 0.01% rebate. BitMEX accepts deposits in Bitcoin and doesn’t charge fees on withdrawals/deposits. ## Is It Possible To Use Leverage or Margin Trading on BitMEX? The exchange presents to investors two types of [margin trading](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/margin-trading): isolated and cross-margin. The derivatives trading platform offers up to 100x leverage on some of its products. Сustomers can use 20x to 100x leverage, depending on the asset, with BTC offering the highest ratios - up to 1:100.