TradingMargin Tiers

Margin Tiers

GX Exchange uses a multi-tier margin system where maximum leverage decreases as position size increases. This prevents large positions from amplifying systemic risk during volatile markets.

Per-Asset Tier Tables

BTC-USD

Notional RangeMax LeverageInitial MarginMaintenance Margin
$0 — $150M40x2.50% (250 bps)1.25% (125 bps)
> $150M20x5.00% (500 bps)2.50% (250 bps)

ETH-USD

Notional RangeMax LeverageInitial MarginMaintenance Margin
$0 — $100M25x4.00% (400 bps)2.00% (200 bps)
> $100M15x6.67% (667 bps)3.33% (333 bps)

SOL-USD

Notional RangeMax LeverageInitial MarginMaintenance Margin
$0 — $70M20x5.00% (500 bps)2.50% (250 bps)
> $70M10x10.00% (1000 bps)5.00% (500 bps)

Default (All Other Assets)

Notional RangeMax LeverageInitial MarginMaintenance Margin
$0 — $20M10x10.00% (1000 bps)5.00% (500 bps)
> $20M5x20.00% (2000 bps)10.00% (1000 bps)

Tiered Margin Calculation

The margin system ensures continuity at tier boundaries by computing cumulative deductions. Without deductions, a position that crosses from one tier to the next would experience a discontinuous jump in margin requirements.

Maintenance Margin Formula

tiered_maintenance = notional * tier_maintenance_bps / 10,000 - cumulative_deduction

Where the cumulative deduction for tier i is:

deduction[0] = 0
deduction[i] = deduction[i-1] + (tier[i].lower_bound - tier[i-1].lower_bound)
               * (tier[i].maintenance_bps - tier[i-1].maintenance_bps) / 10,000

BTC-USD Example

Cumulative deduction at tier 1:

deduction[1] = 0 + ($150M - $0) * (250 - 125) / 10,000
             = $150,000,000 * 125 / 10,000
             = $1,875,000

Margin at the $150M boundary:

  • Just below ($149,999,999): $149,999,999 * 125 / 10,000 = $1,874,999
  • At boundary ($150,000,000): $150,000,000 * 250 / 10,000 - $1,875,000 = $1,875,000

The difference is at most 1 unit (integer rounding), confirming smooth continuity.

Margin at $200M:

$200,000,000 * 250 / 10,000 - $1,875,000 = $5,000,000 - $1,875,000 = $3,125,000

Effective rate: $3,125,000 / $200,000,000 = 1.5625%, which is between the 1.25% and 2.5% tier rates — exactly as expected for a blended calculation.

Properties

The tiered margin function is:

  • Monotonically increasing: Margin always increases as notional increases
  • Continuous: No jumps at tier boundaries due to cumulative deductions
  • Conservative: Initial margin (used for new orders) does not apply deductions, ensuring slightly higher margin requirements at boundaries for safety

Custom Tier Registration

New markets can be registered with custom margin tier tables via governance. Each custom table must:

  1. Have at least one tier
  2. Start at notional lower bound of 0
  3. Have strictly ascending tier boundaries
  4. Have non-decreasing maintenance margin rates