Crypto.com brings crypto perpetual contracts to US traders with up to 5x leverage - The Cryptonomist

Crypto.com has introduced crypto perpetual contracts for traders in the United States, offering leverage of up to 5x, according to The Cryptonomist. Perpetual contracts are derivative instruments that track an underlying crypto asset without an expiry date, allowing positions to be held indefinitely as long as margin requirements are met. The capped 5x leverage is notable: it is more conservative than the far higher multiples available on some offshore venues, which may reflect the compliance expectations of operating within the US market.

The development matters because regulated access to leveraged crypto derivatives has been limited for US-based participants, who have often looked to offshore platforms. A major exchange offering these products domestically could broaden participation and shift some activity toward regulated venues. Perpetuals are also widely used for hedging, so their availability may give US traders more tools to manage exposure.

What to watch: how regulators and industry observers respond to the rollout, whether other US-facing platforms follow with similar products, and how leverage limits compare across venues. Perpetuals carry liquidation and funding-rate risks that amplify losses as well as gains, so the terms and risk disclosures attached to these contracts are worth monitoring closely.