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Our Mission

Perp trading shouldn't be intimidating. Arcex is engineered to give everyday users the confidence to master perpetual futures. By prioritizing a seamless user interface and the lowest fees in the industry, we are making sophisticated trading strategies simple, accessible, and affordable for the first time.

Our Team

With decades of experience in crypto and banking sectors, the Arcex team is uniquely positioned to bring a new experience for all levels of traders. We pride ourselves on our attention to detail, user experience, and our true love for the game of crypto.

Arcex supports USDC deposits on Arbitrum. Your deposit address is shown on the portfolio screen and is unique to your account.

How to Deposit

1. On the portfolio screen, tap "Deposit"
2. Tap "Copy Address"
3. Send USDC on the Arbitrum network to the copied address

Important: Only send USDC on Arbitrum. Sending other tokens or using the wrong network may result in lost funds.

Before you can trade, you need to move USDC from your spot wallet into the account for the product you want to use — Perps or Options.

NOTE: You must have spot USDC to transfer. Deposit first if your wallet is empty.

Transfer to your Perps Account

1. On the portfolio screen, tap "Transfer"
2. Select "Spot → Perps"
3. Enter the amount you wish to transfer
4. Tap "Transfer to Perps" to confirm

CAUTION! If you open a perps position, any USDC in your perps account is at risk of liquidation!

Transfer to your Options Account

1. On the portfolio screen, tap "Transfer"
2. Select your Options Account
3. Tap "Deposit" and enter the amount of USDC to transfer from your spot wallet
4. Confirm the transfer

Options use Arbitrum USDC. Make sure you have deposited USDC on Arbitrum before transferring to your Options account.

Transfer Back to Spot

1. On the portfolio screen, tap "Transfer" and select "Perps → Spot" (or withdraw from your Options account)
2. Enter the desired amount and confirm

Arcex pays all Arbitrum network fees for you!

Withdraw to an external exchange/wallet

1. On the portfolio screen, click "Withdraw"
2. Select the asset you wish to withdraw
3. Enter the desired amount
4. Enter the address of the exchange or wallet
5. Confirm all details and click "Confirm Withdrawal"

Ready to make your first trade?

CAUTION! Be aware of the risks associated with perpetual futures (perps) trading!

Step 1: Choose your trading pair

First, you'll need to decide which asset you want to trade. At the top of the trading screen, you can browse and select from our available perpetual futures markets, such as BTC-PERP or ETH-PERP.

Step 2: Decide to Go Long or Short

This is the core of your trade. Based on your market analysis, you'll choose one of two directions:

• Go Long (Buy): If you believe the price of the asset will go up
• Go Short (Sell): If you believe the price of the asset will go down

Step 3: Select your leverage

At Arcex, we offer a wide range of leverage options, from 1x all the way up to 100x (for experienced traders).

As we discussed in our guide on Understanding Leverage, this will amplify your position size. For beginners, we strongly recommend starting with a lower leverage, such as 2x or 3x, to manage your risk effectively.

Step 4: Choose your order type

For your first trade, we recommend using a Market Order. This is the simplest order type, as it will execute your trade immediately at the best available price in the market. You can learn more about other order types in our Order Types guide.

Now, decide how much you want to trade. Enter the amount in terms of USDC. The platform will show you the total notional value of your position based on the amount and leverage you've selected.

Final Step: Review and Confirm

Finally, a confirmation window will appear, summarizing all the details of your trade: the trading pair, direction (long or short), leverage, amount, estimated liquidation price, etc. Take a moment to review everything carefully.

If you're happy with the details, click "Confirm Trade" to execute your order.

Congratulations, you've just placed your first trade on Arcex!

Perpetual futures trading, or "perps," might sound complicated, but the core idea is simple: it's a way to trade on the future price of a cryptocurrency without ever having to own the cryptocurrency itself.

Think of it as placing a bet on whether the price of a digital asset, like Bitcoin, will go up or down. If you believe the price will rise, you can open a long position. If you think it will fall, you can open a short position. This allows you to potentially profit from the market no matter which direction it's moving.

What makes perpetual futures different?

Unlike traditional futures contracts that have a set expiration date, perpetual futures, as the name suggests, never expire. This means you can hold your position for as long as you want, whether it's for a few minutes or a few months, giving you much more flexibility.

Another key feature is leverage. Leverage allows you to control a larger position with a smaller amount of capital.

For example, with 10x leverage, you could control a $10,000 position with just $1,000 of your own funds. This can amplify your potential profits, but it's important to remember that it also amplifies your potential losses.

Arcex connects you to multiple decentralized exchanges through a single interface. Each venue has its own strengths, and you can switch between them depending on your trading style.

How Venues Work

Each venue is a separate exchange. This means your balances, positions, and orders are independent per venue. A deposit to Orderly does not appear on Hyperliquid, and vice versa.

You can switch venues from the Markets screen, the Portfolio screen, or in Settings. The app remembers your last selection.

Orderly Network (Default)

Orderly is the default trading venue on Arcex. It offers cross-margin with leverage up to 100x and low-latency order execution. Deposits are made by sending USDC on Arbitrum to your deposit address — Arcex handles the gas fees for you.

Hyperliquid

Hyperliquid offers cross-margin trading with deep liquidity across hundreds of markets. Deposits are bridged from your Arbitrum wallet to the Hyperliquid L1 — the app handles the bridge automatically when you transfer funds.

You can have positions open on multiple venues at the same time. Just make sure you're looking at the right venue when managing your trades.

Leverage is one of the most powerful features of perpetual futures trading. In simple terms, leverage allows you to control a large position with a small amount of money.

Think of it like a down payment on a house. You put down a small percentage of the total value to secure the property. If you use 10x leverage, you're putting down 10% of the total position size, and the exchange provides the rest.

How Leverage Works

With 10x leverage, $1,000 can control a $10,000 position. Every 1% price move changes your position's value by $100 instead of $10.

Leverage amplifies both profits and losses. With 100x leverage, a 1% move against you can wipe out your entire margin. We strongly recommend beginners start with 2x or 3x leverage.

Cross-Margin on Arcex

Arcex uses a cross-margin system. Instead of allocating separate margin to each position, your entire account balance acts as a shared safety net for all open trades.

• Simplicity: No need to manage margin per-position.
• Flexibility: Profits from one position can offset losses on another, helping you avoid liquidation.
• Efficiency: You can open larger positions since risk is spread across your portfolio.

Cross-Margin in Practice

Say you have $2,000 and open a long BTC position and a short ETH position. If BTC drops (-$500) and ETH also drops (+$500 for your short):

Since your entire balance is shared, a single large losing position can put your whole account at risk. Always manage your risk and use leverage wisely.

Market Order

A Market Order is the simplest and most straightforward order type. When you place a market order, your trade is executed immediately at the best available price in the market.

When to use it: When you want to enter or exit a position quickly and you're not concerned about getting a specific price. This is perfect for beginners.

Example: You see Bitcoin starting to surge and you want to open a long position right away. You place a market order to buy immediately.

Limit Order

A Limit Order allows you to set a specific price at which you want your order to be filled. Your order will only execute if the market reaches your specified price (or better).

When to use it: When you have a target entry or exit price in mind and you're willing to wait for the market to reach that level.

Example: Bitcoin is currently trading at $45,000, but you believe it will dip to $44,000 before going higher. You place a limit order to buy at $44,000. Your order will only execute if the price drops to that level.

A flip lets you reverse your position in a single action. If you're long and want to go short (or vice versa), tapping Flip closes your current position and immediately opens the opposite side using the freed-up margin.

How It Works

1. Your current position is closed at market price.
2. After a brief settlement, a new position opens in the opposite direction.
3. The margin from your closed position is used to fund the new one.

You can control how much of your available margin the new position uses. By default, the flip uses 100% of the freed margin, but you can select 25%, 50%, or 75% using the percentage buttons.

When to Use a Flip

• Quick reversal: You change your market outlook and want to switch direction without manually closing and re-entering.
• Momentum shift: A breakout fails and you want to ride the opposite move immediately.
• Save time: Instead of two separate trades (close + open), a flip handles both in one tap.

Using Flips in the App

When you have an open position, a purple Flip button appears on the trading screen alongside the Add and Close buttons. Tap it to expand the flip controls, choose your margin percentage, and confirm.

If your current position is at a loss, the flip size may be reduced because less margin is available after closing. The app shows you the projected new position size before you confirm.

If you're new to perpetual futures trading, you might have noticed something called the funding rate within your Arcex app. While it might seem confusing at first, the funding rate is simple!

The Basics: What is Funding Rate?

The funding rate is a small periodic payment that is exchanged between traders holding long positions and traders holding short positions. This payment happens automatically every 8 hours on Arcex.

The purpose of the funding rate is to keep the price of the perpetual futures contract closely aligned with the actual spot price of the underlying asset (like Bitcoin or Ethereum). Without this mechanism, the perpetual futures price could drift far away from the real market price.

Who gets paid?

The direction of the funding payment depends on market sentiment:

When the funding rate is positive: Traders holding long positions pay traders holding short positions. This typically happens when the market is bullish and the perpetual futures price is trading above the spot price.

When the funding rate is negative: Traders holding short positions pay traders holding long positions. This typically happens when the market is bearish and the perpetual futures price is trading below the spot price.

How Much is the Funding Rate?

The funding rate is usually a very small percentage, often just a fraction of a percent. On Arcex, the funding rate is calculated based on the difference between the perpetual futures price and the underlying spot price, along with a small interest rate component.

Example: If the funding rate is 0.01% and you have a $10,000 position, you would either pay or receive $1 during that funding period. As you can see, it's typically a small amount, but it can add up over time if you hold positions for long periods.

On Arcex, funding payments are settled every 8 hours.

You only pay or receive funding if you have an open position at the exact moment the funding period occurs. If you close your position before the funding time, you won't be affected by that period's funding rate.

Why Does Funding Rate Matter?

Understanding the funding rate is important for a few reasons:

1. Cost of Holding Positions: If you're planning to hold a position for a long time, you'll want to keep an eye on the funding rate. Consistently paying funding can eat into your profits, while consistently receiving funding can add to your gains.
2. Market Sentiment Indicator: The funding rate can give you a sense of market sentiment. A high positive funding rate suggests that most traders are bullish (going long), while a high negative funding rate suggests bearish sentiment (going short).
3. Strategy Considerations: Some advanced traders use funding rates as part of their strategy, taking positions that allow them to collect funding payments over time.

How to View Funding Rate on Arcex

You can view the current and historical funding rates for each trading pair directly on the Arcex trading interface. This information is updated in real-time, so you always know what to expect.

Trading perpetual futures can be exciting and profitable, but it's important to understand the risks involved, especially the concept of liquidation. At Arcex, we want you to trade with confidence, and that starts with understanding how to manage your risk and protect your account.

What is liquidation?

Liquidation occurs when your position is automatically closed by the platform because your losses have approached the amount of collateral (margin) you have in your account. In other words, if the market moves too far against your position, the system will close it to prevent you from losing more money than you have.

Think of liquidation as a safety mechanism. It protects both you and the platform from going into negative balance. However, getting liquidated means you lose the collateral you had allocated to that position, so it's something you definitely want to avoid.

Your Safety Indicator: The Distance to Liquidation Bar

Instead of forcing you to calculate complex margin ratios, we've made it simple to see your risk level at a glance with the Distance to Liquidation bar.

Think of this bar as your account's safety gauge. It shows you exactly how close you are to being liquidated. The percentage number on the right hand side of the bar is the asset's distance from your liquidation.

• When the bar is on the far left: You are in a very safe position with plenty of room for the market to move.
• As the bar moves to the right: Your risk is increasing. The market is moving against you, and your position is getting closer to being liquidated.
• When the bar reaches the far right: Your position is in immediate danger of being liquidated. You should take action to manage your risk.

How to Avoid Liquidation

The good news is that liquidation is entirely avoidable if you manage your risk properly. Here are some key strategies to keep your account as safe as possible:

1. Use lower leverage — The higher your leverage, the faster your Distance to Liquidation bar will move to the right with small price changes. If you're using 100x leverage, even a 1% move against your position could put you at risk. Starting with lower leverage (like 2x or 3x) gives your positions much more room to breathe.
2. Don't use your whole account — It might be tempting to use all of your available funds to maximize your position size, but this is risky. Always keep a buffer in your account. If you only use a portion of your balance for trading, you'll have extra collateral to absorb losses, which will keep your liquidation bar further to the left.
3. Watch Your Distance to Liquidation Bar — Keep a close eye on this bar for all your open positions. If you see it starting to move to the right, it's a warning sign. This is your cue to consider one of the other risk management strategies, like reducing your position size or adding more collateral to your account.
4. Set Stop-Loss Orders — A stop-loss order is an order that automatically closes your position if the price reaches a certain level. This allows you to limit your losses and exit a trade before your liquidation bar gets too far to the right. While stop-losses won't prevent liquidation entirely, they give you more control over your risk.
5. Understand Your Liquidation Price — For each position you open, Arcex will still show you the estimated liquidation price or the price at which your position will be automatically closed. Make sure you're aware of this number and that it's far enough away from the current market price to give you a reasonable margin of safety.

Partial vs. Full Liquidation: A Protective Feature

One of the most important things to understand is that liquidation on Arcex is not an all-or-nothing event. Our system is designed to protect you by liquidating only the minimum amount necessary to bring your account back to a safe level.

This means that in many cases, you will only be partially liquidated. Instead of closing your entire position, the system will only close a small portion of it. This is a key feature that helps preserve your capital and gives you a chance to recover from a losing trade.

Of course, in cases of extreme leverage or very sudden market movements, a full liquidation is still possible. But whenever feasible, the system will always opt for a partial liquidation first.

What Happens During Liquidation?

If your account is liquidated, here's what happens:

1. Your open orders are canceled: Any pending orders you have in the market are automatically canceled.
2. Your positions are closed: Your open positions are transferred to liquidators at a discount, rather than being dumped on the open market. This helps minimize the impact on the market and protects other traders.
3. A liquidation fee is charged: A small fee is deducted from your remaining balance, which is split between the insurance fund and the liquidator.

At Arcex, we use a decentralized liquidation model, which means that positions are transferred to other traders (liquidators) rather than being forcefully sold on the order book. This approach is fairer and helps prevent cascading liquidations that can harm the entire market.

Options let you trade on the future price of a cryptocurrency with limited risk. You're buying the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a crypto asset at a specific price on a future date. Your maximum loss is the price you paid for the option (the "premium"), while your potential profit can be significantly amplified.

Calls vs. Puts

• Calls: The right to buy at a set price (the "strike price"). Buy a Call if you think the price will go up.
• Puts: The right to sell at a set price. Buy a Put if you think the price will go down.

Key Terms

Strike Price — The price at which you can buy (Call) or sell (Put) the asset. You choose this when you buy the option.

Premium — The price you pay for the option. This is your maximum potential loss. It's determined by the asset price, strike price, time to expiration, and market volatility.

Expiration — The date the option contract becomes void. Arcex uses European-style options, meaning they settle automatically on the expiration date. If your option is "in-the-money," you receive the profit automatically.

Example: Instead of buying 1 ETH for $3,000, you could buy a Call option for a fraction of the price. If ETH goes up, your percentage return is much higher. If it goes down, you only lose the small premium — not the full asset value.

Ready to make your first options trade? We've designed the process to be as simple and intuitive as our perpetuals trading.

Step 1: Deposit into your Options Account

Just like with perpetuals, you'll need to deposit funds into your dedicated Options Account. This keeps your funds for options trading separate and easy to manage.

1. Navigate to your Portfolio screen.
2. Select your Options Account.
3. Click "Deposit" and transfer USDC from your spot wallet.

Step 2: Find an Options Market

Once your account is funded, head over to the Markets tab.

1. Select the Options tab at the top.
2. Choose the asset you want to trade (BTC, ETH, or HYPE).
3. You will see a list of available expiration dates. Select one to view the options chain.

Step 3: Choose Your Option

The options chain displays all the available strike prices for the expiration date you selected. Calls are on one side, and Puts are on the other.

1. Find the strike price you are interested in.
2. Click on the Call or Put you wish to buy.
3. The trade ticket will appear.

Step 4: Place Your Order

1. In the trade ticket, enter the amount of options you want to buy.
2. Review the premium (the total cost of the trade).
3. Click "Buy" to place your order.

That's it! Your order will be filled, and you can view your open options position in your portfolio. Your maximum loss is the premium you paid, and your position will be automatically settled at expiration.

At Arcex, we believe in full transparency when it comes to fees. Our options trading is powered by Derive, and we pass through their exchange fees directly to you with a small $0.30 + 0.02% notional platform fee per trade.

Maker vs. Taker Fees

Just like with perpetuals, there are two types of exchange fees:

1. Maker Fee: This fee is paid when you place a limit order that doesn't execute immediately, adding liquidity to the order book.
2. Taker Fee: This fee is paid when you place an order that executes immediately against an existing order, removing liquidity from the order book.

Fee Schedule

Derive exchange fees are capped at 12.5% of the value of the option. This cap ensures that exchange fees remain reasonable, especially on low-premium options. The Arcex platform fee ($0.30 + 0.02% of notional) is charged on top of exchange fees.

How It Works in Practice

When you buy an option on Arcex, all fees are automatically included in the trade. You don't need to calculate them separately. The total cost of your trade (premium + fees) is displayed in the trade ticket before you confirm.

No Hidden Costs

Unlike perpetuals, options on Arcex are not cross-margined. Whatever you pay for an option is the maximum you can lose. There are no funding rates, no margin calls, and no surprise liquidations. Your risk is defined the moment you place your trade.

Predictions let you trade on real-world events — sports, politics, crypto, pop culture, and more. Powered by Polymarket, the world's largest prediction market, you get access to thousands of markets with deep liquidity and real-time pricing.

How It Works

Every market is a question with two or more outcomes. Each outcome has a share price between 0¢ and 100¢ that reflects the market's collective belief in its probability. Buy shares if you think an outcome is underpriced; sell if you think it's overpriced. Winning shares pay out $1.00; losing shares pay $0.

Example: You buy 100 "Yes" shares at 40¢ each ($40 total). If the event happens, they're worth $100 — a $60 profit. If not, you lose your $40.

Sports Markets

Sports predictions work like traditional sportsbook markets, priced in cents instead of American odds:

• Moneyline — Which team wins the game.
• Spread — The margin of victory.
• Totals (Over/Under) — Combined score of both teams.
• Player Props — Individual player performance.

Selling Before Resolution

You can sell your shares at any time before the event resolves and lock in your profit (or cut a loss). Prices are set by a peer-to-peer order book — not a bookmaker — so you always get fair, market-driven pricing.

Trading predictions on Arcex is as easy as making any other trade on the platform.

Step 1: Fund Your Predictions Account

Your Predictions account is separate from your other trading accounts. You'll need to deposit USDC to get started.

1. Go to your Portfolio screen.
2. Find your Predictions Account.
3. Tap "Fund" and transfer USDC from your spot wallet.

Your Predictions balance is held in a secure smart contract (Safe) on Polygon. Arcex handles all the blockchain complexity behind the scenes — you just see a simple dollar balance.

Step 2: Browse Markets

Head over to the Markets tab and select Predictions.

1. Browse categories like Sports, Politics, Crypto, and more.
2. For sports, tap Sports to see today's games with full moneyline, spread, and totals markets.
3. Tap any market to see its details, probability chart, order book, and community discussion.

Step 3: Place Your Trade

1. Tap the outcome you want to buy (e.g., "Yes" or a team name).
2. Enter the dollar amount you want to invest.
3. Review the number of shares, potential payout, and profit.
4. Tap "Buy" to confirm.

Your order is submitted to the Polymarket order book and matched against other traders. Once filled, your position appears in your portfolio where you can track its value in real-time.

Step 4: Manage Your Positions

From the My Bets tab, you can see all of your open and settled positions. For open positions, you have two options:

• Hold — Wait for the market to resolve and collect $1.00 per winning share.
• Cash Out — Sell your shares at the current market price to lock in a gain or cut a loss.

Settled positions show your final payout. If you won, the winnings are automatically added to your Predictions balance — you can claim them or reinvest.

Arcex gives you access to the full breadth of Polymarket — the world's largest prediction market — with thousands of active markets across dozens of categories.

Market Categories

Sports Markets In Depth

The Sports section is designed for the best possible game-day experience. Each game card shows:

• Team logos and matchup info with start times.
• Live scores and game status, updated in real-time via WebSocket.
• Moneyline, Spread, Totals — all the standard betting markets, grouped in expandable sections.
• Player Props — points, rebounds, assists, touchdowns, and more.

Sports odds update in real-time as the order book changes, giving you the most competitive prices at every moment.

How Markets Are Priced

All prices on Polymarket are set by the market, not by a bookmaker. Prices emerge from a peer-to-peer order book where traders place buy and sell orders. The displayed price is the midpoint between the best bid and best ask — just like a stock exchange.

Because prices represent real money from real traders, Polymarket markets are widely regarded as some of the most accurate probability estimates available.

Futures Markets

Beyond daily games, Arcex also surfaces futures markets — longer-term predictions like championship winners, MVP awards, season totals, and more. These are available in the Futures tab within the Sports section, and across all other categories in the main Predictions feed.

Fees vary by trading venue. Each venue has its own fee schedule, and higher volume earns you lower rates across the board.

Maker vs. Taker Fees

• Maker Fee: Paid when you add liquidity via a limit order that doesn't execute immediately.
• Taker Fee: Paid when you remove liquidity via an order that executes immediately (like a market order).

Orderly Network Fee Tiers

On Orderly, your fee tier is based on your 30-day rolling volume. The more you trade, the less you pay.

Hyperliquid Fee Tiers

On Hyperliquid, fees are split between the Hyperliquid exchange fee and the Arcex platform fee. Both decrease as your 14-day rolling volume increases, so high-volume traders pay significantly less.

Stocks & More (XYZ) Fee Tiers

Stocks & More markets (stocks, indices, commodities, and FX) are powered by XYZ, a DEX built on Hyperliquid. Fees follow the same tiered structure as Hyperliquid above, using your combined 14-day rolling volume.

1 bps (basis point) = 0.01%. Your fee tier is calculated and updated automatically in real-time.

Arcex rewards you for growing the community. Refer a friend and earn across every exchange they trade on — the more they trade, the more you earn.

Orderly Network — 25% USDC Revenue Share

Earn 25% of all trading fees your referrals generate on Orderly — paid in USDC, for life. This is a permanent revenue share, not a temporary promotion. You can even share part of your rebate with the people you invite.

Most platforms have high internal costs, so even a "50% share" only returns 10-15% in real dollars. Arcex's ultra-low cost basis (0-1 bps) means nearly all fee revenue is available to share. On $1M of referral volume:

Hyperliquid, XYZ & Derive — Pip Referral Rewards

Referral rewards for supported venues are applied automatically in-app based on current program terms.

Hyperliquid — 4% Fee Discount

All Arcex users are automatically enrolled in the Hyperliquid referral program via the ARCEX referral code. This gives every Arcex user a 4% discount on all Hyperliquid exchange fees — applied automatically during onboarding, no action required.

How It Works

1. Share Your Code — Find it in your Arcex app under Account.
2. Invite Traders — Share with your network.
3. Earn — 25% of Orderly fees in USDC and referral rewards across supported venues.

Pips are part of the Arcex rewards program and are tracked in your account.

Program Overview

Your pip balance and related updates are shown directly in the app's Rewards experience. Program details may change over time as Arcex updates incentives and promotions.

Daily Summary

You may receive a daily push notification summarizing recent pip activity in your account.

Questions or feedback? Reach out anytime.