European Retail Gains Regulated Access to Leveraged Crypto Trading

Dutch trading platform One Trading has expanded its regulated crypto perpetual futures trading to retail investors in Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria, the company announced today (Monday).

One Trading Expands MiFID II-Regulated Crypto Derivatives Access to Retail Clients

The move follows last month's institutional launch, making One Trading the first European derivatives exchange to offer regulated crypto perpetual futures to both institutional and eligible retail customers.

The platform allows retail investors to trade Bitcoin and Ethereum perpetual futures against the euro through a fully regulated onshore venue. Customers can take both long and short positions with leverage, avoiding the regulatory risks associated with offshore platforms.

“For too long, retail investors have had to either pay enormous fees to brokers or choose to trade crypto in unsafe unregulated exchanges offshore,” said Joshua Barraclough, CEO of One Trading. “One Trading solves for both fees and safety: now, eligible retail investors in the EU can trade crypto perpetual futures.”

Unlike standard futures that expire on a set date, perpetual futures have no expiration date, allowing traders to hold positions indefinitely.

One Trading operates under a MiFID II Organized Trading Facility (OTF) license granted by the Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM), providing regulatory oversight that has been largely absent in the crypto derivatives market. Until now, European traders typically accessed spot trading locally but had to use unregulated offshore venues for derivatives.

First Perpetual Futures Trading Venue in the EU

The platform offers real-time settlement every minute on a 24/7 basis and provides eligible customers access to up to 10x leverage. One Trading's vertically integrated model eliminates the need for external clearing, which the company says creates a more streamlined and cost-efficient trading experience.

Retail access is now operational for German, Austrian, and Dutch customers, with a tailored onboarding process designed to ensure regulatory compliance.

📢 Today marks a historic milestone for trading in Europe!🚀 The first fully EU regulated, onshore perpetual futures exchange is now live for trading for institutional clients at One Trading.

The company positions itself as addressing a gap in the European crypto market, where regulated derivatives trading options have been limited compared to traditional financial instruments.

Based in the Netherlands, One Trading describes itself as the first perpetual futures trading venue in the EU, focusing on creating a secure and compliant environment for crypto-asset derivatives trading.

Former Bitpanda Pro

Last year, One Trading received investment from SC Ventures, the venture capital arm of Standard Chartered, to support the expansion of its services. Around the same time, the company secured the necessary regulatory approvals to operate legally as a cryptocurrency firm.

Before June 2023, One Trading was known as Bitpanda Pro—a separate branch of the Bitpanda platform designed for more advanced traders. The platform changed its name after closing a €30 million funding round.

Meanwhile, two months ago, the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini was granted in-principle approval for an Investment Firm license by the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA). With this license, Gemini aims to launch crypto perpetual contracts in line with MiFID II regulatory standards.