Spot trading is trading where an asset changes hands immediately, or nearly so, at the price on the market at that moment. When you buy bitcoin on the spot market, you get actual bitcoin. That price is called the spot price.
Spot trading and derivatives
The opposite of spot trading is DerivativesDerivativesContracts whose value comes from another asset, such as shares, a currency or a cryptocurrency., contracts that follow an asset's price without the asset changing hands. The difference matters a lot:
| Spot trading | Derivatives | |
|---|---|---|
| What you own | The asset itself | A contract on its price |
| Leverage | Usually none | Common |
| Most you can lose | What you put in | All your margin, often quickly |
| Can be sent to your own wallet | Yes | No |
In spot trading, the price can fall a long way, but your position doesn't close by itself. You still own the asset and decide whether and when to sell. With derivatives and LeverageLeverageTrading with borrowed money, which multiplies both gains and losses and can wipe out your whole stake in a short time., a LiquidationLiquidationWhen a loan or leveraged position is closed automatically because the collateral or margin no longer covers the debt. can close your position before the price recovers.
Where does spot trading happen?
Most crypto exchangesCrypto exchangeA company or platform where you buy, sell and swap crypto, for example with krónur. offer spot trading. On large exchanges it happens in an order bookOrder bookA list of all open buy and sell orders for an asset, sorted by price. A trade happens when a buy order and a sell order meet. where buy and sell orders meet. On decentralised exchanges, you usually trade against shared pools run by smart contracts.
The spot price is also the reference many derivatives follow. Perpetual futures, for example, are designed to stay close to the spot price of the crypto itself.
The term is old and comes from commodity and currency markets, which distinguish between buying goods for immediate delivery and agreeing a price for the future.
Everything in Myntkaup Learn is written and regularly reviewed by the Myntkaup editorial team. It is for education and is not investment advice. Editorial policy. Updated 2 November 2026.