How to use Bybit Unified Trading Account? (Collateral sharing)

Understanding the Unified Trading Account Structure

1. The Unified Trading Account (UTA) on Bybit consolidates spot, futures, and options positions into a single balance sheet, enabling real-time collateral allocation across asset classes.

2. Each user holds one UTA by default upon enabling the feature, eliminating the need to manage separate accounts for derivatives and spot trading.

3. Assets deposited into the UTA are immediately eligible as margin for all supported trading products without manual transfers or conversion steps.

4. Cross-margin mode is automatically applied within the UTA, allowing idle USDT, BTC, ETH, and other supported assets to serve as shared collateral for open positions.

5. The system calculates net equity continuously, factoring in unrealized PnL, funding fees, and pending orders to determine available margin.

Collateral Sharing Mechanics

1. When a user opens a perpetual contract position, the platform scans all assets held in the UTA and applies the highest applicable collateral weight—USDT carries 100% weight, while BTC and ETH carry 90% under standard conditions.

2. Spot holdings do not require isolation; they remain tradable while simultaneously backing leveraged positions, provided their value exceeds maintenance thresholds.

3. Negative equity in one product does not trigger liquidation of spot assets unless total account equity falls below the global maintenance margin requirement.

4. Margin calls occur only when the entire UTA’s net equity drops below 100% of total required margin across all active positions.

5. Funding payments, settlement proceeds, and deposit/withdrawal events update the shared collateral pool instantly, with no delay in margin availability.

Position Management Across Markets

1. A long BTCUSD perpetual position and a short BTC/USDT spot position coexist in the same UTA, with both contributing to and drawing from the same equity base.

2. Options sellers benefit from automatic assignment of underlying spot balances as delivery collateral, reducing the need for pre-funding.

3. Stop-market orders placed on perpetuals execute using available UTA equity, even if triggered during high volatility when spot prices diverge sharply from index values.

4. Partial liquidations reduce exposure proportionally across all open positions rather than targeting individual instruments first.

5. Users can manually adjust collateral distribution priorities via the “Collateral Priority” setting, specifying preferred assets for margin use when multiple are eligible.

Risk Parameters and Thresholds

1. Initial margin requirements vary per instrument but are calculated against the UTA’s total net equity—not isolated sub-accounts.

2. Maintenance margin is computed as a dynamic percentage of position notional, adjusted for volatility and asset correlation within the portfolio.

3. The system enforces a hard floor: if total equity falls below 50% of required margin, forced liquidation begins regardless of position type or direction.

4. Auto-deleveraging is disabled in UTA mode; instead, Bybit uses its insurance fund to cover deficits after exhausting all UTA equity.

5. Leverage settings are applied per order, but margin utilization reflects aggregate exposure across all open trades in the unified balance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I withdraw assets while holding open leveraged positions?A: Yes, withdrawals are permitted as long as remaining UTA equity stays above the total maintenance margin requirement for all active positions.

Q: Does staking rewards in the UTA count toward margin?A: Staked assets are excluded from collateral sharing until unstaked and settled into the main UTA balance; accrued but unpaid rewards do not contribute.

Q: Are cross-currency positions supported?A: Yes, BTC-denominated perpetuals and USDT-denominated options share collateral, with real-time conversion applied using Bybit’s internal mid-price feed.

Q: What happens to pending limit orders during a margin call?A: Pending orders remain active unless canceled manually or automatically invalidated due to insufficient equity at time of execution.