TradFi vs. CFD: How Bitget empowers users to trade global assets in one place

As crypto and traditional finance continue to converge, Bitget is evolving beyond a pure crypto exchange into a Universal Exchange (UEX) that supports multi-asset allocation through continuous product iteration. The recent upgrade to the TradFi hub is a prime example, offering users seamless access to stocks, gold, forex, and other traditional assets. This article breaks down the key differences between TradFi and CFD, and explains how Bitget's latest enhancements can help you navigate and choose the trading style that best suits your needs.

What is TradFi?

TradFi, short for Traditional Finance, refers to a broad category of conventional financial assets, rather than a specific trading instrument or product.

● Core scope: This includes established asset classes like stocks, gold, silver, forex, major stock indices (such as the three major U.S. indices), and commodities. These assets have long been traded within traditional brokerage, banking, and exchange systems, characterized by mature regulatory frameworks, deep liquidity, and established pricing mechanisms.

● TradFi on Bitget: At Bitget, TradFi is integrated as a distinct asset class. Users can gain exposure through various instruments, including stock tokens (RWA-tokenized stocks), stock perps (derivatives for stock trading), and CFD. Bitget achieves multi-layered coverage of crypto and TradFi through partnerships like the one with Ondo Finance (providing access to over 200 RWA tokens), the integration of the MT5 platform for CFD, and the launch of stock perps.

● Strategic significance: Integrating TradFi helps to smooth out the extreme volatility of the crypto market cycle, offering users diversified portfolio options. In an era of intense competition for market share, users can now quickly switch between asset classes on a single platform, realizing the vision of one-stop access to global assets.

TradFi is not a single product but a cornerstone of the Bitget UEX vision: enabling users to trade the world's major assets through a unified trading account and stablecoin settlement.

What is CFD?

CFD stands for Contract for Difference. It's a leveraged derivative product where traders speculate on price movements to profit without owning the underlying asset.

● Core mechanism: When opening a position, you enter a contract. When closing, the settlement is the price difference multiplied by the contract size and leverage. Profit or loss is settled in cash (USDT/USD on Bitget), with no need to hold the underlying asset.

● Key features of Bitget CFD (based on the latest products):

○ Asset coverage: Supports major assets like gold (XAUUSD), silver, major forex pairs, indices (such as the three major U.S. indices), and commodities.

○ USDT as margin and settlement currency: This significantly lowers the entry barrier for crypto users, eliminating the need for fiat currency exchange or traditional bank transfers.

○ 24/7 trading: While influenced by traditional market hours, the CFD on Bitget offers greater flexibility, with precious metals and forex trading available almost around the clock.

○ High leverage and low costs: Leverage up to 500x, extremely competitive spreads, and excellent slippage control, with deep liquidity provided by top-tier market makers.

○ Fee structure: Primarily relies on the spread plus an overnight swap fee (calculated daily), unlike the funding rate mechanism (every eight hours) common in crypto perpetual futures.

● CFD vs. perpetual futures: Similarities and differences

○ Similarities: Both are non-deliverable, leveraged derivatives that support two-way trading, with no ownership of the underlying asset.

○ Differences:

■ CFD is closer to the traditional broker model (deeply integrated with MT5). The holding cost is a daily swap fee, appealing to users who prefer the pricing and mechanisms of mature markets.

■ Perpetual futures (like XAUUSDT on Bitget) use a funding rate mechanism. They seamlessly integrate with Bitget's cross margin mode or multi-asset mode, offering greater flexibility for cross-asset strategies and a more familiar experience for native crypto users.

Trading gold: A practical example

● CFD (XAUUSD): Spreads, swap fees, and extremely deep liquidity—ideal for traders with a traditional style.

● Perpetual futures: Involves a funding rate but allows for greater margin efficiency within a unified trading account and flexible leverage, making it easier to construct hedging strategies like Bitcoin + gold.

What's new in the Bitget TradFi hub upgrade?

In February 2026, Bitget restructured its TradFi product line with the launch of the TradFi hub, a pivotal step toward the UEX vision.

The problem users faced before: TradFi products (CFD, stock perps, RWA tokens) were somewhat hidden across different sections, making it inconvenient for users to switch between them and limiting their visibility.

Key highlights after the upgrade:

● Dedicated entry and unified aggregation: A new TradFi tab now sits alongside the main crypto tab. One click gives users access to all TradFi assets, including spot trading of RWA tokens, perpetual futures (such as stocks/gold perps), and CFD. This significantly boosts exposure for TradFi products and represents one of the earliest and most comprehensive integrations among major exchanges.

● Seamless cross-asset experience: The unified USDs/USDT account allows for greater margin and capital flow efficiency. Users can move directly from crypto deposits to global asset allocation without switching apps or navigating complex currency exchanges, creating a complete liquidity loop.

● Strategic commitment: Similar to placing a feature at the most visible spot on a platform, this upgrade signals Bitget's long-term commitment to TradFi. It completes the journey from on-chain integration, RWA breakthroughs (with Ondo Finance), and CFD/MT5 integration, to a super-app version. Notably, driven by precious metals market activity, Bitget's TradFi daily trading volume has previously exceeded $4 billion.

● User flexibility:

○ For users looking for a traditional broker-like experience, CFD is the best option, offering mature depth (MT5), low slippage, and stability.

○ For those preferring the crypto-native style, perpetual futures are the go-to, with a familiar interface, high leverage, and cross-asset strategy potential.

○ For investors seeking long-term exposure to real-world assets, RWA spot tokens are the choice, offering on-chain convenience and potential zero-fee strategies.

This upgrade elevates TradFi from being merely tradeable to being easily accessible and easy to integrate, truly responding to the hybrid finance trend.

Conclusion

TradFi is a broad asset category, while the CFD is one specific type of derivative instrument within that category. Through the TradFi hub upgrade, Bitget organically integrates both—along with perpetual futures, RWAs, and more—into a single, unified interface. This empowers crypto users to easily access traditional financial opportunities, while also allowing traditional traders to benefit from stablecoin settlement and a 24/7 trading environment. This is more than just a product update; it's a strategic move aligned with the growing trend of hybrid finance.

In an era of intense market competition, choosing a platform that supports one-stop global asset trading is crucial. Bitget's UEX vision is steadily becoming a reality. If you want to experience the synergy of crypto and TradFi within a single account, open the latest Bitget app and explore the new TradFi hub for yourself.