Binance Futures Shakes Up Markets with New Silver Perpetual Contract Settled in USDT

Binance Futures just dropped a shiny new toy for traders—a silver perpetual contract settled in USDT. It's a direct bridge between crypto liquidity and traditional commodity markets, no old-school brokers required.

Why This Move Matters

This isn't just another altcoin listing. Silver—the 'poor man's gold'—gets a digital-age upgrade. Traders can now speculate on silver's price using the crypto ecosystem's leverage and 24/7 trading, bypassing the clunky infrastructure of commodity exchanges. Think of it as digitizing a centuries-old asset class overnight.

The USDT settlement is the real kicker. It means positions are margined and settled in the crypto world's dominant stablecoin, keeping everything within the digital asset orbit. No fiat conversions, no bank transfers—just pure crypto-to-commodity exposure. It's a slick piece of financial engineering that further blurs the lines.

A Calculated Power Play

For Binance, this is a strategic expansion of its derivatives empire. By adding regulated commodities to its roster, it attracts a new cohort of macro and commodity traders. More products, more volume, more dominance—it's the perpetual motion machine of exchange growth. One cynical take? It's another brilliant way to keep capital flowing within their walled garden, collecting fees while traditional finance watches from the sidelines, clutching its paper contracts.

This launch signals a future where any asset, from metals to mortgages, could be tokenized and traded on crypto rails. The gatekeepers are changing, and they're not wearing suits.

TLDR

• Binance Futures has launched silver perpetual contracts that allow up to 50x leverage.
• The silver contract is settled and margined in USDT with a minimum trade size of 5 USDT.
• Traders can use Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as collateral through multi-assets mode.
• The contract will be available for copy trading within 24 hours of its official launch.
• Binance introduced this product following the strong performance of gold and silver in 2025.

Binance Futures has introduced a new silver perpetual contract, expanding its offerings beyond cryptocurrencies into precious metals for the first time. The launch marks a direct entry into commodity derivatives, allowing users to trade silver with leverage of up to 50x. The new product begins trading on January 7 and comes shortly after the release of Gold perpetual contracts.

Silver Perpetual Contracts Margined in USDT

The silver contract will be margined and settled in Tether’s USDT and requires a minimum notional trade size of 5 USDT. Binance confirmed the contract has no expiry and will charge a funding fee every four hours, capped at ±2%. This helps align the contract price with the spot market throughout the trading period.

Traders can use Binance’s multi-assets mode to post collateral in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, not just USDT. Binance applies asset-specific haircuts to manage the risk of volatility from non-stablecoin collateral. The exchange said, “The contract will also support copy trading within 24 hours of launch.”

The contract allows users to gain exposure to silver’s price without owning the underlying asset. This enables Leveraged trading with up to 50 times the posted margin value. According to Binance, this contract serves both retail and institutional traders looking to diversify.

Silver Price Gains and Broader Market Trends

Silver has surged in early 2026, gaining 13% year-to-date and reaching $80 per ounce on January 6. In 2025, silver posted a 147% rally and hit a record high of $83.75 per ounce, outpacing crypto. Rising industrial demand in electronics and solar panels supported this growth along with inflation concerns.

Bitcoin and other digital assets underperformed in 2025, with bitcoin ending the year down over 5%. As a result, many traders moved toward metals like silver and gold. Binance has responded by offering these contracts to meet growing demand from that segment.

With silver outperforming Bitcoin, traders are increasingly turning to metals for potential returns. Binance Futures aims to serve this shift through advanced tools and broader asset offerings. The exchange stated the contract’s design enables “flexible hedging and speculative opportunities.”

Binance Futures Leads in Silver Contracts

Tether introduced a new unit called “Scudo” for its gold-backed token XAUT on January 6, offering micro gold transactions. One Scudo represents one-thousandth of a troy ounce of gold and is also settled in USDT. Tether said this aims to simplify gold payments in fractional form.

Trading in Scudo-based gold perpetuals will also attract a funding fee every four hours, capped at ±2%. This mirrors the structure used in Binance’s silver and gold contracts. The strategy reflects growing demand for stablecoin-settled metals trading.

Competitors like Coinbase are also diversifying beyond crypto, eyeing equities and other financial products. Binance remains focused on growing its Futures platform by introducing more asset classes. Smaller exchanges like MEXC and BTCC previously offered silver contracts but without Binance’s scale.

Binance Futures remains the first major global exchange to offer silver perpetual contracts at this level. The product was listed as part of its larger push into inflation-resistant asset classes. As of January 7, silver trades at $79.84 per ounce.