Maximum Leverage on 21 Crypto Exchanges and 5 Forex Brokers, Compared
By Alex Wu · Published
"Up to 500x" looks great on a banner. What it rarely says is which pairs get it, how small your position must be, and what happens to that number the moment you size up. We pulled the advertised maximum leverage for every exchange and broker on TradeSavings, together with the conditions attached to it.
Data checked: November 2026. Leverage limits change often and depend on your country, so confirm them on the platform before you trade.
The short version
- 125x is the standard. 7 of the 21 crypto exchanges top out at exactly 125x, and the middle exchange in our list offers 125x.
- The highest numbers come with the most conditions. MEXC's 500x applies to BTC and ETH perpetuals only. Ourbit and WEEX advertise 400x on selected pairs.
- Leverage always falls as your position grows. Every major exchange uses risk tiers: the maximum applies only to the smallest positions.
- Forex brokers go much higher on paper. Exness offers unlimited leverage on some pairs once you qualify, and IC Markets up to 1:5000, but both apply only on offshore entities and drop around news and weekends.
- Regulated entities cap retail leverage hard. EU and Australian clients are limited to 1:30 on major forex pairs at brokers like XM and IC Markets.
Crypto exchanges: maximum futures leverage
| Exchange | Max leverage | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| MEXC | 500x | BTCUSDT and ETHUSDT perpetuals; most pairs lower |
| OurBit | 400x | crypto futures (500x on TradFi contracts, per Ourbit) |
| Weex | 400x | selected pairs such as BTC |
| CoinW | 200x | perpetual futures |
| HTX | 200x | main perpetuals |
| Toobit | 200x | selected pairs such as BTCUSDT |
| BloFin | 150x | major pairs; many others 25x or lower |
| BingX | 125x–150x | selected perpetual pairs |
| Binance | 125x | USDⓈ-M futures; 20x cap for the first 30 days |
| Bitget | 125x | flagship perpetuals |
| Bitunix | 125x | crypto futures (one review reports 200x) |
| Gate.io | 125x | USDT-M and BTC-M perpetuals |
| KuCoin | 125x | BTC/USDT; new contracts usually 20x or lower |
| LBank | 125x | standard futures; separate Omni product up to 5,000x on a few assets |
| OKX | 125x | BTC-USDT and ETH-USDT; most perps 50x |
| Bybit | 100x | BTCUSDT at the lowest risk tier |
| Coinstore | 100x | USD-M perpetuals |
| Phemex | 100x | perpetual futures |
| WhiteBIT | 100x | certain assets |
| Crypto.com | 50x | derivatives where permitted |
| Hyperliquid | 40x | BTC; set per asset |
Forex and CFD brokers: maximum leverage
| Broker | Max leverage | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Exness | Unlimited | some forex pairs, gold and silver on offshore entities, after conditions are met; otherwise up to 1:2000 |
| IC Markets | 1:5000 | forex majors and minors at the Seychelles entity, positions up to 25 lots; 1:200 around news and weekends |
| HFM | 1:2000 | Pro and standard accounts at the international entity (unlimited on InfinityX) |
| RoboForex | 1:2000 | Pro and ProCent accounts |
| XM | 1:1000 | offshore entities; 1:30 for EU clients |
Why the headline number matters less than you think
Leverage decides how far the price can move against you before you are liquidated. At 100x, a 1% move against you wipes out the margin on that trade. At 500x it takes 0.2%, which BTC can move in seconds. Exchanges know this, so they attach the top figures to their most liquid pairs and the smallest position sizes.
Two rules from the data are worth knowing:
- New accounts are often capped. Binance blocks leverage above 20x for the first 30 days of a new futures account, and KuCoin starts new contracts at 20x or lower.
- Brokers change leverage during risky hours. IC Markets cuts forex leverage to 1:200 during major news, end-of-day and weekend periods.
Fees grow with leverage too
Trading fees are charged on the full position, not on your margin. With 100x leverage, $100 of margin opens a $10,000 position, and a 0.06% taker fee costs $6 each way. That is why a referral discount matters more to leveraged traders: 20% off on $10,000 trades saves $1.20 a trade. Our fee comparison shows what each exchange charges.
How we collected the data
We recorded the maximum leverage each platform advertises on its own pages or in its official announcements, plus the pair, account or entity it applies to. Where reviews disagree with the platform, we note it in the table.
TradeSavings may earn a commission when you sign up with a code or link on this site, at no extra cost to you. Trading crypto, forex and CFDs, especially with leverage, carries a high risk of loss. This page is information, not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
- Which crypto exchange has the highest leverage?
- Among the 21 exchanges we cover, MEXC advertises the highest standard leverage at 500x on BTC and ETH perpetuals. LBank's separate Omni product offers up to 5,000x on a few assets.
- What is the maximum leverage on Binance?
- Up to 125x on USDⓈ-M futures, but new futures accounts are limited to 20x for their first 30 days.
- Which forex broker has the highest leverage?
- Exness offers unlimited leverage on some forex pairs and metals at its offshore entities once you meet its conditions. IC Markets offers up to 1:5000 on forex majors at its Seychelles entity.
- Is high leverage dangerous?
- Yes. Higher leverage means a smaller price move can liquidate your position. Most professional traders use far less than the maximum.
- Why did my leverage go down when I increased my position?
- Exchanges use risk tiers. The bigger the position, the lower the maximum leverage allowed, to limit losses the exchange might have to cover.