Web3: Foreign Media Reports Crypto Exchanges Expand Multi-Asset Trading with CFDs

CoinWorld reports:

Foreign media cites Gate Research's view that after entering 2026, several cryptocurrency trading platforms are accelerating their extension into traditional financial markets. Platforms are no longer just offering digital asset trading but are integrating products such as CFDs, perpetual contracts, stocks, ETFs, and tokenized assets into a unified account system, with stablecoins becoming the foundational tool for cross-market capital allocation.

Stablecoins Become a Unified Capital Layer

The role of CFDs is to allow users to trade price fluctuations without directly holding the underlying assets. For crypto users, this means they no longer need to open separate brokerage accounts to access markets like gold, forex, stock indices, and individual stocks within a familiar trading interface.

The article suggests that the appeal of this model mainly comes from operational convenience. Users can continue to use their existing APIs, leverage, stop-loss, and automation tools, and directly use stablecoins like USDT for position switching across different markets.

However, a unified account does not mean that risks are handled uniformly. Traditional markets have fixed trading hours, which do not align with the 24-hour operation of crypto markets. If the stock, commodity, or forex markets close and then reopen, the risks of price gaps and repricing become more pronounced.

Exchanges Compete for Cross-Asset Entry

The article divides this round of expansion into four stages. The earliest stage involved exchanges competing around crypto perpetual contracts, margin, and liquidity; then, traditional market products were introduced through external brokerage systems; the third stage saw CFDs directly integrated into the exchange interface; and the latest stage has formed a cross-asset integrated account.

At this stage, the focus of platform competition is no longer just on "whether there are CFDs," but on who can connect different markets, capital pools, and user groups. Stablecoins play a role in common pricing and rapid transfers, making it easier for idle funds to flow between crypto and traditional assets.

The article also mentions that some traders are beginning to view traditional assets as complementary options outside the crypto market. Reasons include the slowdown in volatility of mainstream tokens, macro events creating opportunities in other markets, and users becoming accustomed to using leverage, technical analysis, and programmatic trading tools on crypto platforms.

Gate's Trading Volume Rapidly Expands

The article cites CryptoQuant data, stating that among the five major platforms studied, Gate accounts for 39.4% of traditional financial derivatives trading volume, higher than Binance's 31.9%. However, this comparison only covers the sample platforms and does not represent the overall share of global exchanges.

According to the data in the article, Gate's related trading volume grew rapidly in the first quarter of 2026:

• January: $3.4 billion
• February: Increased to $56.7 billion
• March: Further increased to $295.8 billion

The article states that by June, Gate's cumulative trading volume for traditional financial perpetual contracts had reached $368 billion for the year. By the end of the second quarter of 2026, the platform disclosed that it had launched 663 CFD products covering stocks, ETFs, stock indices, forex, precious metals, energy, and other commodities.

The article suggests that the next step worth observing is not just whether trading volume can continue to expand, but whether these products can bring more stable liquidity, position sizes, and long-term capital retention.

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