How to Conduct Digital Assets Trading: Using USDT to Purchase Bitcoin (BTC) as an Example
Spot trading, also known as cash trading, refers to the trading of one cryptocurrency for another cryptocurrency, using one cryptocurrency as the pricing unit to purchase other cryptocurrencies. Spot trading can be conducted on both CEXs and DEXs to complete exchanges between different currencies. This article will specifically introduce spot trading on exchanges.
What is Spot Trading?
The digital assets trading we commonly encounter mostly uses stablecoins (such as USDT\USDC, etc.) as the pricing unit to price Bitcoin (BTC ), Litecoin (LTC), and other cryptocurrencies. For example, when using USDT to price Bitcoin, a BTC/USDT trading pair is formed (when one cryptocurrency is used to price another cryptocurrency, a trading pair is formed). The price of this trading pair represents how many units of USDT are required to buy 1 unit of BTC, or how many units of USDT can be obtained by selling 1 unit of BTC.
Through spot trading, exchanges between cryptocurrencies can be completed, thereby earning profits from buying low and selling high. For example: when buying Bitcoin with USDT, if the Bitcoin market rises, more Tether can be exchanged for Bitcoin. Assuming 1 BTC is worth 30,000 USDT when 1 BTC is purchased, when Bitcoin rises to 40,000 USDT, 1 BTC can be exchanged for 40,000 USDT, earning 10,000 USDT. Conversely, if the Bitcoin market falls, the same amount of Bitcoin can be exchanged for less Tether, and selling would result in a loss.
So, what if Bitcoin is used as the pricing unit for Litecoin? Crypto-to-crypto trading refers to exchanging one digital asset for another digital asset. For example, using BTC as the pricing unit for LTC forms an LTC/BTC trading pair. The price of this trading pair represents how many units of BTC are required to buy 1 unit of LTC, or how many units of BTC can be obtained by selling 1 unit of LTC.
Currently, OKX spot trading has four major trading zones: USDT trading zone, USDC trading zone, other stablecoins trading zone, and CRYPTO trading zone.
In the other stablecoins trading zone and CRYPTO trading zone, other digital assets can be used as pricing units for crypto-to-crypto trading. For example, in the CRYPTO trading zone, BTC can be used as the pricing unit to purchase ETH.
The mechanism of spot trading is mostly a matching mechanism, with price priority and time priority. When the purchase price is greater than or equal to the selling price, the transaction is immediately executed, thereby achieving exchanges between cryptocurrencies.
How to Conduct Spot Trading?
01 Open the OKX App (Download Tutorial ), obtain base currencies such as USDT through the [Buy Crypto] or [Deposit] methods. On the trading page, click the Funds Transfer button, select the currency to transfer USDT, enter the transfer amount, and transfer it from the Funding Account to the Trading Account.
02 Click Trade at the bottom of the homepage to enter the trading page, click Trade again, select Spot Trading. Click the trading pair at the top of the page, enter the currency you want to purchase BTC in the search box, select Spot, and click the corresponding pair BTC/USDT (if you are already on the current pair trading page, ignore this step).
03 After entering the pair trading page, on the buy interface, select the buy method, enter the buy price, quantity/amount, and click Buy BTC. The buy method is usually a limit order, which allows you to set an ideal price for purchase. When the order is successfully placed but not yet executed, you can view the order information and cancel the order at any time.
04 Click the Order button at the bottom of the page to view your current orders and historical orders. Click on an order to view detailed information such as order time, trading pair, and trading volume.
In addition to spot trading, OKX provides margin trading, futures trading, options trading, and other business line products. You can click the following tutorials to learn more.
Disclaimer
This article may contain product-related content that is not applicable to your region. This article is intended to provide general information only and does not assume responsibility for any factual errors or omissions herein. This article represents only the author's personal views and does not represent the views of OKX. This article is not intended to provide any of the following advice, including but not limited to: (i) investment advice or investment recommendations; (ii) offers or solicitations to purchase, sell, or hold digital assets; or (iii) financial, accounting, legal, or tax advice. Holding digital assets (including stablecoins and NFTs) involves high risk, may fluctuate significantly, and may even become worthless. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital assets is suitable for you based on your financial situation. For questions regarding your specific situation, please consult your legal/tax/investment professional. The information appearing in this article (including market data and statistics, if any) is for general reference only. Although we have taken all reasonable precautions in preparing these data and charts, we assume no responsibility for any factual errors or omissions expressed herein. OKX Web3 features, including OKX Web3 Wallet and OKX NFT Market, are subject to separate terms of service at www.okx.com . © 2023 OKX. This article may be reproduced or distributed in its entirety, or excerpts of 100 words or less from this article may be used, provided such use is non-commercial. Any reproduction or distribution of the entire article must also prominently state: "This article is copyrighted © 2023 OKX, used with permission." Permitted excerpts must cite the article name and include attribution, for example "Article Name, [Author Name (if applicable)], © 2023 OKX". Derivative works or other uses of this article are not permitted.
Disclaimer
This article may contain product-related content that is not applicable to your region. This article is intended to provide general information only and does not assume responsibility for any factual errors or omissions herein. This article represents only the author's personal views and does not represent the views of OKX. This article is not intended to provide any of the following advice, including but not limited to: (i) investment advice or investment recommendations; (ii) offers or solicitations to purchase, sell, or hold digital assets; or (iii) financial, accounting, legal, or tax advice. Holding digital assets (including stablecoins) involves high risk, may fluctuate significantly, and may even become worthless. You should carefully consider whether trading or holding digital assets is suitable for you based on your financial situation. For questions regarding your specific situation, please consult your legal/tax/investment professional. The information appearing in this article (including market data and statistics, if any) is for general reference only. Although we have taken all reasonable precautions in preparing these data and charts, we assume no responsibility for any factual errors or omissions expressed herein. © 2025 OKX. This article may be reproduced or distributed in its entirety, or excerpts of 100 words or less from this article may be used, provided such use is non-commercial. Any reproduction or distribution of the entire article must also prominently state: "This article is copyrighted © 2025 OKX, used with permission." Permitted excerpts must cite the article name and include attribution, for example "Article Name, [Author Name (if applicable)], © 2025 OKX". Some content may be generated or assisted by artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Derivative works or other uses of this article are not permitted.
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What is Spot Trading?
How to Conduct Spot Trading?
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