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How to Trade Solana (SOL) Futures: Comprehensive Guide

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Eliman Dambell

Author

Eliman Dambell

About Author

Eliman Dambell was a news writer and editor at Bitcoin.com, FXStreet and Investing.com. He commentates on various markets, including Crypto, Stocks and FX.

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Last updated:

July 9, 2025

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Solana futures are high-risk, high-return instruments that support substantial leverage for the SOL cryptocurrency. Speculative traders like futures for their explosive profit potential, as a 100x leverage could turn a $1,000 account balance into $100,000 in market exposure.

Considering the added risks, futures traders must develop a sensible trading plan before they commence, including the use of stop-loss orders and effective bankroll management.

This guide helps beginners master Solana futures trading in 2025, including crafting strategies, identifying suitable entry and exit points, and selecting the right platform. Read on to place your first SOL futures position in under 10 minutes.

Key Takeaways

Solana futures are derivative products that track the SOL price, so unlike traditional spot trading, you don’t own the underlying coins.
Most futures trading exchanges offer high leverage limits, allowing traders to enter positions with significantly more capital than they have in their account.
Futures products support long and short positions, so traders can speculate on Solana price movements in both directions.
Derivative products are extremely risky, as traders are liquidated when the position value drops below the margin balance, which forces the exchange to close the trade and retain the customer’s original stake.

What are Solana Futures?

Solana futures are derivative instruments that provide exposure to SOL price movements. As a derivative product, traders do not own or control SOL when they buy and sell futures, as the instruments merely track market prices. This dynamic means that futures are typically suitable for short-term speculators, with buy-and-hold investors better suited for traditional spot exchanges.

The most popular Solana futures instrument is “perpetual futures.” These derivatives never expire, providing traders with greater flexibility when crafting entry and exit strategies. Perpetuals are readily available on the best crypto exchanges, including CoinFutures, MEXC, Binance, and OKX. These platforms offer varying leverage limits when trading Solana futures, from 50x to 500x. They also allow long and short positions, enabling traders to profit from both rising and falling SOL prices.

It’s also possible to trade “delivery futures,” which resemble traditional futures markets like currencies, commodities, and treasuries. These futures products have an expiry date, which, depending on the exchange, ranges from one day to 12 months. Delivery futures are a better fit for medium-term strategies, as they don’t incur daily funding charges, unlike perpetuals.

How Does Solana Futures Trading Work?

Futures are speculative financial instruments that invite high-risk strategies. It’s advisable that you familiarize yourself with how they work in more detail before getting involved. Read on to learn more about SOL futures trading.

Futures are Derivative Products for Short-Term Strategies

Like we briefly touched upon before, when traders buy and sell Solana futures, they do not own SOL, which means that, unlike conventional crypto investments, those coins cannot be withdrawn to a private wallet. This makes futures unsuitable for buy-and-hold investors who seek exposure to Solana’s long-term growth potential.

Futures are better suited for traders who deploy short-term strategies like day or swing trading, scalping, or hedging. Their derivative nature allows traders to speculate on SOL price movements without traditional ownership. Even so, traders profit from futures positions when they predict market movements correctly, albeit they are usually settled in stablecoins rather than SOL.

Attempt to Profit From Rising and Falling Prices

Futures traders enter long or short orders when creating positions. This double-sided nature of futures offers greater flexibility than traditional SOL investments, as you can attempt to profit from bullish and bearish cycles.

CME Solanas futures

During the FTX saga in 2022/23, the SOL price experienced unprecedented selling pressure, declining from all-time highs of over $236 to under $10. Seasoned traders used Solana futures to short-sell the crypto and profit from its downfall. The short-selling strategy isn’t possible when using spot exchanges, as investors only profit if the SOL price rises.

How to Use Futures to Short-Sell Solana?

If you believe that Solana is overvalued and hence, predict a potential price decline, place a “sell order” when setting up your futures trade, and a “buy order” when closing the position.

Whether you make a profit will depend on the closing price upon exiting the trade. If significantly lower than the opening price, you will have secured a lower entry point for Solana compared to the opening price, hence turning a profit. Remember that most futures platforms charge funding fees every eight hours, which directly impacts the profit potential.

Futures Margin and Leverage

For many traders, the most appealing aspect of Solana futures is their high leverage capabilities. Leverage lets traders open SOL trades with much more than they have available, allowing them to target substantial returns over a short timeframe.

One example is CoinFutures, one of the top crypto futures trading platforms for beginners. It offers up to 1,000x leverage, but let’s say you’re using 50x leverage on Solana derivative instruments. In this case, a small upfront balance of $100 amplifies to $5,000 in trading capital. The original $100 stake is called the “upfront margin requirement.” This is the maximum amount that can be lost if the futures trade is unsuccessful. As the $100 margin reflects 2% of the $5,000 market exposure, the exchange liquidates the position automatically if it declines by approximately 2%.

Liquidation Risks Explained

Liquidation occurs when the margin balance no longer covers the position value due to adverse price movements. If your Solana futures trade is liquidated, the exchange closes that position automatically. The result is that the platform retains the original margin balance, reflecting a 100% loss on the trade.

The best practice to reduce liquidation risks when trading crypto futures is avoiding excessive leverage levels and placing appropriate stop-loss positions.

Here’s a table that shows the approximate liquidation point based on various leverage ratios:

Leverage	Liquidation Threshold
5x	-20%
10x	-10%
20x	-5%
50x	-2%
100x	-1%
500x	-0.2%

The above table assumes no funding fees or margin buffer, so the liquidation threshold is slightly higher than the stated percentages.

SOL Futures Trading Fees

Derivatives like perpetual futures are the most profitable trading products for crypto exchanges. Not only because most traders lose money due to excessive liquidation, but platforms charge significantly higher fees compared to traditional investors.

While commission rates may appear minute in percentage terms, futures exchanges charge fees based on the total leveraged value rather than the original margin stake.

Another type of fee that’s exclusive to derivative products are funding rates, charged like a traditional loan, as traders technically borrow capital when they apply leverage. Exchange research shows that most platforms apply funding rates every eight hours, so the fees can quickly erode the margin balance, taking traders closer to the liquidation threshold.

Note: For each eight-hour cycle, funding fees are charged only to long or short positions. If longs are charged, shorts receive a rebate, and vice versa. This system ensures Solana futures align with global spot prices.

An Example of a Solana Futures Trade

This example highlights how a Solana futures position works in practice:

A trader places a $2,000 sell order at 20x leverage, increasing their market exposure to $40,000.
The SOL/USDT futures sell order executes at $150.55
The trader closes their futures position several hours later at $147.87, reflecting a 1.78% profit (excluding fees)
That 1.78% gain produces gross returns of approximately $712 (1.78% × $40,000)

How to Trade Solana Futures: Step-by-Step Guide

This section shows the required steps to trade Solana futures on CoinFutures. Our research shows that CoinFutures is the best place to trade crypto derivatives due to its competitive fees, ease of use, and high leverage limits of up to 1,000x.

Step 1: Register a CoinFutures Account

Visit the CoinFutures website to open an account. Provide an email address, nickname, and password, and click “Register” to confirm.

CoinFutures doesn’t require KYC verification, and you can further boost your anonymity by downloading the app and connecting your wallet – no need to add an email address.

Step 2: Make a Deposit

You must deposit funds to trade Solana futures on CoinFutures. The platform accepts crypto transfers in USDT, and you can use your wallet or another exchange.

Step 3: Search for Solana Futures

Click “CoinFutures”, then expand the coins menu in the top left corner and pick “SOL/USDT” from the list of options.

Step 4: Enter the Trade Size and Leverage Multiple

The next step is to enter the total position size. The trading order dashboard is to the right of the SOL/USDT price chart. In the “Wager” box, set the amount that you wish to trade with. Then, pick the leverage (“Multiplier”), which goes up to 1,000x.

For example, if you select 10x leverage and enter 100 USDT as the wager, the total position size would be 1,000 USDT, which multiplies both your profits and losses

Step 6: Place a Long or Short Futures Order

The last step is to decide whether you want to go long or short on the Solana futures trade.

Select the “UP” option to go long, which means you predict that the SOL price will increase after the trade executes. To go short, choose the “Down” order type.

CoinFutures executes the trade near-instantly and also lets you set stop-loss and take-profit orders to control your risk and reward.

Visit CoinFutures

Best Platforms to Trade SOL Futures

Read on to discover the best exchanges and trading platforms that list Solana futures.

Centralized Exchanges (CEXs): The Overall Best Option for Beginners

CEXs are the best place to buy and sell Solana futures in 2025, particularly for retail clients with limited experience. CoinFutures, MEXC, and Binance are popular options since these platforms offer low fees, robust security, and high leverage multiples. They also accept traditional payment methods, so futures traders can easily deposit and withdraw funds in local currencies.

Another factor is liquidity. CEXs attract billions of dollars in daily derivative volumes, far exceeding even institutional-grade markets like the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).

Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs): Best Option for Privacy and Non-Custodianship

The next best option for Solana futures trading is DEXs, especially for traders who favor anonymity and privacy. DEXs also ensure that traders access derivative markets in a non-custodial framework.

Jupiter, one of the best decentralized exchanges on the Solana blockchain, only requires platform users to connect a wallet, eliminating the need to register an account. The DEX supports perpetual futures with leverage of up to 100x, long and short positions, and market and limit orders. At no point does Jupiter hold client-owned funds, as smart contracts, via the connected wallet, execute futures trades.

Solana Futures ETFs: Best Option for Mid-Term Positions With Low Leverage

While several providers have filed Solana spot ETF applications to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the markets await approval. In the meantime, investors can access ETFs backed by Solana futures.

SOLT by Volatility Shares is a popular option. Listed on the NASDAQ exchange, SOLT offers portfolio exposure to the Solana price with 2x leverage. This mechanism means that, in theory, the ETF price rises by 2% for every 1% that SOL increases. Note that SOLT has a high expense ratio of 1.85%, so long-term buyers are better suited for traditional Solana investments via spot exchanges.

Solana CME Futures: Best Option for Accredited and Institutional Traders

CME Group, a regulated derivatives exchange that supports global commodities, index funds, and other traditional markets, also offers Solana futures. The exchange is used by large-scale traders, including accredited investors and institutional clients, so it won’t be suitable for retail buyers.

While CME Group supports micro Solana futures, 25 SOL is the minimum contract value (about $3,750). Standard futures have a 500 SOL minimum (about $75,000).

Types of Solana Futures Trading

Most Solana derivative platforms support perpetuals, although some also offer delivery futures. Here’s the difference between perpetuals and deliveries:

Perpetuals Futures: When trading perpetuals, the contracts never expire. Futures trades remain open indefinitely until the trader closes them or the exchange liquidates the position. Perpetuals incur funding rates, usually every eight hours, charged either to longs or shorts.
Deliveries Futures: A less common option is delivery futures, which have contract expiry dates ranging from a day to a year. Traders avoid funding rates on delivery contracts, although positions close automatically once the expiration date arrives.

In terms of settlement, most exchanges settle contracts in USDT or USDC, rather than SOL. This framework makes it easier to evaluate profits and losses.

Some platforms also offer “inverse” futures contracts, which settle exclusively in the underlying coin. As such, the trader’s exposure to SOL rises, increasing both the profit potential and risk profile.

Experts recommend that beginners stick with “Linear” contracts, which settle in stablecoins.

Benefits of Solana Futures Trading

Speculative traders like Solana futures because of these core advantages:

Trade in Both Directions: Futures traders can go long or short, allowing them to profit from bullish and bearish price trends. Investing in SOL through traditional methods only permits long positions.
High Leverage: The best Solana futures platforms offer high leverage limits. This appeals to traders who want to amplify their exchange bankroll by substantial multiples. At 100x leverage, a small deposit of $10 gives $1,000 in market exposure.
Retail Friendly: Only accredited and institutional investors can use regulated futures exchanges like the CME, yet platforms like CoinFutures and MEXC accept all trading profiles. This makes Solana futures highly accessible, even for those with limited capital.
Deep Liquidity: As one of the largest digital assets by market capitalization, Solana futures attract deep liquidity. This reduces volatility and slippage risks, translating to a more user-friendly trading environment.

Risks to Consider When Trading SOL Futures

First-time traders should consider these risks before buying or selling Solana futures:

Most Traders Get Liquidated: According to CoinGlass data, over 78,000 crypto traders were liquidated in the past day, amounting to over $190 million in net losses. Liquidation means the exchange closes your SOL futures position, and you lose the upfront margin.
Significant Losses: All cryptocurrencies carry inherent risks, yet futures contracts are significantly riskier. Traditional investments fluctuate over time, but traders forfeit 100% of their stake on losing futures positions, unless they deploy risk management orders.
Not Suitable for Long-Term Exposure: Long-term holders avoid futures, particularly perpetual contracts, as they are aimed at short-term trading opportunities. Daily funding rates make long-term positions unviable, so you’re better off using spot exchanges if you plan to hold SOL for several years.
High Commissions: Futures traders pay significant fees to open and close positions. These commissions rise exponentially as traders increase their leverage ratios.

Conclusion

Solana futures remain popular with traders who possess a large appetite for risk. With this type of derivative product, ultra-low margin requirements are available to retail clients, with some exchanges offering leverage of up to 500x. Futures contracts also allow long and short trading, making them particularly useful to traders with short-term strategies.

Research shows that CoinFutures is the best place to trade SOL futures as a beginner. New customers can get started without uploading KYC documents, and they can make instant deposits with crypto and traditional payment methods.

Visit CoinFutures