BitMEX Study Reveals 90% Drop in Extreme Bitcoin Perpetual Futures Funding Rates Since 2016, Signalling Market Maturation

[PRESS RELEASE – Mahe, Seychelles, June 30th, 2025]

BitMEX, the safest crypto exchange, today announced the findings of its comprehensive study on XBTUSD, the longest-running Bitcoin perpetual swap, to shed light on the evolution of the funding rate market. The research, spanning from May 2016 to May 2025, reveals a significant shift in funding rate patterns, marking a transition from high volatility to unprecedented market stability.

Since BitMEX pioneered perpetual swaps in 2016, they’ve become one of the most traded financial products worldwide. A key component of these products are funding rates, which are periodic payments made between long and short position holders of a perpetual swap contract to maintain a token’s futures price with its spot price. Funding rates are crucial for identifying market arbitrage opportunities and to gauge market sentiment.

The study, which delved into the extensive history of BitMEX’s XBTUSD perpetual swap, uncovered several key insights:

• Extreme Funding Rates Plummet by 90%: Since 2016, the occurrence of extreme funding rates has dropped by a staggering 90%. Notably, data from 2024-2025 shows remarkable stability, even as Bitcoin surged past $100,000. This trend indicates a clear maturation of the crypto market, transforming Bitcoin from a highly speculative asset into a more stable financial instrument.
• Mainstream Integration Drives Stability: The launch of Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024 and the emergence of decentralised finance (DeFi) protocols like Ethena have been instrumental in facilitating large-scale arbitrage, further anchoring futures prices to spot prices and contributing to market efficiency.
• Era of Stable Funding Rates: The current environment of stable funding rates suggests significantly reduced market volatility. This stability could position Bitcoin as a more reliable asset for institutional portfolios, with potential wider implications for traditional financial markets.

“Our study highlights a profound transformation in the Bitcoin perpetual swap market,” said Stephan Lutz, CEO of BitMEX. “The dramatic reduction in extreme funding rates on XBTUSD underscores the growing maturity and institutional acceptance of crypto. As one of the oldest crypto exchanges, we’re excited to be able to share such market insights for our traders and reinforce the industry’s integration into the global financial landscape.”

More details about the study can be found here.

About BitMEX

BitMEX is the OG crypto derivatives exchange, providing professional crypto traders with a platform that caters to their needs through low latency, deep crypto native liquidity and unmatched reliability.

Since its founding, no cryptocurrency has been lost through intrusion or hacking, allowing BitMEX users to trade safely in the knowledge that their funds are secure. So too that they have access to the products and tools they require to be profitable.

BitMEX was also one of the first exchanges to publish their on-chain Proof of Reserves and Proof of Liabilities data. The exchange continues to publish this data twice a week – proving assurance that they safely store and segregate the funds they are entrusted with.

For more information on BitMEX, users can visit the BitMEX Blog or www.bitmex.com, and follow Telegram, Twitter, Discord, and its online communities. For further inquiries, users can contact press@bitmex.com.