On 9 April 2026 Bitstamp announced the general launch of crypto perpetual futures for retail and institutional traders in the EU.
What changed
- A separate, MiFID-licensed firm. The contracts are offered by Bitstamp Financial Services Ltd., authorised and supervised by Slovenia’s Securities Market Agency (ATVP) under MiFID II, not by the MiCA-licensed exchange entity.
- Leverage capped at 10x. Bitstamp says the product is aimed at people with enough knowledge, experience and risk appetite.
- Not everywhere. Bitstamp says derivatives trading is not available to customers in the US, Canada, Japan and some other countries.
What changes in our data
Bitstamp’s US derivatives row is restricted, citing Bitstamp’s own statement. Japan stays unverified overall, since Bitstamp says nothing about spot access there. The UK and Singapore get restricted derivatives rows at medium confidence, because the launch is addressed to EU traders only.
Bitstamp
Slovenia