CFDs Traders Are Trading in a "Closed Box": Can Crypto Perpetuals Challenge This?

Retail traders have long sought agile access to global markets, yet many instruments like Contracts for Difference (CFDs) remain opaque, broker-controlled relics of the past. Originating in 1990s London as tax-avoidance tools for institutions, CFDs became retail products wrapped in outdated models favoring intermediaries over transparency. Critics compare modern CFD brokers to 1920s bucket shops—where houses manipulated trades against clients.

In 2016, BitMEX revolutionized the space with perpetual futures contracts, eliminating expiration dates and addressing the cumbersome rollover process of traditional futures. crypto perpetuals now pose a direct challenge to CFDs, offering decentralized alternatives with greater transparency and efficiency. The question remains: Can these innovations dismantle the entrenched CFD ecosystem?