What if you could use the cryptocurrency already sitting in your wallet to trade gold or major currency pairs? Traditionally, getting exposure to markets such as XAUUSD or EURUSD meant opening an account with a forex broker, depositing fiat currency, and managing your crypto holdings separately.

That separation is becoming less necessary. Several trading platforms now allow users to fund forex and gold CFD positions with cryptocurrencies or stablecoins such as Tether (USDT), Bitcoin (BTC), and Ethereum (ETH).

The appeal is easy to understand. Traders can access traditional financial markets without arranging a separate fiat deposit, although the way crypto is used as margin differs considerably between platforms. Some accept…