BTC arbitrage explained
Right now Bitcoin (BTC) trades on 12 venues we scan: 11 perpetual markets, 7 spot markets and 1 DEX pool. The lowest ask is on Variational perp at $83,297.86 and the highest bid on Bitget spot at $83,384.27.
The widest BTC perpetual spread is between Variational and Bitget: long BTC on Variational at $83,297.86 and short on Bitget at $83,365.10 for +0.08% gross, or -0.08% after the 0.16% two-leg fee model. No transfer is needed: both positions stay on their exchanges until the prices converge. The funding difference on this pair is +0.024% per day, which the position collects while it is open.
For a spot–perpetual (cash-and-carry) trade, the best BTC route is to buy spot on Bybit and short the perpetual on Bitget: -0.01% gross, -0.21% net, with +0.030% a day of funding on the short leg.
Spot–spot BTC arbitrage (buy on Bybit, withdraw, deposit and sell on Bitget) shows +0.01% gross right now. It only works if withdrawals on the buying exchange and deposits on the selling exchange are open, so check the D/W dots before moving coins.
Small BTC gaps usually disappear after fees, slippage and funding. Look at the Net column, the executable Depth and the spread history before trading: a gap that has been open for days is a different trade from a one-minute spike.
Related: BTC funding rates · BTC spread charts · Bitcoin price · arbitrage scanner for all coins.