When you trade on margin, the funds you borrow come from Bitso's lending pools. A lending pool is a reserve of funds that Bitso keeps available for margin loans, with one pool per currency. When you borrow USDT, the funds come from the USDT pool. When you short BTC, the BTC comes from the BTC pool.
You never request a loan manually. When you place a margin order that needs more funds than you hold, this happens automatically:
- Bitso checks that your account can safely take the loan.
- When the order fills, the borrowed amount is drawn from the lending pool into your Margin Wallet.
- Your debt appears as a negative balance in that currency.
You always owe the pool in the same currency you borrowed. Borrow USDT and you owe USDT. Borrow BTC and you owe BTC. Your collateral never leaves your Margin Wallet. The pool lends against it, it doesn't take it.
Didn't work? Here's what to do
If the lending pool doesn't have enough balance for your order size, the platform rejects the order. Try placing a smaller order or choose a different pair. If the problem continues, contact our support team.