0 fees for maker orders—has Gate written “farming freebies” into its trading rules?

Gate has launched 0-fee maker orders for USD1 contracts. At first glance, it may seem like just one less fee to pay, but for high-frequency traders, this change carries considerable weight. In the futures market, fees may look like mere digits after the decimal point, but with enough trades, they become a significant cost that cannot be overlooked. Especially for users engaged in market making, grid trading, quantitative strategies, and frequent position adjustments, trading costs themselves are the “invisible boss” on the profit curve.

That is where the significance of 0-fee maker orders lies: by providing liquidity through limit orders, users can reduce trading friction and execute strategies more flexibly. Previously, some users may have avoided placing orders frequently because of the fees; now that costs are lower, the room for executing certain strategies has naturally opened up.

More importantly, this design is not only about attracting trading volume—it is also about competing for liquidity. What does the futures market fear most? Not having too few users, but having a thin order book. When order-book depth is insufficient, the arrival of a slightly larger order can make prices start “dancing wildly in place.” More maker orders entering the market can help improve bid-ask depth and reduce slippage in certain trading scenarios.

Of course, 0 fees does not mean 0 risk. The fees may be saved, but market volatility will not be discounted accordingly. Futures trading still involves risks such as leverage, liquidation, and funding rates. Never develop the illusion that “trading is free” just because “fees are free.”

From the perspective of platform competition, 0-fee maker orders for USD1 contracts are essentially a two-way game between user experience and liquidity. The platform wants to attract more maker orders, while users want to reduce trading costs. If the two sides form a positive feedback loop, the ultimate beneficiaries may be not only trading volume, but also market depth.

So what is truly worth watching in this move is not the phrase “0 fees,” but whether it can genuinely build up liquidity.

Fees can be reduced to zero, but risk awareness cannot. #USD1合约挂单0手续费