The US-Iran conflict has pushed oil prices to $115. Why are Gate TradFi crude oil contracts becoming the top choice?

On April 7, 2026, the international crude oil market once again surged with major volatility. According to data shown on the Gate TradFi page, U.S. crude oil XTI is currently trading at 115.8 USD, up 2.58% over the past 24 hours; Brent crude oil is currently trading at 114.5 USD, up 1.6% over the past 24 hours. So far this year, crude oil has accumulated an astonishing 84% gain, making it the unmistakable focus in the global commodities market.

Behind the surge in oil prices is the persistent, tense situation between the United States and Iran. Shipping safety through the Strait of Hormuz has yet to recover, and market concerns about supply disruptions continue to intensify. Institutions such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase have raised their oil price forecasts one after another; in the short term, they expect prices to rise to above 120 USD per barrel. For discerning traders, this is a market opportunity that must not be overlooked.

However, trading crude oil through traditional channels is far from easy—overseas brokerage account opening involves a complicated process, deposit periods are long, and the funding threshold is high. With the TradFi crude oil trading service launched by Gate, crypto users can participate directly in global crude oil market conditions using the USDT they already hold. Why is it more convenient?

Trade Crude Oil Directly with USDT

The first step in traditional crude oil trading discourages many people: you need to open an offshore securities or futures account, complete the complex W-8BEN forms, then convert fiat currency into dollars and remit them across borders. The whole process can take as little as a week, or as long as a month—and you also have to absorb foreign exchange losses and high fees.

Gate TradFi breaks down this barrier completely. You only need to transfer USDT from your main account to a TradFi sub-account, and the system will automatically mark it to USDx at a 1:1 ratio. You don’t need to sell USDT, you don’t need to convert fiat currency, and there are no foreign exchange costs. The digital assets you accumulate in the crypto world directly become the margin for trading WTI and Brent crude oil.

That means from the moment you decide to trade crude oil to when you actually open a position, it takes less than 1 minute. Markets don’t wait—and Gate lets you get on board anytime.

Two Crude Oil Products + Up to 500x Leverage

Gate TradFi offers spread contract trading for two of the world’s major crude oil benchmarks:

• WTI crude oil (XTIUSD): West Texas Intermediate crude oil, reflecting supply and demand in the U.S. market
• Brent crude oil (XBRUSD): a benchmark reference for roughly two-thirds of global crude oil pricing, making it more internationally representative

With both products covered, you can flexibly choose based on the impact of the U.S.-Iran situation on regional supply. For example, if disruption and escalation from a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz intensifies, Brent crude oil is typically more sensitive; if changes in U.S. domestic inventories become the dominant factor, WTI is more worth watching.

In terms of leverage, Gate offers multiple leverage options ranging from 5x to 500x. Whether you prefer low-leverage trend trading or you’re skilled at using high leverage to capture intraday fluctuations, you can find a risk exposure that fits you. Based on the current oil price of 115.8 USD, even with only 100 USD in margin, at 100x leverage you can obtain a notional position of 10,000 USD.

7×24 Continuous Trading

This is Gate TradFi’s most core advantage over traditional crude oil futures.

Traditional WTI crude oil futures on the CME Group trade from 6:00 Beijing time to 5:00 the next day, Monday through Friday, with markets closed on weekends and holidays. However, geopolitical events never follow trading hours—any sudden news such as a tweet by Trump or an unexpected ceasefire negotiation could be posted in the early hours of Saturday.

Gate’s crude oil perpetual contracts provide continuous 7×24 trading, covering the XBRUSDT and WTIUSDT perpetual contracts, and settled in USDT. This means on weekends, late at night, or in the early morning—if you believe the market has changed, you can open or close positions at any time, truly achieving “markets don’t rest, trading never stops.”

Industry-Leading Market Depth

What is the biggest fear when trading crude oil?—slippage. When you see the price quickly surge and you press the buy button, if liquidity is insufficient, your actual execution price could be far higher than expected.

According to industry data, in the Gate contract sector, the market share of the WTI crude oil XTIUSD market is as high as 65.75%; Brent crude oil is also ranked first in the entire market, with a share of 40.56%. This means that when you trade crude oil on Gate, you’re facing one of the deepest order books across the industry. Large position openings and closings can be executed quickly with minimal slippage—especially suitable for capturing immediate reactions during breakout moves.

TradFi Copy Trading Feature Goes Live

For traders who aren’t familiar with fundamental analysis of crude oil, Gate launched the industry’s first TradFi copy trading feature on April 2, 2026. You only need to follow the platform’s top traders, and with one click, you can copy their positions to participate in crude oil market moves.

Even more worth noting is that the system introduces an HWM (high-water mark) profit-sharing mechanism. The income of the person running the trades is built on the copy traders’ sustained profitability, fundamentally avoiding the conflict of interest where someone encourages frequent trading just to earn fees. For beginners, this is an excellent low-barrier path to participate in high-volatility markets.

How to Start Trading Crude Oil on Gate TradFi?

The entire process only takes three steps:

1. Log in to the Gate App or Web, enter the “Contracts” or “TradFi” section, and enable permissions with one click (no repeated KYC required).
2. Transfer USDT from your main account to your TradFi sub-account; the system automatically displays it as USDx at a 1:1 ratio.
3. Select the XTIUSD or XBRUSD trading pair, set the leverage multiple and position size, and click buy or sell to begin trading.

Risk Warning

Crude oil is a high-volatility commodity. Currently driven by the U.S.-Iran situation, intraday fluctuations could reach 5 to 10 USD. Gate provides up to 500x leverage. High leverage not only amplifies gains, but also sharply increases the risk of losses. Please make sure to set your leverage multiple and stop-loss price reasonably according to your own risk tolerance, and never chase prices blindly or place oversized bets.

Conclusion

When WTI crude oil breaks through 115 USD, with the U.S.-Iran situation still undecided and international investment banks broadly bullish on oil prices at the same time, the trading window is right in front of you. Gate TradFi delivers three key reasons—direct trading with USDT, 7×24 continuous market opening, and market depth with a market share of over 65%—more than enough to explain why it is the better choice for trading crude oil right now.