Bybit vs Variational Funding Arbitrage

49 shared markets · net of estimated fees · updated every few minutes

Bybit and Variational both quote 49 of the same perpetual markets, so a delta-neutral position can be split across the two and collect the difference in their funding. The widest spread on a market with real depth is XMR — long Bybit / short Variational at 65.2% net APR — but the median across all shared markets is 11.8%, which is the number worth planning around.

49
shared markets
65.2%
best net APR · ≥$1M vol
11.8%
median net APR
40
markets ≥5% net APR
7
with ≥$1M lower-leg volume

Bybit / Variational spreads by market

top 25 by net APR
MarketLongShortGross APRNet APR7d avg24h vol · lower leg
BNCBybitVariational230.3%222.7%-17.1%$63K
4VariationalBybit125.9%121.0%+26.2%$810K
ZORAVariationalBybit125.3%120.3%+15.3%$122K
ONGBybitVariational105.9%102.5%+3.3%$127K
FLOCKVariationalBybit105.3%100.9%+15.8%$873K
MINABybitVariational80.1%75.4%+85.4%$77K
XVGBybitVariational76.8%71.9%+30.6%$10K
STXVariationalBybit70.0%66.1%+54.3%$129K
XMRBybitVariational68.3%65.2%+47.4%$1.1M
ZAMABybitVariational66.3%62.2%+14.2%$185K
VELODROMEVariationalBybit68.5%61.7%+15.2%$14K
XCNBybitVariational62.7%57.1%+4.5%$53K
HOODVariationalBybit57.1%54.3%+8.5%$716K
SVariationalBybit58.6%53.4%+63.4%$34K
ACEBybitVariational51.3%47.7%+22.1%$22K
EDGEVariationalBybit36.5%32.6%+0.8%$253K
CASHCATVariationalBybit26.3%22.1%$1.7M
SPXVariationalBybit25.6%21.4%+10.8%$147K
HBARVariationalBybit21.5%18.5%+18.1%$91K
AAOIVariationalBybit21.2%17.9%+1.1%$129K
WLFIVariationalBybit20.6%17.4%+5.2%$13K
ENABybitVariational18.1%15.4%+8.0%$865K
POPCATVariationalBybit17.8%13.3%+3.1%$192K
DASHVariationalBybit15.1%12.0%+1.2%$706K
INTCVariationalBybit14.5%11.8%+5.5%$630K

Net APR subtracts entry and exit fees, both legs' bid/ask spread and estimated slippage from the gross funding spread. The 7-day average is historical gross funding for the same pair: a current rate close to it suggests the spread has persisted, one far above it is usually a spike that will decay.

Which venue is the long leg

16
markets long on Bybit
33
markets long on Variational
31
markets ≥10% net APR

The long leg is whichever venue currently prices funding lower for that market — it is a property of the market, not of the exchange, and it flips as rates move.

Bybit vs Variational — FAQ

How many markets can you arbitrage between Bybit and Variational?

49 perpetual markets are quoted on both Bybit and Variational right now. 40 of them show a net spread of at least 5% APR after estimated fees, and 7 have at least $1M of 24h volume on the smaller leg.

What is the best Bybit / Variational funding spread right now?

XMR: long Bybit and short Variational for about 65.2% net APR after estimated fees, counting only markets with at least $1M of 24h volume on the smaller leg. The median across all 49 shared markets is 11.8%, so the top of the list is not typical.

Which side pays on the Bybit / Variational pair?

It varies by market: Bybit is the long (funding-receiving) leg in 16 of the shared markets and Variational in the other 33. The direction is set per market by which venue currently prices funding lower.

Trading the Bybit / Variational spread

The trade is one position split across two venues: long the exchange paying the more negative funding, short the one paying the more positive, in the same size. Direction risk is largely offset, and the position earns the funding difference each interval. What limits it is not the headline APR but the smaller leg's liquidity, the fees on both sides, and how long the spread survives — funding decays and flips, often within hours. Per-market detail, including a backtest, is on each market's funding page; the full calculation is in the methodology.

Venue detail: Bybit funding rates · Variational funding rates

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