Spot Trading

Written By Nansen Team

Last updated 1 day ago

Getting Started

What is spot trading on Nansen?

Nansen spot trading routes through multiple DEX aggregators. We scan Jupiter, OKX, and LI.FI simultaneously to bring you the best available prices in one view.

Is there an order book for spot trading on Nansen?

Currently, Nansen’s spot trading aggregators focus on smart contract-based AMM DEXs. These DEXs execute trades against liquidity pools rather than matching bids and asks through an order book.

Order book DEXs use a different market structure, where traders place limit orders and trades execute through bid/ask matching. Nansen does provide order book matching for perps via Hyperliquid. Learn more.

Is a Pro plan required to access spot trading?

No, spot trading is available to all Nansen users.

Which chains are currently supported?

Spot trading is supported on Base and Solana.

Can I use my existing onchain wallet?

You can deposit to your Nansen wallet directly from another onchain wallet, but you cannot import an existing onchain wallet.

Nansen provides an embedded wallet experience with security powered by Privy.

Do I need to move all my funds to Nansen Wallet?

We recommend only moving what you want to trade (especially during Beta Access)

Nansen Wallet is for active trading. Keep long-term holdings in:

  • Hardware wallet (Ledger, Trezor)

  • Your main MetaMask/Phantom

  • Cold storage

Portfolio tracking works with any wallet. Add your addresses to your watchlist - you'll see everything in one view, even if funds are spread across multiple wallets.

Treat Nansen Wallet like a trading account, not your main vault.

Can I set limit orders?

Yes, we have made this available on web. Please note it may not work on some chains such as Base.

How do I know if my trade succeeded or failed?

Every trade shows real-time status in your Activity tab with clear states:

  • Pending → Transaction submitted to blockchain

  • Confirming → Processing on-chain

  • Confirmed → Trade successful

  • Failed → Transaction reverted (with reason explained)

You'll see notifications for each state change. If a trade fails, your funds automatically revert—nothing gets stuck. Click any transaction to view complete onchain details via block explorer.

Can I cancel a trade after clicking 'Execute'?

Once submitted to the blockchain, you can't cancel (standard for DEX swaps).

Before submitting:

  • Review all details carefully

  • Check slippage tolerance

  • Verify token contract address

  • Confirm amount

For large trades, do a small test trade first.

Fees & Tiers

What are the spot trading fees?

Spot trades are currently priced depending on your points tier or subscription status:

  • Unranked: 75 bps

  • 🟢 Green / Pro: 45 bps

  • 🧊 Ice: 25 bps

  • 🔷 North: 17.5 bps

  • ⭐ Star: 10 bps

Why do fees vary so much between spot trades?

DEX fees depend on:

  1. Liquidity pool depth (low liquidity = higher slippage = effective higher fees)

  2. Network gas costs (depends on congestion—Ethereum is pricier than Solana, BNB, and Base)

Our routing aggregator shows you the comparison. If one route has lower fees, it'll recommend that one.

For large trades, consider:

  • Trading during off-peak hours (lower gas)

  • Using L2s like Base, cheaper than Ethereum mainnet

  • Splitting into smaller trades (better pricing for large swaps)

The price shown is different from what I paid. Why?

This is slippage - the price moved between quote and execution.

Happens when:

  • Market is volatile

  • Token has low liquidity

  • Large trade size (your trade itself moves the price)

  • Network congestion (delayed execution)

Trading Risk & Compliance

Are there any geographic restrictions?

Due to legal or regulatory reasons, access or use of our Services may be restricted in the following jurisdictions: the Gelephu Mindfulness City Special Administrative Region and the Kingdom of Bhutan, Singapore, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, certain regions in Ukraine (including Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk).

In addition, access to and use of the Perpetuals Feature is further restricted in, and is not available to any person located in, accessing from, or resident in, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Do not use a VPN to bypass geographic restrictions - this violates Nansen's Terms of Service.

Is Nansen providing financial advice through this feature?

No. Nansen provides data and infrastructure for executing trades. Nothing on the platform constitutes financial advice, a recommendation to trade, or a guarantee of any outcome. All trading decisions are yours.