Institutional Crypto OTC Desk
Execute large crypto trades with CEX.IO Prime OTC
Get a firm quote for your full trade size, access liquidity across 15+ trading venues, and settle through the same CEX.IO Prime account.
What the CEX.IO Prime OTC desk is
The desk is one route into the same infrastructure the rest of Prime runs on. You send a request, an account manager returns a price for the whole amount, and the trade settles on your Prime account. CEX.IO enables OTC access per client at onboarding.
One book behind every quote
The price comes from 15+ trading venues combined into a single deep book. Aggregated depth lifts the ceiling a single venue puts on size, so large orders stay priceable in assets where one book alone runs thin.
One account for the whole operation
Every OTC trade lands on the same Prime account, the same internal ledger and the same statements as your order book activity, your conversions and your settlements. You reconcile one report.
A named person on every trade
Every Prime client works with an experienced account manager, and a 24/7 institutional desk stands behind that manager for size that arrives at the wrong hour.
What clients bring to the desk
An order book fills a large order in pieces, and each piece takes the next price level, so the average price drifts away from the one you saw when you decided. On institutional size that drift costs more than any fee on the trade.
- Converting a large fiat balance into crypto or stablecoins in one operation
- Rebalancing a treasury across assets without signalling the trade
- Funding or unwinding a position in one clean fill
- Buying or selling an asset where the public book runs thin
- Sourcing a block for your own desk's client flow
- Any otc crypto operation that needs a price agreed in writing before anyone executes
How an OTC trade runs on Prime
OTC trading with us follows the same six steps every time, and your account manager stays on the trade from the first message to settlement.
Request
Send the asset, the side, the size and the settlement asset to your account manager through the agreed channel.
Quote
The account manager sources a price for the full size and presents the quote with a validity period.
Confirmation
You confirm in writing inside that period. The written exchange becomes the audit record your compliance team keeps.
Execution
The account manager executes the block off the public order book, so the order never walks a public book at your expense.
Settlement
The internal ledger settles the balance on your Prime account. Crypto moves on-chain. Fiat moves over SEPA, SEPA Instant, Faster Payments or SWIFT.
Reporting
The trade appears in standard reporting, in the same statements as the rest of your activity on the account.
Let's structure access around your flow.
Explore the platform or talk to our team, and we will show you exactly what Prime does for your flow.
FAQ
What is an OTC desk in crypto?
An OTC desk crypto institutions use executes large trades away from the public order book. You agree one price for the full size with the desk, the trade settles bilaterally, and the order never sits on an exchange book where it would move the price against you. CEX.IO Prime sources that price from one aggregated book built out of 15+ trading venues.
How does an OTC desk differ from trading on an exchange?
An order book fills your order in pieces against whatever depth exists, so a large order walks the book and each piece pays a worse price than the one before it. An OTC desk quotes one price for the whole size, and you know the cost before you commit.
What is the minimum trade size on the CEX.IO Prime OTC desk?
The desk handles size that a public order book would move against you. Your account manager confirms the working minimum for the assets and pairs you trade when CEX.IO enables OTC access on your account. Smaller orders run through the aggregated order book and settle to the same Prime account.
How much does OTC trading cost?
The desk quotes one price for the full size, and that price is what you pay if you confirm inside the validity period. Pricing depends on the asset, the amount and market conditions at the moment of the quote, so your account manager sets out the terms for your flow before you trade.
How long is an OTC quote valid?
Every quote carries a stated validity period, presented with the price. Confirm in writing inside that period and the desk executes at the quoted price. If the period lapses, request a fresh quote and the account manager sources the price again.
How fast does an OTC trade settle?
The internal ledger settles the trade on your Prime account. Crypto moves on-chain across 60+ networks and fiat moves over SEPA, SEPA Instant, Faster Payments or SWIFT in USD, EUR and GBP. Timing depends on the rail, and your account manager confirms it with the quote. Eligible clients on a collateralised credit line settle the same day without pre-funding.
What is an RFQ, and when should I use one?
A request for quote returns a firm price for a defined size before you commit, which suits execution that needs an internal sign-off first. A worked block suits size that the desk needs to negotiate and place off the order book. Fixed-price conversion suits moving between assets when speed matters more than negotiation.
Which assets, currencies and networks can I trade OTC?
Prime covers 500+ assets, including BTC, ETH and stablecoins, quoted against USD, EUR, GBP and major stablecoins, with on-chain settlement across 60+ networks on Layer 1 and Layer 2. Where no direct pair exists, the desk triangulates through an intermediate leg and returns one consolidated fill at one price. CEX.IO adds assets and networks as client demand arrives.
Do I need to pre-fund the trade?
No, if you hold a collateralised credit line. CEX.IO structures the line per client against fiat, stablecoins, BTC or ETH, and trades on the line settle the same day at T+0. That lets you trade larger or bridge settlement timing without selling the underlying asset. Without a line, fund the Prime account before execution.
Where are my assets held after the trade?
In institutional custody on the same platform. Prime holds client assets in MPC self-custody with segregated cold storage, and assets under custody reach $500M. Multi-party computation splits signing authority, so a quorum signs every transaction. Address whitelisting stays mandatory, approval policy runs single, dual or threshold per sub-account, and continuous on-chain reconciliation plus full audit logging cover the record.
How do I connect the desk to my own systems?
Through FIX 4.4 for institutional order flow, REST and WebSocket for trading, market data and account state, and Webhooks to push events into your own systems. A web terminal covers manual work. Your team integrates and tests in a sandbox environment before CEX.IO issues production keys, and a 24/7 institutional desk supports the work.
Is there an OTC crypto app?
The Prime portal runs on mobile, so you request a quote, confirm a trade, check balances across sub-accounts and pull statements from anywhere. SSO and 2FA protect access, role-based controls decide what each person can do, and the same account manager handles the trade whichever route you use.
How do I open an OTC account, and how long does it take?
Onboarding runs in three steps. CEX.IO scopes the products, assets, rails and limits and structures the agreement per client. One onboarding then covers every connected venue, with a named contact running the process. CEX.IO configures your accounts, issues production keys and assigns a dedicated desk. Timing follows the products and jurisdictions in scope, and CEX.IO confirms a schedule once it has reviewed the scope and your documentation.