Understanding the Spread
Every USDT quote is a bundle. Inside: the wholesale price the service paid, the retail margin it adds, and the corridor tax for the currency path you chose. This guide unbundles them.
Why spreads exist
A spread is not a fee. It is the structure of the service's revenue — a built-in margin on every trade. The alternative is a commission, and for small retail amounts a spread is often cheaper than a flat fee would be.
Reading the spread like a bill
Open a tracker. Watch the mid-market. When the quote arrives, note the gap. The gap is the arithmetic sum of the wholesale spread (the service's own cost), the retail layer (its operations) and the corridor premium (the cost of the specific fiat route). Each layer varies independently.
Wider at the edges of the day
Spreads widen when liquidity thins — early morning, late night, weekends, local holidays. A quote at 03:00 Monday will carry a wider spread than a quote at 14:00 Wednesday, and the difference is not greed; it is the market charging for thinness.
FAQ
What spread should I expect for a typical USDT-RUB deal?
A retail spread in the corridor of roughly one to three percent is common. Below that is narrow; above it may signal unusual conditions. The number is less important than knowing it before you accept.
Dimensions on this page
Anatomy of the Spread
A spread looks like one number. This page unpacks it into the layers it really is: the wholesale spread the service pays, the retail layer it adds, the corridor premium for specific fiat currencies, and the risk buffer for volatile times.
Learn moreThe Mid-Market Rate as an Anchor
The mid-market rate is not a tradable price. It is a reference point — the midpoint between global buy and sell orders at a given second. Every service quotes a rate that differs from it, and that difference is the spread. This page explains how to read the mid-market, where to find it live and why comparing offers without it is like comparing speeds without a stopwatch.
Learn more