The primary difference between spot and derivatives trading is when trading spot, you buy and sell the underlying asset. 

Example: If you purchase 1 BTC, you own that 1 BTC, and it is available in your account to keep, withdraw, or sell again in the future. With derivatives, you never own the underlying asset.   Instead, you enter into an agreement whose payoff is a function of that underlying asset. 

The process for sending a spot order and a perpetual order using ActiveTrader is the same, with the order information requirements depending on the order type. However, there are several differences in the execution of a perpetual trade compared to a spot trade.

When trading spot, the asset you buy will appear in your account, and the asset you sell will be deducted.

When you trade a perpetual, there is no transfer of assets on execution. The only movement will be a deduction of any trading fees. When the position is closed, the account’s GUSD balance will be updated to reflect the P&L of the completed trade.

Note that for perpetuals, during the life of the trade, all funding payments will be credited or debited to the account’s GUSD balance. All fees and funding payments are included in the realised P&L.The closing of the trade will settle all unrealised P&L. At any time during the life of the trade, unrealised P&L, as well as the account’s GUSD balance, contribute to the account’s Margin Assets Value; this amount needs to remain above the Margin Maintenance Limit in order to prevent liquidation