Using OKX sub-accounts to keep trading risk away from your savings

When everything sits in one OKX account, a single mistake or a compromised API key can touch all of it: the savings you meant to hold, the margin for futures and the balance a bot trades with. OKX sub-accounts offer a simple way to separate these roles. Each sub-account has its own balances and can have its own API keys, while the main account keeps control. Setting them up takes a little time and makes your account easier to manage and safer.

Decide what each sub-account is for

Start by naming the roles. A common split is one sub-account for futures trading, one for a bot or third-party tool and the main account for holdings you do not actively trade. Keep the number small so you can remember what each is for. Write the plan down with the purpose of each sub-account, so that months later you are not guessing why a balance is where it is.

Create and fund them

In OKX, open the sub-account management area from your profile and create the sub-accounts you planned, giving them clear names. Move funds from the main account using the internal transfer function, which does not involve a blockchain network. Move only what each role needs. For example, give the futures sub-account only the amount you are prepared to risk in a given period.

Give each part only the access it needs

If a bot needs an API key, create that key inside the bot's sub-account rather than in the main account, with trade permission only and no withdrawal permission, and restrict it to the bot's IP addresses if possible. If the key is ever misused, the damage is limited to that sub-account's balance. Keep withdrawal whitelisting and strong authentication on the main account.

Review the structure regularly

Once a month, look at the balances of each sub-account and move funds back to the main account when a role needs less. Delete API keys in sub-accounts you no longer use, and close sub-accounts that no longer have a purpose after moving their balances out. Check that your records and exports include all sub-accounts, since activity there is still part of your overall history.

Risk boundary: OKX Switzerland Guide

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Scenario checkpoint

• Define a small number of sub-account roles and write down the purpose of each.
• Create named sub-accounts and fund them with internal transfers only as needed.
• Create bot API keys inside their own sub-account with trade-only permission.
• Review sub-account balances and keys monthly and include them in your records.