How Does the Margin Requirement Typically Differ between Physically and Cash-Settled Contracts?
Margin requirements are often higher for physically-settled contracts, especially as the settlement date approaches. This is because the clearing house needs greater assurance that the trader can deliver or take delivery of the full value of the underlying asset, not just cover potential price fluctuations.
Cash-settled contracts usually only require margin sufficient to cover the maximum expected change in the contract's value.
Glossar
Settlement Date
Finality ⎊ Settlement Date represents the chronological demarcation point wherein the unconditional transfer of an asset, or its equivalent cash value, is legally and irrevocably completed, mitigating counterparty risk within a given transaction.
Clearing House
Settlement ⎊ A clearing house, within cryptocurrency and derivatives markets, functions as an intermediary between buyers and sellers, mitigating counterparty risk through a process of novation ⎊ replacing original trade agreements with new ones directly with the clearing house.