Trading and Settlement Policies

• Trading Hours: The standard trading hours for US options are 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time (ET) (some ETF options trade until 4:15 PM). Trading hours on the platform will correspond to this.

• Trading Unit: The minimum trading unit for US stock options is 1 contract, which typically corresponds to 100 shares. (Example: For an NVDA call option with an expiration date of September 5, 2025 and a strike price of $190. Given the current price is $4.9, the contract value is $4.9 * 100 = $490.)

• Margin Requirements: When you buy a long call or long put option, the maximum risk is the premium you paid. Therefore, no margin is required for these positions, but you must be aware of the processing procedures for exercising an option that may be involved when you buy an option and hold it until maturity.

• Exercising an Option at Maturity: Options that are in-the-money (ITM) at maturity are typically subject to automatic exercise, which usually occurs after the market closes on the expiration date. If the expiration date falls on a holiday, the timing may vary and the options will be exercised the actual execution time.

Exercising In-the-Money Long Call Options: If your long call option is in-the-money at maturity ([NOTE] it will be automatically exercised if the price is $0.01 or above. If it's below $0.01 and you do not exercise or close the position, it will lapse by default and become worthless), the system will check if you have sufficient cash to purchase 100 shares of the stock per contract at the strike price. If funds are sufficient, the option will be exercised, and you will own the shares.

NOTICE: Since the shares acquired after exercise will appear in your US stock options account holdings instead of your US stock securities account, you will need to sell the shares through your US stock options account.) If there are insufficient funds, the platform reserves the right to automatically close the option position to prevent a margin deficit. In certain situations, if the option buyer's cash or margin is insufficient to meet the exercise conditions, the platform will close the position at market price before expiration (approximately 2 hours before market close) or allow it to expire worthless. A closing fee will also be incurred in this case.

Exercising In-the-Money Long Put Options: If your long put option is in-the-money at maturity, the system will check if you hold 100 shares of the underlying stock per contract. If you hold the shares, the option will be exercised and the shares will be sold.

NOTICE: If you do not hold the shares, the platform may automatically close the option position, which will incur a closing fee. If your US stock options account has sufficient margin and you choose to hold the short position, you will be required to pay the accrued interest. Generally, the margin requirement is twice the market value of the relevant stock, and if the margin is insufficient, you may be subject to forced liquidation without prior notice.

• Options Given up and Early Exercise are not supported: Both given up the rights to exercise and early exercise of US stock options before the expiration date are currently not supported.

• Settlement: US stock options trades settle on a T+1 basis. The settlement of the underlying stock resulting from an option being exercised also occurs on a T+1 basis, following the relevant notice to exercise.

[IMPORTANT REMINDER] We will, at various times before the market closes on the option contract's expiration date, calculate the funds required for exercising In-the-Money or Near-the-Money options. If the available USD funds in the Client’s holding account is insufficient for exercising the options, the account may be subject to forced liquidation in the view to avoid a margin deficit after the options being exercised. If you anticipate that your account may have a margin deficit after the option being exercised, please close the position promptly or deposit sufficient funds in advance to meet the relevant margin requirements. Otherwise, we have the right to close the option before expiration, or allow it to lapse and become worthless, or allowing it to be exercised but force liquidating your other positions (including but not limited to the underlying asset of the exercised option).