What are the funding intervals for Kraken perpetual contracts?

Kraken's perpetual contracts use 8-hour funding intervals (00:00, 08:00, 16:00 UTC) to align contract prices with spot via payments between longs and shorts.

Aug 13, 2025 at 11:36 am

Understanding Perpetual Contracts on Kraken

Perpetual contracts are a type of derivative product offered by cryptocurrency exchanges that allow traders to speculate on the price of an asset without an expiration date. Kraken, a prominent cryptocurrency exchange, provides perpetual contracts for various digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and other major cryptocurrencies. Unlike traditional futures contracts, perpetual contracts remain active indefinitely as long as the position is maintained and margin requirements are met. A critical mechanism that ensures the price of a perpetual contract stays close to the underlying spot price is funding payments. These periodic transfers occur between long and short position holders and are determined by the funding rate.

What Is Funding in Perpetual Contracts?

Funding is a crucial component of perpetual swap contracts that aligns the contract price with the spot market price. When the perpetual contract trades above the spot price, the market is in contango, and long position holders pay shorts. Conversely, when the contract trades below the spot price, the market is in backwardation, and short position holders pay longs. The funding rate is calculated based on the difference between the perpetual contract price and the index price (a composite of spot prices from major exchanges). This mechanism discourages prolonged deviation between the two prices. On Kraken, this funding mechanism is applied at regular intervals, ensuring market equilibrium.

Funding Intervals on Kraken

Kraken enforces a standardized funding interval across all its perpetual contract pairs. The funding payments occur every 8 hours, precisely at 00:00 UTC, 08:00 UTC, and 16:00 UTC each day. At these timestamps, the system automatically calculates the funding rate and executes the transfer between traders holding opposite positions. If you hold a long position when the funding rate is positive, you will pay funding to those in short positions. If the rate is negative, you will receive funding as a long holder. The same logic applies inversely to short positions. It is essential to monitor your open positions around these times to anticipate cash flow impacts.

How to Check Funding Rates on Kraken

To view current and historical funding rates for any perpetual contract on Kraken, follow these steps:

• Log in to your Kraken account and navigate to the Futures trading interface.
• Select the desired trading pair, such as BTC/USD Perpetual.
• Locate the funding rate indicator, typically displayed near the price chart.
• Click on the funding history tab to see past rates and payment timestamps.
• Observe the next funding time, which is usually shown in a countdown format.
  The displayed rate is annualized but applied proportionally for the 8-hour period. For example, a 0.01% rate every 8 hours translates to roughly 0.03% per day. Users can also access this data via Kraken’s API endpoints, such as GET /api/v1/futures/funding_rates, which returns real-time funding information for all active contracts.
  

  Calculating Funding Payments

  
  The actual funding payment a trader receives or pays depends on three factors: the funding rate, the position size, and the leverage used. The formula used is:
• Funding Payment = Position Value × Funding Rate
  For instance, if you hold a $10,000 long position in BTC/USD Perpetual and the funding rate is 0.01%, your payment will be:
• $10,000 × 0.0001 = **$1.00**
  This amount is deducted from your account if you are a long in a positive funding environment. Kraken applies the rate precisely at the funding timestamp, and the transaction appears in your futures wallet ledger. It is important to note that funding is only charged or credited if you hold a position at the exact moment the funding interval occurs. Closing a position before the next funding time avoids any obligation.
  

  Strategies Around Funding Intervals

  
  Traders often adjust their strategies based on anticipated funding rates. Some approaches include:
• Arbitrage between exchanges: If Kraken’s funding rate diverges significantly from other platforms, traders may open opposing positions to capture the differential.
• Timing entries and exits: Closing positions just before a funding payment can avoid negative funding costs, especially in highly skewed markets.
• Carry trades: In environments with consistently negative funding rates, holding short positions can generate regular income.
• Monitoring sentiment: High positive funding rates often indicate excessive long leverage, which may precede a market correction.
  Kraken provides transparency by publishing funding data in advance, allowing traders to plan accordingly. The funding rate preview feature shows expected rates based on current price discrepancies, helping users make informed decisions.
  

  Frequently Asked Questions

  
  Q: Does Kraken charge fees for funding payments?
  No, Kraken does not charge any additional fees for funding transfers. The funding payment is a direct transfer between users and is not subject to commission or platform fees.
  

  Q: What happens if I close my position between funding intervals?
  
  If you close your position before the next funding timestamp (e.g., before 08:00 UTC), you will not be eligible to pay or receive funding for that interval. Only active positions at the exact funding time are affected.

  Q: Can the funding interval change on Kraken?
  
  No, the funding interval is fixed at every 8 hours (00:00, 08:00, 16:00 UTC) for all perpetual contracts on Kraken and does not vary by asset or market conditions.

  Q: How is the index price for funding calculated on Kraken?
  
  Kraken uses a volume-weighted average price from multiple trusted spot exchanges to compute the index price. This prevents manipulation and ensures fairness in funding rate calculations.