Can you get negative balance on KuCoin Futures?

A negative balance on KuCoin Futures happens when your losses exceed your margin during liquidation, especially with high leverage or market slippage — you must repay it to resume trading.

Jul 27, 2025 at 05:56 pm

Understanding Negative Balance in KuCoin Futures

A negative balance on KuCoin Futures occurs when your account equity falls below zero after a leveraged position moves sharply against you. This situation is rare but possible, especially during extreme market volatility or when using high leverage. Unlike some centralized exchanges that offer auto-deleveraging (ADL) or bankruptcy insurance funds, KuCoin uses a risk limit system and auto-liquidation mechanism, which means if your position is liquidated and the market moves too fast, the liquidation engine may not fully cover your losses — leaving you with a negative balance.

How Liquidation Triggers Negative Balances

When trading futures on KuCoin, each contract has a maintenance margin requirement. If your position’s unrealized loss causes your margin ratio to drop to or below 100%, the system will trigger liquidation. During this process:

• The system attempts to close your position at the bankruptcy price.
• If the market price drops faster than the liquidation engine can execute (a "slippage event"), the position may be closed at a worse price than expected.
• This discrepancy can result in your margin being fully depleted and additional debt being incurred, which appears as a negative balance.
  

  This is more likely to happen with high leverage (e.g., 50x or 100x) and in illiquid or highly volatile markets like altcoin futures.

  How KuCoin Handles Negative Balances

  
  KuCoin operates a cross-margin system by default for futures trading. If your balance goes negative:
• KuCoin will first deduct from any available cross-margin funds (other assets in your futures wallet).
• If those funds are insufficient, KuCoin may deduct from your spot wallet to cover the debt.
• In rare cases where no funds are available, KuCoin may temporarily record the negative balance until you deposit funds to clear it.
  

  Importantly, KuCoin does not forgive negative balances. You are responsible for repaying any debt created by a negative balance before you can trade again.

  Step-by-Step: How to Avoid Negative Balance on KuCoin Futures

  
  To prevent a negative balance, follow these steps carefully:
• Monitor your margin ratio in real time using the futures trading interface. A margin ratio near 100% signals imminent liquidation.
• Use lower leverage — 5x to 10x is safer than 50x or 100x, especially for beginners.
• Set stop-loss orders manually even if you’re using cross-margin mode. This gives you control over your exit point before the system auto-liquidates.
• Enable price alerts on KuCoin App or Web to get notified when your position approaches liquidation.
• Avoid holding positions over weekends or during major news events unless you have sufficient buffer margin.
  

  These steps significantly reduce the chance of your position being liquidated at a loss that exceeds your margin.

  What to Do If You Have a Negative Balance

  
  If your futures account shows a negative balance:
• Do not ignore it — KuCoin will restrict futures trading until resolved.
• Transfer funds from your spot wallet or deposit new assets into your futures wallet to clear the debt.
• Go to [Futures Wallet] → click “Repay” next to the negative asset.
• After repayment, check your account status — it should return to normal within minutes.
• If the negative balance persists after repayment, contact KuCoin Support with your UID and transaction details.
  

  Failure to repay may result in account restrictions or inability to withdraw funds from your spot wallet.

  Frequently Asked Questions

  Q: Does KuCoin charge interest on negative balances?
  
  No, KuCoin does not charge interest on negative balances. However, you must repay the full amount before resuming futures trading.

  Q: Can I still trade spot if my futures balance is negative?
  
  Yes, spot trading is not immediately affected. But if your futures debt exceeds your futures wallet, KuCoin will pull funds from your spot wallet to cover the debt.

  Q: Will KuCoin blacklist me for having a negative balance?
  
  No, KuCoin does not blacklist users for negative balances. They expect users to repay the debt voluntarily or via automatic deductions from other wallets.

  Q: Is negative balance possible in isolated margin mode on KuCoin?
  
  Yes, but it’s less likely. In isolated margin, only the allocated margin is at risk — unless the liquidation price is worse than the bankruptcy price due to slippage, which can still leave a small negative balance.