Funding Rates

Funding rates are the mechanism that keeps perpetual futures prices close to spot prices. At regular intervals, traders on one side of the market pay traders on the other side. When the perpetual trades above spot, longs pay shorts; when it trades below, shorts pay longs. Beyond their mechanical role, funding rates are one of the best real time indicators of positioning and leverage in crypto markets. The perpetual contract itself is explained in Perpetual Futures.

How funding is calculated#

Exchanges use slightly different formulas, but most combine two parts:

funding rate = premium index + clamp(interest rate - premium index, -0.05%, +0.05%)

• Premium index: how far the perp has traded above or below the spot index over the interval.
• Interest rate component: a small fixed rate, often 0.01% per 8 hours on major exchanges, reflecting the difference between borrowing the quote and base currencies.

When the perp trades close to spot, the funding rate usually settles at the baseline of about 0.01% per 8 hours, roughly 11% a year. Exchanges cap funding at maximum levels.

Converting funding to annual rates#

annualised funding ≈ funding per interval × intervals per day × 365

Reading funding as a signal#

Funding across exchanges and assets#

• Different exchanges can have different funding for the same asset, creating arbitrage opportunities.
• Altcoins often have more extreme funding than Bitcoin and Ether, especially newly listed tokens.
• Aggregated funding data from analytics providers shows market wide positioning.

Trading uses#

1. Cost of holding: funding is a real cost or income for leveraged positions; include it in trade planning.
2. Contrarian signals: extreme funding can indicate crowded trades likely to unwind. See Sentiment Data.
3. Cash and carry: long spot, short perp to collect positive funding while staying market neutral. See Funding and Basis Arbitrage.
4. Funding arbitrage across venues: long the perp where funding is low or negative, short where it is high.

Funding vs futures basis#

Dated futures build the cost of carry into their price; perpetuals pay it continuously through funding. Annualised funding and annualised futures basis tend to move together, and traders compare them to find the cheaper way to hold exposure. See Crypto Futures and Basis.

Risks and caveats#

• Funding can flip quickly when sentiment changes.
• High funding can persist for weeks in strong trends, so contrarian signals are not timing tools.
• Funding timestamps: you pay or receive only if you hold a position at the funding time.
• Exchange specific rules on intervals, caps and formulas.

Frequently asked questions#

What is a funding rate in crypto?#

A periodic payment between longs and shorts on perpetual futures that keeps the perpetual price close to the spot price.

What does a high positive funding rate mean?#

That many traders are leveraged long and are paying to hold positions, which can signal crowded positioning and a risk of a sharp drop if they unwind.

How often is funding paid?#

On many exchanges every 8 hours, though some use 1 hour or other intervals.

Next, compare perps with dated futures in Crypto Futures and Basis.