Perpetual Contracts Funding Rate Restructuring: Settlement Frequency Update in Early 2026

A major exchange has announced significant adjustments to how funding rates will be processed for USDⓈ-M perpetual contracts. Beginning January 2, 2026 at 12:00 (UTC), the platform will implement a conditional change in settlement frequency for contracts meeting specific volatility criteria.

Settlement Frequency Adjustment Conditions

The restructuring hinges on funding rate stability. When the absolute value of the funding rate remains at or below 0.025% throughout 16 consecutive settlement cycles, the frequency will transition from hourly to four-hourly cycles starting on the 17th period. This means traders will see funding payments distributed less frequently but in larger intervals.

To illustrate: the ZKPUSDT USDⓈ-M contract will experience this change if its funding rate maintains an absolute value of 0.025% or lower between January 1, 21:00 (UTC) and January 2, 14:00 (UTC). Once these conditions are satisfied, settlement shifts to a four-hour schedule, with the first payment under the new frequency occurring at 16:00 (UTC) on January 2.

Volatility Protection Mechanism

Should funding rates spike beyond the absolute value threshold of 0.025% at any point during the monitoring window, the frequency adjustment will not proceed. This safeguard ensures that the exchange maintains higher settlement frequency during volatile market conditions, protecting traders from delayed funding payments.

Implementation Timeline and Schedule

Once conditions are met, the platform typically completes the adjustment within approximately 15 minutes. If an update is scheduled for 08:00 (UTC), users should observe the change by 08:15 (UTC).

Under the four-hourly settlement model, funding payments will execute at six fixed UTC times daily:

• 00:00 (UTC)
• 04:00 (UTC)
• 08:00 (UTC)
• 12:00 (UTC)
• 16:00 (UTC)
• 20:00 (UTC)

Tracking Funding Rate Information

Traders can monitor real-time funding rates and access historical data through the platform’s official pages. For API integration, users now have access to a new endpoint for querying funding rate details: GET /fapi/v1/fundingInfo. This allows algorithmic traders and sophisticated users to automate monitoring of funding rate changes and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Additional policy modifications may be announced separately if the exchange decides to adjust the conditions governing these settlement frequency changes.