KuCoin STGUSDT Perp Delisting: What Happens to Positions
Short answer: KuCoin Futures removed the STGUSDT perpetual contract at 07:00 UTC on October 10, 2026. Trading bots were shut down two hours earlier, at 05:00 UTC. Anything still open at the end was settled at the average index price of the final 30 minutes, not at the last traded price. That sequence is the template for most perp delistings: bots first, then copy trading, then the contract itself.
A delisting notice reads like boilerplate until your position is the one inside it. This one is useful because KuCoin published every timestamp.
Below is the order of events, how settlement works, and a checklist you can reuse the next time an exchange pulls a perpetual.
Educational content, not investment advice. Leveraged derivatives can lose more than you expect. Details come from KuCoin’s announcement published October 8, 2026; the numbers in the worked example are hypothetical.
Contents
- When did KuCoin stop STGUSDT, and in what order?
- How is a position settled when a perpetual is delisted?
- Why does the mark price change before a delisting?
- What happens to bots and copy trades?
- What should you do before any perp delisting?
- The Quiet Costs of a Forced Exit
When did KuCoin stop STGUSDT, and in what order?
KuCoin Futures delisted the STGUSDT perpetual at 07:00 UTC on October 10, 2026, after suspending new positions from 06:50 UTC, according to the exchange’s announcement dated October 8, 2026.
| UTC time, Oct 10, 2026 | What happened | Who is affected |
|---|---|---|
| 05:00 | STGUSDT removed from Trading Bot (Futures Grid, AI Futures Trend, Futures Martingale, DualFutures AI) | Anyone running a bot |
| 06:00 | Copy Trading delists STGUSDT; open orders canceled, positions settled | Copy traders and leaders |
| 06:30 | Mark price switches to the average index price, with a 180-second transition window | Every open position |
| 06:50 | Opening new positions suspended; closing still allowed | Anyone wanting to add or flip |
| 07:00 | Contract delisted; open orders canceled; positions settled | All remaining holders |
When I compared the timestamps line by line, I found that the bot cutoff comes a full two hours before the contract itself. Plenty of people watch only the final time.
How is a position settled when a perpetual is delisted?
On KuCoin Futures, a position still open when a perpetual is delisted is settled at the average index price over the 30 minutes before delisting, per the October 2026 STGUSDT notice, not at the last price you saw on the order book.
Here is a hypothetical to make that concrete. These are not real STG prices.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Position | Long 10,000 tokens, entry 0.150 USDT |
| Last traded price before the end | 0.141 USDT |
| Average index price, final 30 minutes | 0.132 USDT |
| Settlement P&L | (0.132 – 0.150) x 10,000 = -180 USDT |
| P&L if you had closed at 0.141 | (0.141 – 0.150) x 10,000 = -90 USDT |
The gap is the point. Settlement can land above or below where the chart was when you stopped looking.
Why does the mark price change before a delisting?
KuCoin set the STGUSDT mark price equal to the average index price from 06:30 UTC on October 10, 2026, calculated every second, with a 180-second window to smooth the change from the usual formula.
My reading, and it is only that, is that a leveraged position near its liquidation level could feel this switch. Exchanges typically use mark price, not last price, to decide liquidations. If the new mark sits below the old one, your margin ratio moves with it. The announcement itself does not discuss liquidation, so treat this as a risk to check rather than a stated rule.
Honestly, the cleanest fix is not to be inside the window at all.
What happens to bots and copy trades?
KuCoin shut down any Futures Grid, AI Futures Trend, Futures Martingale or DualFutures AI bot still trading STGUSDT at 05:00 UTC on October 10, 2026, and recommended stopping them manually before that time.
Copy Trading ran on its own clock: delisting at 06:00 UTC, with orders canceled and positions settled. If you follow a leader, their exit does not wait for you to wake up.
What should you do before any perp delisting?
Before any exchange delists a perpetual contract, the safest sequence is to read the notice for each timestamp, stop automated strategies first, then close or reduce the position while closing is still allowed.
- Write down every UTC time in the notice and convert it to your own time zone.
- Stop bots before the bot cutoff, not at the contract cutoff.
- Cancel resting orders yourself so nothing fills at a bad moment.
- Close the position before opening is suspended if you can.
- Check your margin ratio against the new mark price rule.
The Quiet Costs of a Forced Exit
If you have ever held a thin altcoin perp, you know the spread widens as the end approaches. A forced exit means paying that spread, a slightly worse settlement, and possibly a tax event you did not plan for.
The other cost is the rebuy. After settlement, your hedge or your view is gone. Many traders only notice that a few days later.
Tips
- Subscribe to the exchange announcement feed for the contracts you trade.
- Keep a short note of which bots run on which pairs.
- Prefer limit orders to close, so a thin book cannot move you far.
Warnings
- Do not assume another exchange follows the same settlement rule. Read each notice.
- Delisting scams exist: only open exchange links you typed or bookmarked.
- This is not investment advice.
FAQ
Can I still close a perpetual position after new openings are suspended?
Yes. In the KuCoin STGUSDT notice, opening new positions was suspended from 06:50 UTC on October 10, 2026, while closing positions was not affected until the 07:00 UTC delisting.
Does a delisting settle at my last traded price?
No. KuCoin settled open STGUSDT positions at the average index price over the 30 minutes before delisting, so the result can differ from the last price on screen.
Do trading bots close positions before a perp is delisted?
The notice says bots still running at 05:00 UTC were shut down automatically, and it advised users to close futures positions in advance. It does not say a bot closes your position for you, so check yours.
Sources
- KuCoin: KuCoin Futures Will Delist the STGUSDT Perpetual Contract and Related Services (October 2026)
- KuCoin official site
🔗 Related guides
Fact-checked against KuCoin’s published announcement. Worked example is hypothetical. Not investment advice.
