What Is a Margin Call in Crypto Futures?

A Margin Call is a warning that your margin balance has dropped too close to the maintenance margin requirement on an open position. It tells you to add margin or reduce your position size, or the position risks being liquidated once the shortfall keeps growing without action. Pluang issues margin call warnings in stages, escalating as your margin ratio keeps climbing toward the liquidation threshold. A margin call is not liquidation itself — it's the system's way of flagging that a position needs attention before the automatic closure stage is reached.

• A margin call isn't liquidation — it's the warning stage before it, meant to give you a chance to act.
• Once you're margin called on a contract, you can't open new positions or place new orders on it until you add margin.
• Margin calls escalate as your margin ratio rises: an early-stage call still lets you trade normally, while a later-stage call may restrict you to closing the position only.
• Adding margin, reducing position size, or closing the position outright are the standard ways to clear a margin call before it reaches liquidation.
• Margin calls are triggered off your ongoing margin ratio, so they can be resolved and re-triggered multiple times on the same position.

Related questions:

Q: What should I do when I get a margin call?
Add margin, reduce the position's size, or close it — any of these can bring your margin ratio back to a safer level, depending on whether you still want the exposure.

Q: Can I still open new positions after a margin call?
Not on the affected contract — you'll need to add margin first. The restriction applies only to that contract, not your entire account.

Q: Is a margin call the same as liquidation?
No. A margin call is a warning stage; liquidation is the final, automatic closure that follows if the margin ratio keeps rising unaddressed.

Q: Does Pluang give more than one margin call warning?
Yes, warnings escalate in stages as your margin ratio increases, with the final stage limiting you to closing the position only — responding early keeps more options open.

Q: Can a margin call happen more than once on the same position?
Yes. If the market keeps moving against you after you clear one, your margin ratio can climb again and trigger another warning, common during sustained moves.