What Is Maintenance Margin in Crypto Futures?

Maintenance Margin is the minimum amount of margin that must stay in a position to keep it open on Crypto Futures. It's lower than the Initial Margin you posted to open the position — the floor, not the entry cost — and it exists so the exchange has a defined trigger point to act before your losses exceed the margin you've committed. Pluang warns you before this floor is reached — an Initial Margin Call when your margin level rises above 50% and a Final Margin Call above 75% — and when your margin balance falls to the maintenance margin (a margin level of 100%), the position is liquidated. Maintenance Margin isn't a single fixed number across the platform — it's set per contract based on that contract's maximum leverage, not the leverage you choose, and it includes an allowance for the fee to close the position; the app shows the actual figure for your position.

• Maintenance Margin is expressed as a percentage of position value — for illustration, assume a 5% maintenance margin rate (the app shows each contract's actual figure): a $1,000 position would then need at least $50 of margin locked in at all times to stay open.
• It exists specifically to give the exchange a buffer to close your position before losses exceed the margin you've committed, which protects both your account and the wider trading system.
• Maintenance Margin requirements vary by contract — each contract's rate is set from that contract's maximum leverage, not from the leverage you choose, and includes an allowance for the fee to close the position, so a contract with a lower maximum leverage has a relatively higher rate.
• Margin call warnings come before your margin balance reaches Maintenance Margin — an Initial Margin Call when your margin level rises above 50% and a Final Margin Call above 75% — giving you a chance to add margin or reduce your position; reaching Maintenance Margin is the 100% point, where the position is liquidated.
• Maintenance Margin and Initial Margin are set independently: your leverage determines your initial margin, while the maintenance margin rate comes from the contract's maximum leverage, so choosing a different leverage changes your initial margin but not the maintenance margin rate.

Related questions:

Q: What's the difference between Initial Margin and Maintenance Margin?
Initial Margin is what you post to open a position; Maintenance Margin is the lower minimum that must remain to keep it open. The gap between the two is effectively your buffer against normal price movement, and understanding both is necessary to know how much room a position actually has before it's at risk. A position with a wide gap between the two can absorb far more volatility than one with a narrow gap.

Q: What happens if my margin falls below Maintenance Margin?
Reaching Maintenance Margin is the liquidation point: when your margin balance falls to the maintenance margin (a margin level of 100%), the position is liquidated. The margin call warnings come before that — an Initial Margin Call when your margin level rises above 50%, and a Final Margin Call above 75%, when only orders that close or reduce exposure are accepted — giving you chances to add margin or reduce your position before liquidation occurs, though how much time you have depends on how fast the market is moving.

Q: Is Maintenance Margin the same for every contract?
No. Each contract's rate is set from that contract's maximum leverage — not from the leverage you choose on a position — and includes an allowance for the fee to close the position, so the rate differs between contracts but not between leverage settings on the same contract. Checking the specific requirement for your chosen contract before trading is worth the extra minute it takes.

Q: How can I avoid falling below Maintenance Margin?
Monitor your margin ratio, avoid over-leveraging relative to how volatile the asset actually is, and add margin or reduce position size before your buffer runs thin rather than after a warning appears. Checking your position more frequently during high-volatility periods gives you more time to react before the floor is reached, rather than being caught off guard by a sudden move.

Q: Does changing my leverage change my Maintenance Margin?
No, not the rate. The Maintenance Margin rate is set per contract from that contract's maximum leverage, not from the leverage you choose. What your leverage changes is your initial margin — and with it how much buffer you have above the maintenance margin — so lower leverage needs more margin and gives more room, while higher leverage needs less margin and gives less room. The app shows the resulting margin and liquidation price before you confirm.