Continuous Funding

Mechanism

Continuous funding refers to a perpetual mechanism used in cryptocurrency derivatives markets, particularly for perpetual swaps, to align the contract price with the underlying spot price. This is achieved through periodic payments between long and short positions, known as the funding rate. When the perpetual contract trades at a premium to the spot price, longs pay shorts; when it trades at a discount, shorts pay longs. This payment ensures convergence without an expiration date. The funding rate calculation is dynamic, often based on the difference between the perpetual and spot prices.