KuCoin Copy Trading Terms of Service

Last Updated: 13 December 2024

 

Before subscribing to any KuCoin’s copy trading service and/or any associated services (hereinafter referred to as “Copy Trading Services”), users (each a “User”, “you” or “your”) are required to carefully read and fully understand all terms provided under these KuCoin Copy Trading Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree with any provision of these Terms, you must not access or use the Copy Trading Services. 

 

1. Introduction  

 

1.1 These Terms are supplemental to and shall be read in conjunction with KuCoin's Terms of Use (“Terms of Use”), which apply to all our services including Copy Trading Services.  

 

1.2 All provisions contained in the Terms of Use shall be incorporated by reference and have the same effect as if they were set out in their entirety in these Terms.  

 

1.3 Unless otherwise specified in these Terms, capitalized terms used in these Terms shall have the meanings as defined in our Terms of Use. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of the Terms of Use and these Terms, the provisions provided in these Terms shall prevail. 

 

1.4 We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time at our sole discretion. Any changes will be effective immediately upon publishing the modified Terms on the Platform. Your continued use of the Copy Trading Services following such modifications constitutes your acceptance of the modified Terms. 

 

1.5 You agree to regularly visit and review the latest Terms by visiting the Platform. If you do not agree with the terms of the revised Terms, you shall immediately cease using the Copy Trading Services. For the avoidance of doubt, any continued use of Copy Trading Services from your end following the publication of modified Terms will be deemed as your acceptance of the most recent version of Terms. 

 

2. Services Scope and Description 

 

2.1 The Copy Trading Services enables the automatic replication of trading activities across both spot and derivatives markets on the Platform. 

 

2.2 The Copy Trading Services allows you to: 

 

a. view and analyze the trading history and performance of other traders ("Lead Trader(s)"); 

 

b. upon your consent, participate as a copy trader (“Copy Trader”) and automatically replicate the trading activities of your selected Lead Traders (“Copy Trading”) through a designated sub-account established  specifically for Copy Trading purposes (“Copy Trader Account”); and 

 

c. subject to meeting the qualification set forth in these Terms (e.g Clauses 3.1 and 3.2 below), serve as a Lead Trader and allow other users to copy your trading activities. 

 

Note: you may simultaneously serve as both a Lead Trader and Copy Trader.  

 

2.3 Copy Trading Mechanism 

 

a. When you choose to copy a Lead Trader, our system will automatically replicate their trading actions in your Copy Trader Account according to your selected copy trading mode, which includes either a fixed proportion mode or a fixed amount mode. 

 

b. Copy trades are executed via either IOC (Immediate-or-Cancel) limit orders or prevailing market prices order.  The execution prices  may therefore differ from those obtained by Lead Traders. 

 

c. Execution times, prices, and outcomes may vary from those of Lead Traders due to market conditions, liquidity, latency, and other factors. 

 

2.4 You acknowledge and agree that we do not: 

 

a. provide any investment, tax or financial advice or recommendations; 

 

b.guarantee any trading outcomes or profits; 

 

c. ensure exact replication of Lead Traders' performance; and/or 

 

d. verify the accuracy of Lead Traders' information or claims. 

 

For the avoidance of doubt, all information provided on the Platform is for reference only and you should conduct independent research and make your own investment decisions. Any copy trading activities shall not in any event be construed as a recommendation, endorsement, or approval by KuCoin. 

 

2.5 For the purpose of calculating your earning yield, you agree that all data and information generated by KuCoin shall be considered final and binding. You hereby expressly waive any right to contest or challenge the accuracy of the data or information provided by KuCoin. Furthermore, the Company reserves the exclusive right to interpret and calculate the earning yield for both Lead Traders and Copy Traders.

 

2.6 Copy Trading Authorization and Limitations  

 

a. By initiating a copy trade through our Platform, you authorize us to execute trades on your behalf that automatically mirror the Leader Trader Accounts (as defined below) to the maximum extent possible, subject to service limitations disclosed on our Platform from time to time. Copy trades may be executed on a pro-rata basis for the same products and trading instructions without prior consultation, consent, or approval. 

 

b. We may be unable to replicate trades exactly as executed by the Lead Trader for the following reasons: 

• • • • the trade may be unavailable to you or your Copy Trader Account due to applicable laws or other restrictions; or 
      • the trade amount falls below the minimum trade requirement. 

 

c. Copy Trading Account Requirements 

• • • • You must maintain sufficient funds in your Copy Trader Account before entering into copy trades; 
      • Where insufficient funds exist, we will utilize available balances in your User Account (e.g. Funding Account or Trading Account) for trade execution; 
      • Copy trade orders will not be placed when your Copy Trader Account or User Account have no remaining funds; 
      • You authorize us, at our sole discretion, to allocate your available account balance proportionate to the copied account to maximize trade replication capability; and 
      • When automatically executing orders based on your Copy Trading instructions, we are not required to seek your consent, prior approval, or confirmation for individual trades. 

 

3. Eligibility Requirements 

 

3.1 To use the Copy Trading Services, you must: 

 

a. be at least 18 years old; 

 

b. have a verified User Account in good standing; 

 

c. have sufficient understanding of cryptocurrency trading and its risks; 

 

d. not be a resident of Restricted Locations; and 

 

e. comply with all applicable laws and regulations. 

 

3.2 In addition to Clause 3.1 above, Lead Traders shall comply with the following requirements:  

 

a. meet the minimum trading experience and performance criteria; 

 

b. maintain minimum account balance requirements; 

 

c. comply with our trading restrictions and risk management rules, as revised and amended from time to time; and 

 

d. accept any additional terms specific to Lead Traders. 

 

4. Lead Traders Access and Management  

 

4.1 Platform Access and Monitoring 

 

a. Lead Traders will be given an independent account separate from their existing trading account, with the option to expand to multiple accounts, as needed (collectively, “Lead Trader Accounts”). 

 

b. Lead Traders can access orders and trade records copied by Copy Traders through the Platform's management portal. 

 

c. The management portal provides summarized views of all orders and trades executed through the Lead Trader Accounts. 

 

d. Lead Traders can access detailed information for individual orders/trades and comprehensive trading summaries. 

 

KuCoin reserves the right to modify, enhance, or restrict Platform access features and account management capabilities at its discretion.  

 

4.2 Trading Restrictions and Requirements 

 

a. Lead Traders shall at all times, comply with KuCoin's trading requirements. 

 

b. KuCoin reserves the right to modify, amend, or revoke any requirements related to Lead Traders or Copy Trading activities. 

 

c. KuCoin may cancel or roll back copied orders/trades if they are deemed potentially harmful or involve: 

• • • malicious or fraudulent behaviour 
    • false statements or deceptive practices 
    • dishonest, illegal, or unethical conduct 
    • potential harm to KuCoin users, brokers, or partners 

 

4.3 Relationship Status

 

a. Lead Traders operate independently and shall in no event be deemed as employees, agents, partners, or contractors of KuCoin.

 

b. The Platform serves solely as a facilitator for Copy Trading Services and KuCoin does not maintain any official Leader Trader accounts or provide investment or trading recommendations. Copy Traders are required to conduct their own due diligence on any Lead Traders prior to engaging in Copy Trading activities.

 

c. KuCoin shall not be liable for any actions, omissions, trading or investment decisions, our resulting outcomes of Lead Traders' activities on the Platform.

 

5. Duties and Responsibilities of Lead Traders and Copy Traders  

 

5.1Lead Trader Obligations 

 

Lead Traders shall: 

 

a. maintain transparent and accurate trading records; 

 

b. exercise reasonable care and skill in executing trades; 

 

c. provide accurate and current information about their trading strategy; 

 

d. notify followers of significant changes in trading approach; 

 

e. maintain reasonable position sizes and risk management;  

 

f. maintain the security and integrity of their respective Lead Trader Accounts; and 

 

g. at all times, comply with these Terms, Terms of Use as well as all applicable laws and regulations. 

 

5.2 opy Trader Obligations 

 

Copy Traders shall: 

 

a. understand the risks associated with Copy Trading (for details associated with Copy Trading, please refer to Clause 7 below); 

 

b. conduct due diligence on Lead Traders before copying; 

 

c. monitor copied trades and maintain sufficient account balance; 

 

d. accept responsibility for all copied trades executed in their respective Copy Trading Accounts; and 

 

e. understand that past performance does not guarantee future results. 

 

5.3 Lead Trader Agreements and Commitments 

 

Lead Traders shall acknowledge, agree and undertake: 

 

a. not to make false or misleading statements about KuCoin or its affiliates; 

 

b. not to engage in false advertising or guarantee returns or profits; 

 

c. not to share personal contact information on the Platform; 

 

d. maintain appropriate profile content focused on trading strategies; and 

 

e. act in good faith and in the best interests of their followers and Copy Traders. 

 

6. Profit Sharing Rules for Lead Traders  

 

6.1 KuCoin implements a performance-based profit-sharing system whereby Lead Traders receive compensation from the profitable trades of their Copy Traders. This system is designed to incentivize sustainable trading strategies and align the interests of Lead Traders with their followers.  

 

6.2 The profit-sharing structure operates on a tier-based system, whereby profit-sharing ratios vary according to the respective tier/level of each Lead Trader.  

 

6.3 Lead Traders shall receive their proportionate share based on the cumulative realized profits generated by their associated Copy Traders. Profit settlements are processed on a daily basis; however, any unrealized profits from open positions shall be carried forward and consolidated with the subsequent day's settlement. 

 

6.4 KuCoin reserves the right to modify or update its profit-sharing rules and fee structures from time to time at its sole discretion. Any such modifications will be published on the Platform or communicated to Lead Traders through appropriate channels. For completeness, comprehensive details regarding the profit-sharing structure shall be published separately on the Platform. 

 

7. Risks, Compliance, and Enforcement 

 

7.1 Risk Acknowledgments 

 

You expressly acknowledge and accept that: 

 

a. past performance, statistics, and information regarding Lead Traders are not indicative of future results; 

 

b. any information or explanations provided through our Platform or services are for informational purposes only and shall not be construed as investment advice; 

 

c. Copy Trading, particularly with leverage, involves substantial risk of loss and may not be suitable for all investors; 

 

d. your trading results using Copy Trading may significantly differ from Lead Traders due to various factors including, but not limited to execution delays and price slippage, different leverage levels and position sizes, market volatility and liquidity conditions, technical issues and system limitations as well as Lead Trader performance variations. 

 

You agree and acknowledge that the Platform and Copy Trading Services are provided "as is" without any representations, warranties or guarantees of any kind, whether express or implied. For the avoidance of doubt, you may be invited to participate in the 'greyscale testing' phase of the Copy Trading Services. You explicitly acknowledge and agree that 'greyscale testing' represents a beta or developmental stage that is unofficial, experimental, and may be unstable or contain errors. You hereby expressly and irrevocably waive any claims against KuCoin and agree that KuCoin shall not be liable, under any circumstances or legal theories, for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages, losses, costs, or expenses incurred by you during or in connection with 'greyscale testing', regardless of whether such losses or damages are caused by KuCoin, system errors, technical issues, service interruptions, or any other factors.

 

7.2 Trading Risks and Market Conditions 

 

You understand and acknowledge that: 

 

a. market volatility may cause significant adverse effects leading to substantial losses; 

 

b. technical issues may impact trade execution timing and pricing; 

 

c. Lead Traders may: 

• • make trading errors 
  • change their trading strategy without notice 
  • engage in high-risk trading practices 
  • have conflicts of interest with Copy Traders 

 

d. KuCoin does not guarantee: 

• • the recurrence of any historical profits 
  • that your profits or losses will match those of Lead Traders 
  • the availability or continuity of the Copy Trading Services 

 

e. you are solely responsible for your trading decisions and account management. 

 

f. in the event of extreme market volatility, insufficient liquidity, system maintenance, or other exceptional circumstances, there may be significant deviations and discrepancies in trading execution, and your actual earning yield statistics may differ substantially from expectations. You fully understand and agree to bear all risks and losses that may arise from the aforementioned situations, and KuCoin shall not be held liable in any way for such discrepancies, variations, or potential financial impacts. 

 

7.3 High-Risk Activities Monitoring 

 

KuCoin may, in its sole discretion, identify and act upon high-risk activities including abnormal trading patterns (e.g. excessive leverage usage, unusual trading frequency or irregular maximum drawdown ratios), suspicious trading behaviour (e.g. deviation from stated trading strategies, unusual profit/loss patterns or irregular position sizing) and risk management violations (e.g. I inadequate margin maintenance, excessive concentration in single assets or unusual risk exposure levels). Upon detection of such activities, KuCoin reserve the right to suspend any Copy Trading activities.

 

7.4 Prohibited Activities and Rule Violations 

 

The following activities are strictly prohibited and may result in immediate action by KuCoin: 

 

a. trading manipulation, including malicious position holding, artificial fee generation, wash trading and/or cross-account trading. 

 

b. performance manipulation, including false or misleading track records, artificial inflation of metrics and/or manipulated win rates. 

 

c. system/Platform abuse by User, including API misuse, Platform exploitation and/or Technical vulnerabilities abuse. 

 

7.5 Enforcement Actions and Penalties 

 

KuCoin reserves the absolute right, at its sole discretion, to:  

 

a. monitor and investigate suspicious activities;  

 

b. take immediate action without prior notice, including but not limited to lowering trader rankings or visibility, cancelling or rolling back trades, suspending or terminating Copy Trading privileges, freezing or banning accounts, withholding funds pending investigation;  

 

c. impose penalties including financial penalties, profit clawback, and trading restrictions;  

 

d. seek compensation for Platform damages, user losses and reputational damage of KuCoin and/or its affiliates; and/or  

 

e. report any violations of these Terms, Terms of Use or any applicable laws and regulations to regulatory authorities, law enforcement agencies and other relevant parties that KuCoin deems appropriate.  

 

7.6 Compliance Requirements 

 

KuCoin reserves and maintains the right to: 

 

a. establish and modify compliance requirements; 

 

b. require additional documentation or verification; 

 

c. implement new risk control measures; 

 

d. adjust trading parameters and limitations; and/or 

 

e. modify or terminate the Copy Trading Services at any time. 

 

8. Limitation of Liability  

 

8.1 To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, KuCoin shall not be liable for any: 

 

a. direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages; 

 

b. trading losses or missed opportunities; 

 

c. system downtime or technical malfunctions of the Platform;  

 

d. delays in any trade execution or order placement; 

 

e. market conditions or volatility; 

 

f. third-party services or information; and/or 

 

g. Lead Traders’ actions, omissions, or performance. 

 

8.2 KuCoin's total aggregate liability, if any, shall not exceed the fees paid by you for the Copy Trading Services in the month preceding the incident giving rise to the claim. 

 

9. Indemnification   

 

9.1 Copy Trader Indemnification 

 

Copy Traders shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless KuCoin, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, successors and assigns (collectively “Indemnified Parties”) from and against any claims, demands, actions, proceedings, investigations, liabilities, damages, losses, settlements, judgments, fines, penalties, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and legal costs) arising from and related to anything done or omitted by you in using the Copy Trading Services. This includes but is not limited to (a) violations of these Terms, Terms of Use, or any applicable laws and regulations, (b) unauthorized Platform access or usage, (c) trading losses or disputes, (d) negligent or willful misconduct, (e) false or misleading information and (f) any third-party claims, related to Copy Trading activities.  

 

9.2 Lead Trader Indemnification 

 

Lead Traders shall indemnify and hold harmless the Indemnified Parties from and against any claims, demands, actions, proceedings, investigations, liabilities, damages, losses, settlements, judgments, fines, penalties, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and legal costs) arising from and related to anything done or omitted by you in using the Copy Trading Services. This includes but is not limited to (a) their trading activities and decisions, (b) violations of trading restrictions or requirements, (c) misrepresentation of experience, qualifications, or strategies, (d) unauthorized communications or guarantees to followers, (e) breach of these Terms, Terms of Use or applicable laws and regulations and (f) any actions resulting in Platform or users losses. 

 

10. Termination and Suspension 

 

10.1 KuCoin reserves the right to immediately suspend or terminate your access to Copy Trading Services, should any of the following events/circumstances happen: 

 

a. you have violated or failed to comply with any of these Terms, Terms of Use and applicable laws and regulations;  

 

b. Force Majeure and/or any other unforeseeable events;  

 

c. for regulatory compliance (and it is no longer feasible to provide the Copy Trading Services to you); 

 

d. if we have reason to believe that you are involved in any suspicious activities (e.g. engaging in manipulative or abusing trading practices, providing false information during Lead Trading Account/Copy Trading Account opening or acting in bad faith or malicious behaviours); 

 

e. for risk management purposes; or  

 

f. any other circumstances at our sole discretion that we deem necessary.  

 

10.2 Upon termination of the Copy Trading Services: 

 

a. any open trades and outstanding positions will be closed; 

 

b. copy relationships (if any) will be ended; 

 

c. accrued obligations in these Terms remain in effect; and 

 

d. these Terms remain binding where applicable. 

 

11. GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION; GENERAL PROVISIONS 

 

11. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions provided under the section headed “General Provisions” in the Terms of Use, shall, where applicable, apply to these Terms.  

 

11.2 These Terms constitute the entire agreement regarding the Copy Trading Services and supersede prior agreements. For any matters not outlined in these Terms, the parties may enter into a supplementary agreement. 

 

11.3 KuCoin may assign or transfer its rights and obligations under these Services Terms without restriction. You may not assign or transfer any rights or obligations under these Terms without the prior written consent of KuCoin. 

 

11.4 If any provision is found invalid, the remaining provisions remain in effect. 

 

11.5 Our failure to enforce any right or provision does not constitute a waiver. 

For questions about these Terms or the Copy Trading Services, please contact our customer service support @ support@kucoin.com.