Virtual Asset Futures Forced Liquidations Reach $515 Million in 24 Hours

Crypto Briefing reported that virtual asset futures positions worth $51.5 million (approximately KRW 711.2 billion) were forcibly liquidated over the past 24 hours. The figure represents the amount of leveraged trading positions automatically terminated due to insufficient margin. Details on the start and end times or exchange-specific breakdowns were not provided. CoinGlass offers liquidation data for one-hour, four-hour, twelve-hour, and twenty-four-hour intervals, but it was difficult to verify the original source for the $51.5 million figure on their public page.

Crypto Briefing also noted that the liquidation volume could range between $386 million and $674 million in 2026 depending on market volatility, though no specific criteria or source data were given. As a separate case, Crypto Briefing reported that approximately $571 million (KRW 788.6 billion) of long positions were liquidated following a U.S. Senate vote on the Clarify Act on September 16, with about $190 million each for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) futures.

The U.S. Senate rejected the Clarify Act by a 49-50 vote, falling short of the required 60 votes to advance it to the next stage. The White House later reported that related policies would be pursued through administrative channels. However, no evidence was provided linking the Senate vote directly to the $571 million liquidation event.

Liquidations occur when margin levels fall below a broker's maintenance threshold in futures or margin trading, automatically closing positions to prevent further losses. Leveraged trading allows users to control larger positions with smaller initial margins; for example, a 10x leveraged position using $10,000 can manage a $100,000 position but risks total loss if the underlying asset moves against it by 10%.

The reported $51.5 million figure reflects the nominal value of liquidated positions, not actual investor losses or market-wide outflows. It is also important to note that this amount was lower than the previously reported $571 million from September 16, though comparisons are difficult due to different timing and included exchanges or assets.

TokenPost had earlier reported a $683 million liquidation event in virtual asset futures markets, with similar explanations about nominal position values. Crypto Briefing stated that major exchanges like Binance, Hyperliquid, OKX, and Bybit may see increased liquidations during periods of high volatility, though no breakdown for the current $51.5 million figure was provided.

The U.S. Senate vote coincided with efforts to establish a virtual asset regulatory framework, but no causal relationship between the vote and liquidation volume has been confirmed. While policy events and price movements often occur simultaneously, attributing liquidations solely to one factor is difficult. The event highlights the vulnerability of leveraged positions in virtual asset futures markets, though the $51.5 million figure alone cannot determine market direction or future prices.