Kalshi has updated its APY program so that traders earn interest on both their open positions and the uninvested cash sitting in their accounts. The change reduces “cash drag” for market makers and patient bidders, making it more economically viable to leave cash on the exchange without sacrificing yield.
Get paid for your predictions (and cash) while you sleep https://t.co/kNMoYxis6W
— Tarek Mansour (@mansourtarek_) August 13, 2025
Key details of Kalshi’s APY program updates
- What earns interest: Both cash balances and open positions now accrue interest.
- Current rate: 4.00% APY, variable and subject to change.
- How it’s calculated: Interest accrues daily on the net value of your portfolio (cash + the end-of-day value of positions) and is paid monthly.
- When it’s paid: Typically within the first week of the following month; Kalshi notes it can take up to 10 business days to process.
- Eligibility: You must fund via Kalshi Klear and have a balance of at least $250.
Why it matters and what it means for traders
For long-dated markets, interest on idle cash narrows the opportunity cost of waiting for fills or holding shares. Market makers can quote tighter for longer, and passive traders can rest orders without feeling their unused balance is “dead money.”
The update lands just weeks before football season kicks off and should help seed liquidity across Kalshi’s futures markets, from the Heisman Trophy Winner to Super Bowl, and much more. Paired with the flexibility to sell mid-season, APY already made Kalshi’s exchange a better place for futures bettors to park funds than traditional sportsbooks.
Kalshi is now offering 4% interest on all open positions.
This is another reason why sportsbooks have been fighting prediction markets so hard.
Placing a futures bet with a sportsbook is giving them an interest-free loan, whereas now you at least earn something in return. https://t.co/YUSHxEe2rO
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) August 13, 2025
Some quick math and fine print of interest accrual at Kalshi
At a 4.00% APY, keeping $10,000 in your Kalshi cash balance for a month earns roughly $33 (before compounding). If you’re also holding positions, the daily accrual uses the end-of-day portfolio value. That means when a market rallies that lifts your positions and portfolio, it will also increase your APY earnings.
Note that the APY is variable and can change at anytime. Payments are funded by interest Kalshi receives from an FDIC-insured account and are only credited after Kalshi receives those funds. To be eligible for interest accrual, accounts must be funded through Kalshi Klear and have at least a $250 balance.
