EL7.AI
CryptoMedium•22 October 2026•
2 min read

Crypto liquidations reached $1.02 billion on October 14 and 15

Key Facts

1Cryptocurrency liquidations totaled $1.02 billion on October 14 and 15, with long positions accounting for 90%, according to Bitfinex.
2U.S. spot bitcoin funds took in about $653 million on October 19 after a week of net outflows, according to Glassnode.
3Arab Bank Switzerland reported liquidations of $333 million in bitcoin perpetual futures long positions, compared with $117 million in short positions, during the week covered by its report.
4Bitcoin rose 1.33% to $83,012.4 on October 20, 2026, according to Investing.com's historical data.

Cryptocurrency market liquidations totaled $1.02 billion on October 14 and 15, 2026, with long positions accounting for 90%, according to Bitfinex, in a wave that swept across cryptocurrencies and concentrated losses on the long side. Arab Bank Switzerland, in its report on the previous week published on October 19, said forced closures in the bitcoin perpetual futures market were also concentrated in long positions. Liquidated long positions totaled $333 million during the week covered by the report, compared with $117 million in short positions, according to the bank. Describing the distribution of those losses, the report said "realized damage in bitcoin derivatives was concentrated in perpetual futures long positions." On price movements during that period, Investing.com said in its October 16 coverage that bitcoin was posting a weekly decline of 1.6%, heading for a second consecutive week of losses.

Coinbase's margin trading rules explain how losses on a position can lead to its automatic closure, defining maintenance margin as the minimum required to keep a position open. Automatic closure begins when the current margin falls below that threshold, according to the platform's guidance on margin requirements and liquidation. Coinbase's international derivatives documentation also warns that liquidation does not depend on a trader receiving a margin call before their position is closed. The platform says "liquidation may begin without a margin call and does not wait for you to add funds," tying closure to whether the requirements for maintaining the position are met at that time. In its coverage of the earlier selloff, CoinDesk explained that these forced closures can add pressure to a falling market because they push traders out of their positions regardless of whether they want to sell at that price.

Following a week of net outflows, U.S. spot bitcoin funds returned to inflows on Monday, October 19, according to Glassnode. The company estimated net inflows into those funds at about $653 million that day, reversing the previous week's flow trend. That preceded bitcoin's rise of 1.33% to $83,012.4 on October 20, according to Investing.com's daily historical data table. That daily reading marked a recovery in the cryptocurrency's price after the weekly decline the website reported in its October 16 coverage. On the U.S. monetary policy calendar, the next Federal Open Market Committee meeting is scheduled for October 27 and 28, 2026, according to the Federal Reserve's official calendar.