Why does a funding interval change from 8 hours to 4 hours or 1 hour?

Because the funding rate on that contract hit its limit. Funding normally settles every 8 hours, but the rate at each settlement has a cap, so when the perpetual price runs far from spot, one capped payment every 8 hours can't pull it back. Settling more often lets more funding change hands per day. OKX does this automatically — one step at a time from 8 to 4, 2 and 1 hour — and switches back once the rate calms down; BingX and MEXC change individual contracts by announcement or reserve the right to in extreme markets. Your trading fees don't change, but a position can now pay funding up to several times more often.

The default: every 8 hours

BingX, OKX and MEXC settle perpetual funding three times a day by default, at 00:00, 08:00 and 16:00 (BingX quotes Singapore time, OKX and MEXC UTC). Some contracts run on a shorter schedule from the start — OKX lists contracts settling every 1, 2 or 4 hours on its perpetual contract information page. For what funding is and who pays whom, see what a funding fee is and the funding interval entry in the glossary.

Why an exchange shortens it

On OKX and BingX, each settlement's rate is bounded by a cap and a floor. When a contract is crowded on one side and its price drifts far from spot, the rate sits at that limit and still isn't enough to close the gap at three payments a day. A shorter interval raises how much funding can be exchanged per day while every single payment stays within the limit.

OKX — automatic. If the rate hits the cap or floor at a settlement, the frequency moves up one level: 8 → 4 → 2 → 1 hour. OKX switches the contract back to its default schedule, without further notice, once the rate at every settlement in the preceding 12 consecutive hours stayed within a set band; it checks this only at default-schedule settlement times. OKX can disable the feature for specific contracts, and it applies to crypto perpetuals only.
BingX — by announcement. BingX posts per-contract notices, for example moving one perpetual contract to settlement every 4 hours in June 2025, and states that it may adjust the interest rate, premium index or fee cap, and the frequency again, without further notice.
MEXC — reserved right. MEXC's funding rules say it may adjust the settlement cycle in extreme market volatility, so a contract can differ from the 8-hour default.

What changes for your costs

Trading fees: nothing. The maker and taker rates stay the same; you still pay once to open and once to close (see how futures fees are calculated).
Funding: more settlements a day. OKX's formula divides the rate by 8 ÷ the interval in hours, so in a calm market a 4-hour contract pays about the same per day as an 8-hour one. The difference shows when the rate is pinned at its limit: the cap applies per settlement, and a 1-hour contract has up to eight times as many settlements a day.
Less room to step aside. Only positions open at the settlement time pay or receive (BingX, OKX and MEXC all say so). With hourly settlements there is almost always one coming up — closing "just before funding" stops being a practical way to avoid it.

Whether funding or the trading fee is your bigger cost depends on how long you hold — see funding fee vs trading fee. On a crowded contract the interval change is also a signal: the rate has been at its limit, which matters for funding rate arbitrage on both sides.

How to check a contract's interval

Look at the funding countdown and rate on the contract's trading page before holding through a settlement, rather than assuming 8 hours. OKX also lists each contract's interval on its perpetual contract information page and through its public funding-rate API. A fee rebate doesn't change any of this: it returns part of the trading fees, and funding is exchanged between traders, outside any rebate.

Frequently asked questions

Does a shorter funding interval mean I pay more funding?

Not by itself. OKX scales the rate to the interval, so in normal conditions a shorter interval pays about the same per day. It costs more when the rate is pinned at its cap, because the cap applies to every settlement and there are more settlements a day.

When does the interval go back to 8 hours?

On OKX, automatically once the rate at every settlement in the preceding 12 consecutive hours stayed within a set band, checked at default-schedule settlement times and without further notice. BingX and MEXC change contracts by their own notices.

Does the interval change my trading fees?

No. Maker and taker rates are the same; only the number of funding settlements per day changes.