Cryptocurrency exchange Bitget has opened registrations for its annual trading competition, the King's Cup Global Invitational (KCGI) 2026, featuring a prize pool of up to 3 million USDT. This year, the tournament includes not just cryptocurrency futures but also perpetual contracts on traditional assets along with tokenized U.S. stocks.

The total prize pool will depend on the number of registered traders. As of now, 18,355 participants have signed up, unlocking a prize pool of 1.1 million USDT.

The competition is divided into three categories:

  • Crypto Futures — perpetual and delivery contracts with a margin in USDT, featuring 600 trading pairs and leverage up to 125x;
  • TradFi Perpetuals — perpetual contracts on stocks, commodities, and precious metals with leverage up to 100x and 24/7 trading;
  • rToken — RWA tokens from the Reality platform, supported by Bitget. These tokenized U.S. stocks are backed by underlying securities at a 1:1 ratio and traded directly for USDT.

The exchange tracks trading volumes separately for each category, while profit and loss (PnL) are compiled into an overall leaderboard. Participants can trade in one segment or across all three.

Bitget explains that the expansion of the tournament format is in response to traders no longer being limited to a single asset class.

“Cryptocurrencies, gold, and stocks are increasingly coexisting in a single trading environment, so combining them in one tournament reflects the direction in which the industry is heading. This convergence of TradFi and the crypto market maintains the competitive spirit that has always made crypto trading exciting,” said Gracy Chen, Head of Bitget.

Prize Distribution Details

The organizers have divided the rewards into six categories:

  • 1 million USDT — team PnL, shared among the top 30 teams;
  • 800,000 USDT — team trading volume: each segment has its own leaderboard, with prizes for the top 10;
  • 200,000 USDT — individual PnL for the top 500 traders;
  • 600,000 USDT — tasks in the "UEX Treasure Maps" involving keys, puzzles, and chests;
  • 300,000 USDT — bonuses for early participants and team captains;
  • 100,000 USDT — a live draw after the finals.

The top three categories form the UEX Arena block, which totals 2 million USDT. A separate UEX Pioneer Captain Reward mechanism ranks teams based on how many members trade across all three segments.

The first 10,000 users who join a team before 18:59 (Kyiv/MSK) on August 30 and meet the trading volume requirement will receive 20 USDT for futures trading.

Participation Requirements and Timeline

To participate, users must have a balance of at least 100 USDT and complete verification. Teams can be formed until September 8, with a waitlist available until September 17.

The main event will take place from September 8 to 22, with rankings updated every hour. Final data will be recorded on September 22 at 20:00 (Kyiv/MSK), with winners announced on September 24 and a live awards ceremony held on September 25.

Awards in USDT will be credited within 14 working days post-finals, while "Treasure Map" vouchers will be available the day after winning. They can be claimed in the "Coupon Center" within seven days. Winners will also receive KCGI 2026 merchandise, a gold-plated football, and a Bitget chess set.

Continuing the UEX Strategy

This tournament has been running since 2021 and has traditionally focused on cryptocurrency instruments. The new format continues the concept of the Universal Exchange (UEX), which Bitget introduced for its seventh anniversary in September 2025: integrating cryptocurrencies, stocks, commodities, and foreign exchange into a single trading environment with a unified account.

Teams can register on the tournament page.

Previously, Bitget launched a warm-up challenge titled "Battle of Longs and Shorts" with a prize pool of $75,000 in Bitcoin and USDT, running from August 25 to September 9, 2026.