Kalshi is a federally regulated exchange that has invented an entirely new asset class – event contracts. With this $0 minimum deposit and low-cost trading platform, users can take Yes/No positions on global events related to the climate, finance, economics, and politics.
In our Kalshi review, we will analyze all the trading features of this unique platform, cover the platform’s regulations, and show readers how to start trading with this platform.
Kalshi Review: Pros & Cons
Here are some of the pros and cons of Kalshi’s trading platform.
Pros Cons
What Can You Trade on Kalshi?
Kalshi is different from all the existing trading platforms in the market. By taking out event contracts, traders can take ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ decisions on global events and profit if they are correct.
Thus, Kalshi has the potential to be one of the best trading platforms since users can monetize their global opinions. In total, over 88 markets are available to trade on Kalshi. The sections below cover some of the asset classes on which users can take out event contracts.
Economics Trends
Economics trends are one of the main event contracts which can be taken out on the Kalshi trading platform. With as little as $0.01, one can start predicting economic events.
For instance, traders can make a prediction on the US core inflation levels for 2023. You will predict whether the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all Urban consumers will rise. As seen in the chart above, users can predict the exact CPI percentage increase.
The returns will be calculated on the likelihood of the outcome. The more unlikely the outcome, the higher one can earn on Kalshi. Furthermore, traders holding correct contracts at the end of the trading session turn into $1 per contract held.
For instance, if someone takes out 10 ‘Yes’ contracts worth 50 cents, and it ends the day at 70 cents, holders will make 50 cents per contract
Other economic activities one can trade on include unemployment rates and US and Global GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth. One can also predict the annual rent increase in New York and the price increase/decrease of Natural Gas and Gasoline.
Politics
A trading platform available only to members from the USA, Kalshi lets users make predictions on the country’s political outcomes. For example, traders can take positions on Joe Biden’s expected approval ratings for the coming months.
Traders can also take out event contracts on the US national debt crisis. Members can make ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ calls on whether the US Treasury Department declares that the country has failed to make a timely payment on their debt obligations.
You can also predict whether TikTok will be banned in the country by 2023 or bet on the next Secretary of Treasury and the next Fed Vice Chair.
Financials
The financials section on Kalshi may interest those interested in trading financial assets. Through this section, users can release contracts on the potential S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 increase.
Predictions can be made on these potential markets to increase in value on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis. Another available asset class to trade on is FX pairs. Traders can take out contracts predicting the value of popular pairs such as EUR/USD and USD/JPY. Both yearly and intra-day trading options are available for the FX pairs.
Other available markets include 10-year Treasury daily yields and Treasury spreads.
Climate
The next section is a unique offering, as traders can profit by predicting global warming outcomes. Members can predict whether the temperature levels will likely go up or down in cities such as Chicago, Miami, and New York City.
Other contracts as part of the Climate portfolio include predicting hurricanes in Orlando and the Global Average Temperature Deviation.
Others
Finally, traders can also make predictions on various global variables, such as the likelihood of NASA announcing a manned mission to the moon by the end of 2024. You can also predict the possibility of new COVID variants and the rise of TSA Airport screenings.
Kalshi Trading Platform Review
Before investing in any trading platform, it is important to go through the user interface and platform features. The sections below will quickly review the platform, including the supported trading devices, user interface, and ease of use.
Login
Since Kalshi is a regulated platform, each new member must complete an extensive KYC registration process to verify their details. One will be required to enter personal details such as their residential address, full name, email address, social security number, and phone number.
Since only users from the USA can use Kalshi, the platform will take local identity verification to confirm that you are a resident of the country. After verifying and confirming all the information, you can make new trades on Kalshi’s platform.
Available Trading Platforms
The Kalshi trading platform can be accessed on the web and mobile. While there is no separate trading app, mobile users can access Kalshi online on iOS and Android devices.
Thus, you can trade on-the-go, since the mobile device will give access to all the same features as the website.
User Interface & Features
The Kalshi website makes it straightforward for investors to begin their trading journey. The homepage gives an overview of the platform’s features, displaying some of the main trading markets.
One can click on the ‘Markets’ tab on the homepage to view all the available asset classes on Kalshi. The platform separates different event contracts such as economics, Politics, Financials, and Climate.
Kalshi lets users test their trading strategies by accessing APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). One can get started with the available starter codes and test strategies by analyzing historical data. The APIs also give access to open-source resources built by the developer community.
How Do You Earn with Kalshi?
On Kalshi, there are two ways to earn profits. The first thing one has to do is purchase the available event contracts on the site. Traders can sell their event contracts before the trading session ends if they have already made a profit.
For instance, if you bought at $0.20, and the value is at $0.25, you can sell and make a profit. Alternatively, traders can hold their positions till the market close. If the positions profit, they will earn $1 per contract they hold.
Kalshi Payment Methods
On Kalshi, users can access the following payment options:
- Bank transfers
- ACH Deposits
- Wire transfers
Once the money has been deposited on Kalshi, the platform stores the funds in regulated clearing houses. Clearing houses are intermediaries between the two parties that help promote market stability.
When connecting a trader’s bank account with the platform, Kalshi uses Plaid. This helps enable automated clearing house deposits and withdrawals. Wire transfers can only be used for deposits.
Kalshi Minimum Deposit
One of the unique features of Kalshi is that it does not require traders to make any minimum deposit. There is also a $0 account maintenance limit, meaning traders with lower budgets can easily access the trading platform.
Kalshi Withdrawal Times
As mentioned above, Kalshi stores users’ funds in regulated clearing houses. Upon the request to withdraw funds, the money is released from the clearing houses and sent to the traders instantly.
Kalshi Bonuses & Promos
Kalshi runs a referral program to reward existing and new customers on the platform. Users can access a ‘More’ tab from the homepage and select the referrals option. The site redirects you to a different page, where you can get access to your referral link.
Whenever a new trader signs up with your referral link, you will earn $10 per referral. To avail of the referral bonus, the traders must make a deposit on Kalshi and purchase at least 100 contracts. This investment can total as less as $0.99.
The referred member will also make $25 from your referral.
Kalshi Customer Support
Kalshi has a 24/7 customer service team accessible via direct calls or email. The platform also allows users to connect on Slack if they need tech or product support.
Since this platform has only started running in 2022, there are not many customer reviews available on popular platforms such as Trustpilot.
Kalshi Licensing & Security
After launching in 2018, Kalshi hit a very important milestone in 2020. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) approved Kalshi as an Authorized Designated Contract Market. The CFTC is a body of the U.S. government regulating the country’s derivatives markets.
This made Kalshi the first-ever regulated event contracts platform in the world. Since the platform is regulated, it follows certain regulatory requirements and rules to protect investors. For instance, LedgerX LLC, the clearing house Kalshi works with, is also regulated by the CFTC. This helps to mitigate default risk on the trading platform.
Kalshi also deploys robust surveillance systems to monitor and spot any fraud in trade transactions.
Kalshi Accepted Countries
As discussed in the sections above, Kalshi is primarily available to trade in the United States of America. Members from this region can take out event contracts predicting the country’s financial markets, political events, and the global temperatures of various cities.
How to Start Trading with Kalshi
Those interested in trading event contracts can follow the steps below to get started with Kalshi:
Step 1: Create a New Account
Visit the Kalshi homepage and start the account creation process. To get started, users must enter personal information such as their full name, date of birth, and mobile numbers. New members must also provide their legal address (USA Based).
The platform will also require investors to confirm their identity by providing local IDs such as their U.S. driver’s license. After the information is verified, you can access the platform.
Step 2: Make a Deposit
Using one of the payment methods that Kalshi supports, investors can make a minimum deposit on the platform. Since there is no minimum deposit, you can put as little as $0.01 on the platform.
Step 2: Choose the Trading Markets
After visiting the homepage, click the ‘Markets’ tab to access the available event contracts. For this example, we show investors how to take out a new position on the S&P 500 weekly close.
In this particular event contract, users can predict what levels the S&P 500 index will be on by the end of a trading week.
Step 3: Make Your Trading Predictions
As seen in the image below, traders can predict the different levels to release an event contract.
The payout differs depending on the likelihood of the outcome. For instance, a maximum profit opportunity is 32% when betting on the ‘$4,249 or Below’ event contract.
However, the maximum profit is only 6% on the ‘$4,425 – $4,449.99’ level. After selecting one of these options, you can select the number of contracts you wish to purchase.
After entering the amount, you will see the total price of the trade. Confirm the position to begin trading with Kalshi.
Is Kalshi Beginner-Friendly?
Kalshi is a suitable trading platform for beginners due to its low entry costs and ease of use. For instance, Kalshi is one of the few platforms that does not charge a minimum deposit from traders.
After completing a registration and KYC (Know Your Customer) process, one can begin purchasing contracts for as little as $0.01. Thus, beginner traders on a low budget may be attracted to Kalshi’s trading platform.
Furthermore, Kalshi has introduced features such as its live blog to help out users. From the Kalshi blog, one can access information on all the available trading markets on the platform. To help new investors, Kalshi also provides video tutorials on how to make new trades on the platform.
Readers can also collect information on the economic markets and the latest trends. One can also learn about trading basics, such as order books, and get key insights on what to invest in right now.
Kalshi Fees & Commissions
To better understand this trading platform, we will cover all the included fees and commissions that Kalshi charges from traders.
Kalshi Trading Fees
Unlike many other trading platforms, Kalshi has a very simple approach when it comes to charging fees. A fee is charged directly, depending on the number of event contracts one takes out. The platform states that trading fees are charged when the orders have been immediately matched with other orders on the order book.
The price of 1 contract on Kalshi can range from $0.01 to $0.99. The trading fee differs depending on the price and the number of contracts purchased. For example, users will have to pay a $0.01 fee for one contract priced at the same valuation.
However, users can also purchase 100 contracts for $0.1 each, which takes your investment amount to $1. In such a situation, the fee charged is only $0.07. When purchasing a single contract priced at $0.99, the fee still remains $0.01. Furthermore, while the price for 100 $0.99 contracts totals $99, the fee remains just $0.07.
One of the best future brokers, Kalshi, has already laid out a simple fee plan lower than many of its competitors.
Non-Trading Fees
When trading with Kalshi, traders do not spend much on non-trading fees. There are no sign-up costs or membership fees on Kalshi, nor are there any processing fees. When making ACH deposits, the platform does not charge any fees.
However, wire deposits may incur a fee, which varies from bank to bank. Kalshi does charge a $2 fee on all withdrawals linked to your bank account. View the table below to get a summary of the non-trading fees on Kalshi.
| Non-Trading Fees | Fee Amount |
| Settlement Fee | None |
| Processing Fee | None |
| Membership Fee | None |
| ACH Deposit Fee | None |
| Wire Transfer Fee | Fee may vary depending on the bank |
| Bank withdrawal Fee | $2 per withdrawal |
Conclusion
This review has analyzed Kalshi – a unique trading platform that lets you monetize your opinions on global events. Kalshi is the first-ever regulated event contract platform and does not request a minimum deposit to get started.
Traders can buy contracts from $0.01, access APIs, and trade on the web and mobile. From politics to economics and financials, Kalshi lets you take out event contracts on a number of global issues.