Why is my accessible balance lower than my funds unavailable for withdrawal?

Published on 13 May 2024Updated on 3 Jun 20243 min read128

Your accessible balance and funds under the unavailable for withdrawal portion are calculated differently, which can result in the former being lower than the latter.

The value of your accessible balance changes with the fluctuation of crypto value and trading activities.

However, the value of your funds under the unavailable for withdrawal portion is a snapshot taken at the time of deposit. It does not change with the fluctuation of crypto value and trading activities.

Here's an example to illustrate how both values can diverge:

Stage 1: the user deposits 1 BTC at 17:00 UTC and a snapshot of its 60,000 USD equivalent value is taken. This value is locked for withdrawal confirmation.

USD value (Crypto asset)
Accessible balance 0
Unavailable for withdrawal 60,000 (~1 BTC)
(Protected value) 0
(Locked value) 60,000 (~1 BTC)
Available for withdrawal 0

Stage 2: deposit is confirmed and goes to trade. The BTC deposit can be traded but not withdrawn.

USD value (Crypto asset)
Accessible balance 60,000 (~1 BTC)
Unavailable for withdrawal 60,000 (~1 BTC)
(Protected value) 0
(Locked value) 60,000 (~1 BTC)
Available for withdrawal 0

Stage 3: the user converts his 1 BTC to ETH at the price of 3,000 USDT/ETH. He receives 20 ETH at 17:10 UTC.

USD value (Crypto asset)
Accessible balance 60,000 (~20 ETH)
Unavailable for withdrawal 60,000 (~1 BTC)
(Protected value) 0
(Locked value) 60,000 (~1 BTC)
Available for withdrawal 0

Stage 4: the price of ETH drops to 1,000 USDT at 17:12 UTC. The new value of 20 ETH is reflected in their accessible balance. However, the snapshot of the value of the initial 1 BTC deposit remains under his funds under the unavailable for withdrawal portion.

The user is unable to withdraw 20 ETH because his accessible balance is lower than his funds under the unavailable for withdrawal portion.

USD value (Crypto asset)
Accessible balance 20,000 (~20 ETH)
Unavailable for withdrawal 60,000 (~1 BTC)
(Protected value) 0
(Locked value) 60,000 (~1 BTC)
Available for withdrawal 0

Stage 5: once the withdrawal confirmation is completed for the initial 1 BTC deposit, the funds under the unavailable for withdrawal portion are unlocked. The user is now able to withdraw 20 ETH.

USD value (Crypto asset)
Accessible balance 20,000 (~20 ETH)
Unavailable for withdrawal 0
(Protected value) 0
(Locked value) 0
Available for withdrawal 20,000 (~20 ETH)