KuCoin (KCS)
Unlock Schedule
KuCoin (KCS) Token Unlock & Vesting Schedule
As of October 17, 2026, 176.3 million of the 200 million KCS (88.15%) have been released. The remaining 3.7 million KCS, all estimated, come from KCS Management Foundation donation (25M from founders + 7M from angel investors) and Advisors and angel investors retained KCS (18M) and are worth about $27.33 million at today's price (2.64% of the market cap). Today's release is an estimated 27,382 KCS from Advisors and angel investors retained KCS (18M) and KCS Management Foundation donation (25M from founders + 7M from angel investors). KCS is fully unlocked in March 2027; after that date the schedule has no further dated releases.
The chart shows gross modeled releases of every allocation: vesting unlocks, new issuance and reserve distributions, each allocation counted once. These have different meanings; a scheduled release is not evidence that tokens entered circulation or were sold. Review the coverage, sources and assumptions below.
Each color segment in the chart corresponds to a specific allocation group described in the Allocations section below. Underlying assumptions and data models used to reconstruct this schedule are explained in detail under Assumptions, while broader utility insights and token use cases are covered in Tokenomics & Utility.
Tokenomics & Utility
Supply and burns
KCS began with an initial supply of 200 million tokens. KuCoin describes a monthly process in which KCS is bought from the market and burned, permanently reducing the supply. The stated goal is for the supply to reach 100 million tokens. KuCoin says the amount burned is calculated from its overall monthly revenue. (kucoin.com)
The 2022 whitepaper also set out a plan for 90 million KCS allocated to the founding team and early investors. Under that plan, 20 million from the team’s allocation would be burned; other portions would support long-term incentives and the KCS Foundation. The early-investor allocation was also divided between foundation funding and a longer release schedule. These plans show how the project intended to spread tokens among its backers and ecosystem work. (kucoin.com)
Fees and rewards
On KuCoin, users can enable payment of eligible trading fees with KCS. The exchange’s fee guide describes a 20% discount for this feature, subject to its fee rules. KCS can also be staked through KuCoin Earn. A loyalty program introduced in 2025 links staking to benefits across trading, earning, payments, and other exchange services. (kucoin.com)
KCS rewards have changed over time. The earlier bonus model focused on holding tokens in a KuCoin account; a 2023 proposal shifted the model toward staking, including staking on KCC. This makes the distinction between holding and staking important when explaining how a holder participates in rewards. (kucoin.com)
Upcoming KCS Releases
| Period | Allocation | Type | Amount | Value | % of supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17 – 31, 2026 | KCS Management Foundation donation (25M from founders + 7M from angel investors) | Vesting, estimated | 262.9K | $1.9M | 0.13% |
| Advisors and angel investors retained KCS (18M) | Vesting, estimated | 147.9K | $1.1M | 0.07% | |
| Nov 2026 | KCS Management Foundation donation (25M from founders + 7M from angel investors) | Vesting, estimated | 525.7K | $3.9M | 0.26% |
| Advisors and angel investors retained KCS (18M) | Vesting, estimated | 295.7K | $2.2M | 0.15% | |
| Dec 2026 | KCS Management Foundation donation (25M from founders + 7M from angel investors) | Vesting, estimated | 543.3K | $4M | 0.27% |
| Advisors and angel investors retained KCS (18M) | Vesting, estimated | 305.6K | $2.3M | 0.15% | |
| Total, next 12 months | 3.7M | $27.3M | 1.85% | ||
Values at $7.39 per KCS (October 17, 2026), today's price, not a forecast. Estimated amounts are modeled from the schedule's rules rather than dated by a source; see the Assumptions below. Releases without dates are listed under Allocations.
Assumptions
KCS was created once, in 2017, as 200 million tokens, and no later minting is documented. Since then the supply has fallen to about 142.2 million through buyback-and-burn programs, including a 20 million founder burn in March 2022. In the 2022 whitepaper, 90 million previously locked founder and investor tokens were re-planned: 20 million burned, 32 million to the KCS Management Foundation and 18 million kept by advisors and angel investors, both released linearly over five years, and 20 million set aside for ecosystem incentives with no release dates. The chart shows the 2017 mint as one step and the two five-year releases as estimates, because their start date (March 2022) is assumed from the whitepaper date; the 20 million incentive tokens are listed but not charted.
- Founder-held KCS reallocated to long-term ecosystem incentives: The sources give the amount but no release dates.
- 1. https://www.kucoin.com/kcs
- 2. https://crypto.com/us/price/kucoin-token
- 3. https://coinbureau.com/review/kucoin-shares-kcs
- 4. https://www.kucoin.com/announcement/en-kcs-team-completes-66th-december-2025-kcs-burn
- 5. https://www.kucoin.com/announcement/more-than-$400-million-worth-of-kcs-was-burned
- 6. https://www.kucoin.com/announcement/kucoin-and-the-kcs-management-foundation-jointly-release-the-kcs-whitepaper
- 7. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220329005457/en/KuCoin-Co-Releases-KCS-Whitepaper-with-KCS-Management-Foundation-Revealing-the-20-Million-KCS-Burn
- 8. https://medium.com/@kccofficial/the-announcement-regarding-kcc-co-releases-the-kcs-whitepaper-with-kcs-management-foundation-31462d23a2b4
Tokenomics Overview
Market Data
Tile coloring: Green indicates positive changes, red indicates negative changes, and neutral indicates no significant trend or unavailable data.
Allocations
Parts of this allocation with their own release dates are charted as their own allocations; the chart shows the rest here.
Not yet scheduled: 20,000,000 tokens of its parts have no release date yet. The chart shows them as TBD from today, not as unlocked.
Description
#75
KCS is a token that powers the Kucoin ecosystem, which includes the exchange, the community chain, and other services. KCS holders can benefit from lower fees, revenue sharing, exclusive access to new projects, and governance rights.
| Sector: | CEX |
| Blockchain: | Other L1 |
Tokenomics Overview
Market Data
Tile coloring: Green indicates positive changes, red indicates negative changes, and neutral indicates no significant trend or unavailable data.