Serious incident resulting in NOK 1.6M loss – not suitable for active traders
I experienced a very serious incident with K33 during the night of February 6, 2026, which resulted in a total loss of approximately NOK 1.6 million (2 SOL positions and 1 BTC position). I have been actively trading crypto for 9 years on Binance and Bybit and am well familiar with exchanges, risk management, and margin/futures trading. This was not user error, but the result of limited platform availability, poor communication, and structural constraints at K33. What happened: I had open futures positions on an external trading platform Market conditions changed rapidly, and I needed to transfer BTC and SOL from my K33 account to lower liquidation levels — a standard operational adjustment when trading semi-manually At the same time, K33 was undergoing maintenance Based on visible large sell orders and short-term trend signals, we anticipated a fast downside move and planned to proactively reduce liquidation risk K33 communicated that the platform would be back online by 22:00, which we relied on However: - The platform did not come back online as communicated - My last contact with K33 was around 01:30, shortly before the situation escalated - I was unable to log in or move funds in time - The result was full liquidation of all positions After the fact, K33 has confirmed: - That maintenance took longer than planned - That communication beforehand was insufficient - That they do not offer 24/7 withdrawals, as all withdrawals require manual approval - That they have no compensation mechanism or security fund This is a major difference compared to established exchanges like Binance and Bybit. These platforms operate fully 24/7, and for example Binance has the SAFU fund, which is used to compensate users if something goes wrong. I have personally seen multiple real cases where losses were actually covered. Additionally, K33 feels like a premature platform: - Simple actions like token conversion are not intuitive - Instead of instant “convert,” users must place buy/sell trades in a trading interface - This adds friction and delays — which can be critical in volatile markets The most problematic issue, however, is this: - K33 operates in a 24/7 crypto market, but cannot guarantee access to or movement of funds during evenings and nights - This is precisely when crypto markets often move the most, especially during US and Asian trading hours - For active traders, this is fundamentally incompatible with proper risk management My clear recommendation: - Do not use K33 if you depend on fast access to funds outside Norwegian business hours - Using a small exchange without a security fund, 24/7 withdrawals, or mature infrastructure carries significant risk This is not a platform I can recommend to active or professional crypto traders.
By Morten W.