Polymarket Quietly Introduces Taker Fees On 15-minute Crypto Markets (2026)
Polymarket updated its documentation to show taker-only fees on short-term crypto markets, with proceeds redistributed to market makers as liquidity rebates.
Prediction market platform Polymarket updated its documentation to show that 15-minute crypto up/down markets now carry taker fees, marking a departure from its long-standing zero-fee trading model.
According to the newly updated “Trading Fees” and “Maker Rebates Program” sections of the site’s documentation, the prediction markets platform has enabled taker-only fees on 15-minute crypto markets to fund liquidity incentives for market makers.
Fees collected from takers are redistributed daily in USDC (USDC) stablecoin to liquidity providers, rather than retained by the protocol. The change applies only to these short-duration crypto markets, while the vast majority of Polymarket’s markets remain without fees.
The fees vary depending on market odds, with the highest charges occurring when prices are near 50%. However, it drops toward zero as odds move closer to 0% or 100%. Based on the examples provided in the document, a taker trade of 100 shares priced at $0.50 would incur a fee of about $1.56, which is just over 3% of the trade’s value at the curve’s peak.
The update surfaced without a formal announcement, but checks of archived versions of the documentation suggest that the fee language is new.
Related: Prediction markets move into real estate with Polymarket–Parcl deal
The quiet rollout sparked discussion on social media, where community members framed the change as a market-structure adjustment rather than a simple fee hike.
X user 0x_opus said the change would “increase protection from wash trading,” adding that Polymarket is not “starting to charge users in the classic sense,” as the fees are redirected to market makers.
Another trader, called kiruwaaaaaa, described the move as “directed against high-frequency bots,” saying that fee-funded rebates would incentivize tighter spreads and more consistent liquidity.
Source: CoinTelegraph
