KusamaKSM

The coin of Kusama, Polkadot's experimental sister network where upgrades are tried first.

Rank #362Since August 2019

Price on 31 Oct 2026

C$4.94 +18.4% since 31 Jul 2026 · 99.3% below its all-time high

The short version

KSM is used for staking, governance and paying for blockspace (coretime) on Kusama, a sister network of Polkadot that runs the same code and tests upgrades first. Parity Technologies, founded by Gavin Wood, built it with grants from the Web3 Foundation in Zug, Switzerland, and KSM was given to Polkadot sale participants rather than sold. KSM holders rejected a proposal to burn fees and cut inflation (Referendum 627). On 31 Oct 2026 one KSM cost C$4.94. From 31 Jul 2026 to 31 Oct 2026 its price changed +18.4% in Canadian dollars, and it was 99.3% below its all-time high of C$748.78 set on 17 May 2021.^[1]

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 10 sources · next update about 1 Dec 2026

Price, past year

Past year: high C$20.28 (9 Nov 2025) · low C$3.99 (14 Aug 2026) · -62.6%^[1]

Month-end prices (table)

Date	C$	US$
31 Oct 2026	C$4.94	US$3.54
30 Sep 2026	C$6.89	US$4.84
31 Aug 2026	C$4.80	US$3.46
31 Jul 2026	C$4.16	US$2.97
30 Jun 2026	C$4.33	US$3.05
31 May 2026	C$6.27	US$4.55
30 Apr 2026	C$6.41	US$4.72
31 Mar 2026	C$5.71	US$4.11
28 Feb 2026	C$8.05	US$5.89
31 Jan 2026	C$8.80	US$6.52
31 Dec 2025	C$9.64	US$7.04
30 Nov 2025	C$12.28	US$8.76

Daily prices from CoinGecko; C$ converted at the Bank of Canada daily rate. The latest point is live when available. Past prices, not a forecast.

Choose what to see

Key facts

Price, 31 Oct 2026: C$4.94^[1]
3-month change: +18.4% in C$ (31 Jul 2026 to 31 Oct 2026)^[1]
From its high: 99.3% below its high of C$748.78 (17 May 2021)^[1]
Market rank: #362, market value about C$94.1M^[1]
Kind: Native coin · Kusama (its own network)
Started: August 2019

Checks: the same 9 questions for every coin

Facts, not a rating

Can an admin key create new coins?NoNew KSM come only from protocol inflation, changed only by on-chain referenda^{[2, 3]}

Can anyone freeze or take coins from holders?NoNo freeze or blacklist function found for KSM^[2]

Can the token's contract code be changed?Not applicableRuns on its own blockchain; its rules change only through network upgrades

Is the supply capped?NoNo maximum supply; inflation about 7-10% a year^[2]

Any scheduled unlocks in the next 12 months?NoNo vesting allocations; only staking inflation^[2]

Does a team or foundation hold over 10% of supply?Not disclosedWeb3 Foundation's current KSM holdings are not published^[2]

Do network fees reach coin holders?NoNo burn or fee sharing; a fee-burn proposal (Ref 627) was rejected^[3]

Main network hacked or halted in the past 2 years?NoNo exploit or halt of Kusama found in DefiLlama's hacks list or news checked^[4]

Is a regulator or court case targeting the coin itself?NoNo live regulator or court case found^[2]

Each answer is a fact with a source, not a score. What each check means.

Who controls it

Run by: Web3 Foundation (Zug) funds it through grants; Parity Technologies built it^{[2, 5]}
Founder: Gavin Wood (Parity); no separate fundraise^[2]
Distribution: Given 1:1 to DOT sale participants in 2019, with a faucet for others^[2]

Supply

In circulation: 19.07M KSM^[1]
Maximum supply: None set^[1]
Supply: 19.07M KSM, all circulating; no maximum^[2]
New coins: Inflation of about 7-10% a year; sources give conflicting rates^{[2, 6]}
Unlocks: None; no vesting^[2]

Use and fees

Main use: Staking, governance and coretime; a test network for Polkadot upgrades^[2]
Network fees: US$169 in the past year^[7]
Burn proposal: Ref 627 (5% inflation, 50% fee burn) rejected, about 28% aye to 72% nay^[3]

Trading

Daily trading: About C$9.8M a day on average, 31 Jul 2026 to 31 Oct 2026^[1]
Daily turnover: Typically 6.12% of its market value changes hands each day^[1]
20-week average: 4.7% below its 20-week average price^[1]
1-year change: -63.3% in C$^[1]^[8]

History

Not a forecast

Coins ranked 201-500 at this point in past cycles (12-14 months after a Bitcoin peak), one year later: 8,067 cases, 1,187 coins

33% were higher a year later^[9]

Typical result: Median -38% after a year; 33% higher after two years
Lost half or more: 44% within a year
Against Bitcoin: 11% did better than Bitcoin over the year

History, not a forecast.

Red flags and things to watch

No red flags found

Reports of a KSM-to-DOT merger were unconfirmed on 31 Oct 2026; no referendum on one was found.^[10]
A 2026 Polkadot forum thread debates whether Kusama stays independent or integrates with Polkadot.^[10]

Checked: admin keys, contract upgrades, unlocks, insider supply, hacks, legal actions and claims against records.

Sources and dates

Facts as of 31 Oct 2026. Prices from CoinGecko in Canadian and US dollars; US$ figures without a C$ price are converted at 1.3976 C$ per US$.