Token Launch Liquidity Checklist

Section 1 — Sizing

• Largest expected single order estimated, conservatively.
• Acceptable price impact for that order decided (1–2% is reasonable for a new listing).
• Base depth requirement calculated: depth within the impact band ≥ largest expected order.
• Concurrency multiplier applied (3–5×) for participants trading simultaneously.
• Replenishment reserve budgeted for the opening period.
• Final figure expressed in quote-asset value, per side.

See how to plan launch liquidity for the arithmetic.

Section 2 — Funding both sides

• Ask-side inventory — tokens available to sell.
• Bid-side inventory — actual quote-asset funds (USDT) to buy your own token back.
• Bid-side funds are committed and available, not notionally allocated.
• Reserve held back for replenishment, not deployed entirely at open.

Funding only the ask side is the single most common launch failure. It produces a one-way door: buyers arrive, buy, then find no bids to sell into. Whatever the intent, it behaves as a trap and will be described as one.

Section 3 — Who manages it

• Named party responsible for quoting — treasury team or contracted market maker.
• If contracted: counterparty diligence done, terms agreed, inventory arrangements clear.
• If internal: a specific person available through the opening window.
• Contact details for that person, reachable during launch.
• Duration of commitment agreed and written down.
• Wind-down plan — what ending active market making looks like.

Section 4 — Pair configuration

• Price precision chosen against the token's price, not left at a default. One tick should be a small fraction of 1%.
• Quantity precision set so the minimum order is a sensible amount of money.
• Opening price based on an existing reference — another venue, a recent primary sale, or a pool price with real depth.
• Opening price is not derived from a target valuation.
• If the token trades elsewhere, the opening price is close to it — a gap is an arbitrage invitation funded from your book.

See how to set up a USDT trading pair.

Section 5 — Concentration

• Liquidity concentrated in one primary pair, not split.
• No additional pairs opened until volume justifies the extra inventory.
• If multiple venues are planned, each has its own funded book — not a share of one budget.

Liquidity does not duplicate. Four thin books are worse than one usable one.

Section 6 — Before you announce

• Liquidity is live before any announcement. Traffic arriving at an empty book is worse than no traffic.
• Both sides visible and resting.
• Spread within your target.
• Correct contract address communicated through your own channels — impersonator tokens reliably appear around a listing.
• Someone available to answer questions on day one.

Section 7 — During the opening period

• Watching depth, not price. Price will move; a side emptying is the actionable signal.
• Replenishing consumed levels promptly.
• Widening rather than withdrawing during volatility. A wide market is workable; no market is not.
• Not defending a price level with treasury funds — you are trading against yourself, and the market will find the level anyway.
• Not reading early prices as meaningful. On a thin book they reflect who happened to be watching.

Section 8 — After the first week

• Depth measured and recorded at several points, including a volatile period.
• Spread sampled over time — range and typical value, not one reading.
• Whether independent resting orders are appearing, or the book is still entirely yours.
• Inventory position reviewed — market making accumulates one side over time.
• Commitment duration reassessed against what you have learned.

The test to apply

Before opening the pair, ask:

If a holder wanted to sell a typical position right now, at what average price would it fill?

If that number is far below the current price, you have built a one-way door regardless of intent. Fix the bid side before you open.

Related

• How to Plan Launch Liquidity
• Liquidity for New Coins
• How to Avoid Common Liquidity Traps