Bitfinex

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A global cryptocurrency exchange offering spot, margin, derivatives, peer-to-peer lending, and digital-asset services.

Last updated August 21, 2026

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Overview

Bitfinex is a cryptocurrency exchange owned and operated by iFinex Inc. The platform was founded in December 2012 by Raphael Nicolle and began as a peer-to-peer Bitcoin exchange with a particular emphasis on margin lending. It subsequently expanded into a broader digital-asset marketplace supporting cryptocurrency spot trading, margin trading, peer-to-peer margin funding, over-the-counter transactions, and derivatives. The exchange was designed for relatively sophisticated and high-volume cryptocurrency users. Its product range has included leveraged trading, lending and borrowing facilities, advanced order types, institutional services, and access to a variety of digital assets. Bitfinex also operates related initiatives including Bitfinex Pay, a cryptocurrency payment service for online merchants, Bitfinex Securities in El Salvador, and Bitfinex Derivatives in El Salvador. The company has periodically developed or supported infrastructure beyond conventional exchange functions, including open-source and peer-to-peer communications technology through its involvement with HolePunch. Bitfinex became one of the earliest professional cryptocurrency trading platforms, but its development has been accompanied by repeated security, banking, regulatory, and legal controversies. A 2015 breach resulted in the loss of approximately 1,500 bitcoins. In August 2016, hackers stole 119,756 bitcoins from customer wallets. The exchange halted trading and withdrawals, socialized the losses across customer accounts, and issued BFX tokens representing affected balances. Bitfinex later redeemed those tokens, completing reimbursement by April 2017. U.S. authorities subsequently traced and seized substantial amounts of the stolen cryptocurrency, and the alleged laundering of the proceeds led to criminal proceedings against Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan. The company also faced interruptions to fiat banking services, including difficulties processing U.S. dollar withdrawals after correspondent banking relationships were cut or became unavailable. In 2019, the New York Attorney General alleged that Bitfinex used funds associated with Tether to conceal an $850 million shortfall involving Crypto Capital Corp. Bitfinex and its affiliated entities disputed aspects of the allegations and reached an $18.5 million settlement with the New York Attorney General in 2021, while agreeing to restrictions including a continued prohibition on trading activity with New York residents. The exchange separately paid a $75,000 Commodity Futures Trading Commission penalty in 2016 and a $1.5 million CFTC penalty in 2021 concerning unlawful off-exchange retail commodity transactions. Bitfinex remains associated with Tether, a dollar-referenced stablecoin issued by an affiliated iFinex company. It has also pursued expansion in Latin America and El Salvador, where affiliated businesses received digital-asset and tokenized-securities permissions. In 2025, Bitfinex announced a zero-fee policy covering spot, margin, perpetual derivatives, and over-the-counter trading for both makers and takers, explaining that its business also generates revenue from margin lending and institutional services. The exchange is therefore positioned as a global, technologically oriented digital-asset venue combining retail, professional, institutional, lending, payment, and regulated tokenization activities.

History

Bitfinex was established in December 2012 by Raphael Nicolle as a peer-to-peer Bitcoin trading and margin-lending platform. Its early design reflected the needs of active cryptocurrency participants who wanted more advanced trading and lending functionality than was available on simple retail exchanges. The platform later added support for additional cryptocurrencies and developed into a professional exchange offering spot markets, leveraged positions, peer-to-peer margin funding, over-the-counter trading, and derivatives. Security and infrastructure problems became central to Bitfinex's history. In May 2015, a breach caused the loss of approximately 1,500 bitcoins. In August 2016, a much larger attack resulted in the theft of 119,756 bitcoins from customer wallets. Bitfinex suspended trading and withdrawals, reduced customer balances by 36 percent, and issued BFX tokens representing the losses. The recovery-token system was later redeemed, with the exchange stating that retained tokens had been repaid in full by April 2017. The incident nevertheless damaged confidence in the platform and contributed to scrutiny of exchange security practices, including the use of multisignature wallet arrangements. Bitfinex also experienced prolonged difficulty maintaining conventional banking relationships. In 2017, disruptions involving Wells Fargo and a Taiwanese bank affected U.S. dollar wire transfers and withdrawals. The exchange subsequently used banking relationships in multiple jurisdictions, without always disclosing the institutions holding customer-related funds. In 2018, Bitfinex announced plans to move its principal server infrastructure to Zug, Switzerland, while also temporarily pausing some fiat deposits because of processing complications. Phil Potter, then the company's chief strategy officer, left in June 2018. The exchange's relationship with Tether became a major regulatory issue. Both businesses were associated with iFinex, and New York authorities alleged in 2019 that Bitfinex used Tether-related funds to conceal an $850 million shortfall involving payment processor Crypto Capital Corp. In February 2021, Bitfinex and iFinex reached an $18.5 million settlement with the New York Attorney General concerning allegations about disclosures and transfers between the affiliated companies. The settlement included restrictions on activity with New York residents. A separate class action involving Tether and Bitfinex was dismissed in 2023 after the court found that the plaintiff had not plausibly shown economic injury. Regulatory enforcement continued alongside product expansion. The CFTC imposed a $75,000 penalty in 2016 and a $1.5 million penalty in 2021 over unlawful off-exchange retail commodity transactions involving digital assets. Bitfinex launched Bitfinex Pay in 2021 to support cryptocurrency payments by online merchants. The company also supported communications infrastructure through HolePunch and promoted a broader ideological position focused on open-source, distributed technology in its 2022 Freedom Manifesto. From 2023 onward, Bitfinex increased its emphasis on Latin America and regulated digital-asset services. Bitfinex Securities El Salvador received authorization to facilitate tokenized assets, and the exchange announced an investment in Chilean platform Orionx. Peer-to-peer trading was launched in Venezuela, Argentina, and Colombia. Bitfinex Derivatives later obtained an El Salvador license. In 2025, the exchange announced zero-fee trading across several major product categories, presenting margin lending and institutional services as alternative sources of revenue. The platform remains an active global cryptocurrency exchange, although its exact headquarters, corporate ownership details beyond iFinex, and current executive structure require additional verification.

2025
Zero-fee trading announced
[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
The exchange announces zero maker and taker fees for spot, margin, perpetual derivatives, and over-the-counter trading.
2023
Bitfinex Securities receives El Salvador authorization
[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
The affiliated securities platform receives permission to facilitate tokenized assets.
2023
Latin American peer-to-peer expansion
[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Bitfinex launches peer-to-peer trading in Venezuela, Argentina, and Colombia.
2021
Bitfinex Pay launches
[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Bitfinex introduces a cryptocurrency payment service for online merchants.
2021
CFTC penalty for retail commodity transactions
[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Bitfinex agrees to pay a $1.5 million CFTC penalty concerning unlawful off-exchange retail commodity transactions.
2019
New York investigation begins
[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
The New York Attorney General alleges that Bitfinex used Tether-related funds to address an $850 million shortfall.
2018
Server infrastructure relocation announced
[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Bitfinex confirms plans to move its primary server infrastructure to Zug, Switzerland.
2017
BFX token reimbursement completed
[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
The exchange reports full reimbursement for customers who retained their BFX recovery tokens.
2016
CFTC regulatory penalty
[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
The CFTC imposes a $75,000 penalty over unlawful financed commodity transactions and registration failures.
2016
119,756 bitcoins stolen
[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Bitfinex suffers a major wallet breach, suspends trading and withdrawals, and later introduces BFX recovery tokens.
2015
First recorded major hack
[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
A security breach results in the loss of approximately 1,500 bitcoins.
2012
Bitfinex is founded
[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Raphael Nicolle launches Bitfinex in December as a peer-to-peer Bitcoin exchange with margin-lending functionality.

Products and positioning

A professional and globally oriented cryptocurrency exchange serving active traders, lenders, institutional clients, and digital-asset businesses.

Cryptocurrency exchange · 2012
Spot trading
Bitfinex's core spot market allows users to buy and sell supported digital assets. The exchange was built for active traders and has historically emphasized liquidity, advanced order functionality, and access to a broad range of cryptocurrency markets.
Leveraged trading
Margin trading
Margin trading lets eligible users take leveraged positions using borrowed digital assets. It is one of the platform's longstanding professional-trading features and is complemented by a peer-to-peer funding market.
Peer-to-peer lending · 2012
Margin funding
The margin-funding marketplace connects providers of digital assets with traders seeking leverage. This lending activity has been described as an important part of Bitfinex's business beyond conventional transaction fees.
Digital-asset derivatives
Derivatives
Bitfinex offers derivatives products, including perpetual contracts, for users seeking leveraged exposure or hedging tools. A related Bitfinex Derivatives operation received authorization in El Salvador.
Cryptocurrency payments · 2021
Bitfinex Pay
Bitfinex Pay is a payment platform designed to let online merchants accept cryptocurrency from customers. It extends the Bitfinex brand beyond exchange trading into merchant payment infrastructure.
Tokenized securities · 2023
Bitfinex Securities
Bitfinex Securities is an affiliated regulated platform in El Salvador intended to facilitate tokenized assets and digital securities under local authorization.
Institutional digital-asset trading
Over-the-counter trading
The over-the-counter service supports larger or institutionally oriented digital-asset transactions outside the regular public order book. It forms part of Bitfinex's effort to serve professional and institutional participants.

Controversies

2021
New York Attorney General settlement
Bitfinex and iFinex agreed to an $18.5 million settlement concerning allegations about Tether backing disclosures and transfers between affiliated companies, alongside restrictions on activity with New York residents.
Source
2021
CFTC fines Bitfinex $1.5 million
The CFTC announced that Bitfinex, a crypto exchange affiliated with Tether, was fined $1.5 million for permitting retail transactions by American residents.
Source
2021
Bitfinex and Tether settle with New York Attorney General
Bitfinex and Tether settled a case with the New York Attorney General’s office, agreed to pay an $18.5 million fine, and were barred from trading with New York residents. The Attorney General accused the companies of concealing losses and making false statements about Tether’s backing; the article reports that the settlement required disclosures from Tether.
Source
2019
Crypto Capital and Tether reserve allegations
New York authorities alleged that Bitfinex used funds associated with Tether to conceal an $850 million shortfall linked to Crypto Capital Corp.
Source
2016
2016 Bitcoin theft
Hackers stole 119,756 bitcoins from Bitfinex customer wallets. The exchange halted activity, reduced balances, and issued recovery tokens before later reimbursing affected token holders.
Source
2015
2015 security breach
Approximately 1,500 bitcoins were stolen from customer assets in a hack.
Source

2022Freedom Manifesto
Global
Bitfinex published a manifesto supporting distributed and open-source software, individual freedom, and libertarian economic principles.
Outcome. Established a public ideological position for the brand around decentralization and open technology.
Source

Brand decisions

2025
Adopt zero-fee tradingPrice change
Background
Bitfinex sought to compete for trading activity while emphasizing revenue from lending and institutional services.
Action taken
The exchange announced zero fees for maker and taker transactions across spot, margin, perpetual derivatives, and over-the-counter markets.
Aftermath
The policy repositioned transaction pricing as a competitive differentiator.
Source
2023
Expand regulated services in El Salvador and Latin AmericaStrategy
Background
Bitfinex pursued regional growth while seeking regulatory permissions for tokenized assets and derivatives.
Action taken
The group obtained authorization for Bitfinex Securities in El Salvador, announced an investment in Orionx, and launched peer-to-peer services in three Latin American countries.
Aftermath
The moves increased the brand's regional presence and added regulated tokenization capabilities.
Source
2021
Launch Bitfinex PayProduct launch
Background
The exchange sought to extend its services beyond trading and support cryptocurrency use by online merchants.
Action taken
Bitfinex introduced a merchant payment platform for accepting cryptocurrency.
Aftermath
The product broadened the Bitfinex ecosystem into payment services.
Source
2016
Socialize losses and issue BFX recovery tokensStrategy
Background
The August 2016 breach created a large customer-asset shortfall and forced the exchange to suspend trading and withdrawals.
Action taken
Bitfinex applied a 36 percent reduction to customer balances and issued BFX tokens corresponding to the losses.
Aftermath
The exchange later reported that retained BFX tokens had been redeemed in full by April 2017.
Source

Recent events

2025
Bitfinex introduces zero-fee trading[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Pricing
Bitfinex announced zero trading fees for maker and taker transactions across spot, margin, perpetual derivatives, and over-the-counter markets.
2025
Bitfinex Derivatives receives an El Salvador license[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Regulation
Bitfinex Derivatives was granted authorization by El Salvador's National Digital Asset Commission.
2023
Bitfinex Securities receives an El Salvador license[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Regulation · Product launch
Bitfinex Securities El Salvador received authorization to facilitate tokenized assets.
2023
Bitfinex announces investment in Chilean exchange Orionx[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
M&A · Other
The exchange announced an investment intended to support expansion in Chile and the wider Latin American market.
2023
Bitfinex launches peer-to-peer trading in three Latin American countries[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Product launch
Peer-to-peer services were introduced in Venezuela, Argentina, and Colombia.
2022
Bitfinex publishes the Freedom Manifesto[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Campaign
The company issued a statement advocating distributed and open-source software and libertarian economic principles.
2021
Bitfinex launches Bitfinex Pay[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Product launch
The exchange introduced a payment platform intended to let online merchants accept cryptocurrency.
2017
Bitfinex completes redemption of BFX recovery tokens[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Other
The exchange reported that customers who retained BFX tokens had been reimbursed in full within eight months of the 2016 breach.
2017
Bitfinex reports disruption to U.S. dollar withdrawals[1]Bitfinexen.wikipedia.org
Other
Correspondent banking interruptions involving Wells Fargo and a Taiwanese bank affected the exchange's ability to process dollar transfers.

Sources10 sources

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