On December 17, 2025, the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex announced a significant change to its trading fee structure, implementing a zero-fee policy for all trading activities. This new initiative applies to various trading products, including spot trading, margin trading, perpetual derivatives, tokenized securities, and over-the-counter (OTC) trades.
The decision to eliminate trading costs aims to foster greater market liquidity and reduce barriers for entry into cryptocurrency trading. As a result, both market makers and takers will benefit from this fee waiver, potentially attracting a larger user base to the platform.
Paolo Ardoino, Chief Technology Officer of Bitfinex, emphasized the strategic importance of this decision, stating, “We see a significant opportunity to incentivize our existing customers and attract potential new customers to the platform.” He highlighted the company”s long-standing profitability and robust technology as key enablers of this initiative.
This announcement comes amid a notable decline in trading volumes across the cryptocurrency market. According to CoinMarketCap, the total 30-day spot trading volume across all major exchanges has plummeted, falling from over $500 billion in early November to approximately $250 billion. This decrease in activity is reminiscent of historical market cycles where periods of low trading volume often precede significant price movements.
In a related development, the Phantom wallet has rolled out a new feature integrating Kalshi-powered prediction markets, allowing users to trade tokenized positions on real-world outcomes. This feature aims to expand user engagement by offering insights into various trending events.
Bitfinex”s zero-fee trading structure positions it as one of the most cost-effective platforms in the industry, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape among cryptocurrency exchanges and encouraging broader adoption of digital assets.
