Leading digital asset exchange Bitfinex has eliminated all trading fees across its platform, effective immediately. The move positions the exchange among the first major centralized venues to adopt a permanent zero‑fee structure, reshaping the competitive landscape for crypto trading.

Sources close to the situation indicated that this new policy will be made available to all significant trading products currently listed on the exchange. These products include: regular crypto spot gains, margin trading, perpetual derivatives contracts, tokenized securities, and over-the-counter (OTC) trades. 

In a statement, a representative from the cryptocurrency exchange mentioned that the fees will be eliminated for both takers and market makers across the board. With this strategic approach of eliminating trading costs, Bitfinex highlighted that the company aims to establish a new standard for key trading platforms and promote financial inclusion.

It also expressed its belief that this new strategy will significantly enhance overall market liquidity and streamline the trading process, particularly for new users who are new to trading.

Several analysts weighed in on the exchange’s new policy. They acknowledged that this decision will play a crucial role in expanding the company’s services and positioning it as one of the most budget-friendly options available for trading BTC, other virtual currencies, and tokenized securities. 

Bitfinex’s new policy sparks excitement in the crypto industry 

In a press release, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Bitfinex, Paolo Ardoino, noted that the exchange believes in the existence of a high probability that it might successfully reward its current clients and greatly attract new customers to the platform. 

He also revealed that Bitfinex was excited to implement this strategy, thanks to the crypto exchange’s long history of generating profits and the superiority of its technology. Meanwhile, Ardoino claimed that they will closely observe the effects this new policy will have on the rest of the industry.

His remarks followed Bitfinex’s recent comment about market behaviors encountered in the past. In this comment, the platform outlined a comparison that was released in a public message, declaring that the current period of reduced trading volume resembles the previous market cycles. 

Concerning this discovery, reports highlighted that such persistent reductions in spot trading have frequently occurred in the past just before major price fluctuations in the market, either going up or down.

On the other hand, data from CoinMarketCap indicated that the total spot trading volume over the last month drastically decreased across all leading exchanges. This trading volume declined from more than $500 billion recorded at the start of November to about $250 billion this week. 

It was also confirmed that daily trading activity faced difficulties in maintaining the level above the $300 to $350 billion range in late November and early December.

At times, volumes decreased to as low as $200 billion, representing the lowest level ever recorded in several months. Analysts attempted to explain that this ongoing drop followed a swift but sharp increase above $550 billion encountered in mid-November. Afterwards, trading volumes fell back at a faster rate.

Phantom introduces a new feature in the market 

Meanwhile, Phantom, a popular Solana-based, non-custodial Web3 wallet, has introduced a new feature called Phantom Prediction Markets. This feature is powered by Kalshi, a prediction market platform that is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Notably, Bitfinex and Phantom have a functional relationship. To illustrate this claim, sources noted that Phantom’s support website recommends Bitfinex as a famous exchange that its clients can utilize to fund their Phantom wallets.

In the meantime, reports have admitted that Phantom and Kalshi’s integration will enable users to explore trending events, stay updated on live odds, and trade tokenized positions based on real-life outcomes directly within the Phantom app. 

According to sources with knowledge on the matter, this outcome could include sectors such as politics, cryptocurrency prices, sports, culture, and economics. 

In a tweet, Phantom stated, “Prediction markets in Phantom are not available everywhere. They may come with risks such as changing prices, limited availability of assets, and possible regulatory changes. Trading in prediction markets might have transaction fees and other costs. If your guess is wrong, you could lose all the money you put into an event. Mentions of third parties are for information only and do not mean we support or are connected to them.” 

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