Bitfinex drops all trading fees across spot, perpetuals, securities and OTC
Bitfinex has permanently removed maker and taker trading fees across its platform — covering spot, margin, perpetual derivatives, tokenized securities and OTC markets — for all eligible users. The zero-fee model applies by default with no volume, UNUS SED LEO holdings or account-tier requirements. It covers more than 250 spot pairs, about 60 perpetual contracts and all Bitfinex Securities listings. Other charges such as withdrawals, deposit fees, margin lending and derivatives funding fees remain unchanged; affiliate rebates tied to trading fees and LEO fee discounts have been discontinued, though LEO retains other utilities (affiliate multipliers, some fee discounts and limited fee-free fiat withdrawals) and its repurchase-and-burn program continues. CTO Paolo Ardoino framed the move as a permanent, structural decision enabled by sustained profitability and improved matching-engine capacity; Bitfinex says its infrastructure can handle higher volumes and that risk monitoring remains to deter wash trading. The exchange expects to rely more on alternative revenue like service fees and lending while aiming to boost liquidity, trading volume and competitiveness. Eligible users need take no action — qualifying trades will execute at zero fees automatically.
Neutral
The removal of trading fees is likely neutral for token price action in isolation. Zero trading fees should boost on-exchange volume and liquidity, attracting order flow and potentially increasing short-term trading activity on Bitfinex. That can benefit traded assets by narrowing spreads and enabling higher turnover, but it does not directly change fundamental demand for any single cryptocurrency. Revenue shifts to alternative streams (service fees, lending) and the end of fee-based rebates may alter user economics and market-making incentives; some market makers could reduce activity if affiliate/LEO-based incentives were material to their strategy. Risk controls against wash trading reduce the chance that reported volumes are artificially inflated. Overall, improved liquidity is positive for exchange usability, but absent asset-specific catalysts or large inflows, the price impact on individual cryptocurrencies is likely limited—hence a neutral classification.