Bitfinex review
Updated September 28, 2026 · HodlCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Bitfinex is a custodial exchange built for active traders and long-term holders who want a low cost on every fill rather than a very long coin list. It scores 7.3 overall on HodlCue, trading 63 coins, publishing proof of reserves and adding staking on the same account.
Key facts
- Best for
- Traders who care most about what each trade costs, and who rarely need a long coin list to search.
- Taker fee
- 0%↗
- Coins listed
- 63↗
- Regulators
- Digital Assets Service Provider - El Salvador↗
- Fiat deposit methods
- Card, Bank↗
- Maker fee
- 0%↗
- Proof of reserves
- Yes↗
- Withdrawal fee
- Bank wire 0.1% (min 100 USD/Euro)↗
- Derivatives
- Yes↗
- Exchange type
- Cex↗
- Legal entity
- iFinex Inc.↗
- Headquarters
- Virgin Islands, British↗
- Founded
- 2012↗
- Support channels
- Chat, Help-centre, Community↗
- Features
- Custodial, Staking
- Official website
- bitfinex.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Proof of reserves is published, which gives you something concrete to check before you deposit.
- Card and bank fiat deposits are both supported, and help runs on chat, help centre and community when something goes wrong.
- Staking is soft, so coins are not locked, except the ether position, which has to be unstaked first over weeks to months.
- Derivatives trade on the same account as spot, so a single balance covers both markets and one fee schedule.
Cons
- A list of 63 coins puts it at 89 of the 172 brands we track, below the 344.5 the widest lists reach.
- Custody is custodial, so the exchange holds your coins rather than a wallet you control.
- Support runs on chat, help centre and community only, with no email or phone line for urgent cases.
Who it suits
- Traders who trade often enough for the taker fee to matter more than the coin list.
- Holders who want a staking yield without locking up access to most of their coins.
- Traders who want spot and derivatives handled from a single account and one fee schedule.
Who should look elsewhere
- Bitpanda, if the coin list matters most to you: it lists from 650 coins against 63 on Bitfinex.
- bunq, if you would rather see a stated taker fee of 0.25% to 1.99% than trade at 0%.
- ActivTrades, if a short list of 9 coins covers everything you want to trade.
Trading and withdrawal fees
Spot trading costs 0% for takers and 0% for makers, which places Bitfinex at 1 on taker fee among the 118 brands we compare. Across HodlCue the median taker fee is 0.2%. Withdrawals are charged separately: a bank wire costs Bank wire 0.1% (min 100 USD/Euro), so a small transfer pays the stated minimum. The rate is quoted per fill, so a strategy built from many small trades pays the same each time.
Who runs it
Bitfinex is operated by iFinex Inc., based in Virgin Islands, British and founded in 2012, so the operation is long established. The licence on record is a Digital Assets Service Provider registration in El Salvador, and no other regulator is named. Support runs on chat, help centre and community, with live chat and a help centre doing most of the work.
How Bitfinex compares
9.4 vs 9.5- 9.4 vs 9.3
9.4 vs 9.2
9.4 vs 9.7ActivTrades shows 9 coins, a narrow list that covers only a handful of the larger tokens you might want.
9.4 vs 9.4
9.4 vs 9.6
9.4 vs 9.0
Bitfinex vs Gemini9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 8.9
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 8.2
9.4 vs 8.2
9.4 vs 9.7
9.4 vs 9.4
9.4 vs 9.3
9.4 vs 9.2
9.4 vs 9.2
9.4 vs 9.1
9.4 vs 9.0
9.4 vs 8.7
9.4 vs 8.6
Where Bitfinex is available
- Licence in El Salvador
- Digital Assets Service Provider - El Salvador, checked September 26, 2026
Frequently asked questions
What are the trading fees on Bitfinex?+
Spot trading is charged at 0% for takers and 0% for makers, so both sides of the book sit at the same figure. That places Bitfinex at 1 on taker fee among the 118 brands we compare, while the site median sits at 0.2%.
How much does it cost to withdraw?+
A bank wire withdrawal costs Bank wire 0.1% (min 100 USD/Euro), and that is the figure published in the exchange's fee table. Because the charge includes a stated minimum, a small transfer can cost more to move than the rate alone suggests, so fewer larger withdrawals usually make more sense than a run of small ones.
How do I deposit money into my account?+
Fiat deposits run through card and bank, so a card or a bank transfer both work. This is often the first thing to check, because it decides how quickly you can start trading and whether a charge from your own bank lands on top of the exchange's own fees.
Is Bitfinex regulated and does it show its reserves?+
The licence on record is a Digital Assets Service Provider registration in El Salvador, and that is the only regulator named. Custody is custodial, so the exchange holds your coins, and it publishes proof of reserves, which lets you check reported holdings rather than take them on trust.
Can I earn a yield by staking on Bitfinex?+
Staking covers TRX, SOL and ADA and pays a yield of 3% to 6%. The terms are soft staking with no lock, except for the ether position, which has to be unstaked before you can take it out, and unstaking takes weeks to months.
How many coins can I trade on Bitfinex?+
Bitfinex lists 63 coins, which puts it at 89 on coins listed across the 172 brands we track. The widest lists here reach 344.5, so traders after long-tail tokens will find more elsewhere.
Can I trade derivatives as well as spot?+
Derivatives are available on the same account as spot, where taker fees are 0%, so opening and closing a position costs the same rate as a spot fill. That suits traders who manage positions rather than only hold coins over the long term.
How do I get help if something goes wrong?+
Support runs on chat, help centre and community, meaning live chat, a help centre and community channels. There is no email or phone line in that list, so a deposit or withdrawal problem sits with the chat team, while the help centre covers the routine account steps.
Sources
- coingecko.com/en/exchanges/bitfinex checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Coins listed, Founded, Exchange type, Headquarters, Legal entity, Regulators, Licences
“id=bitfinex; coins=63; pairs=138”
- defillama.com/cex/bitfinex checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Proof of reserves
“slug=bitfinex; category=CEX; tvl=19976966778.68185”
- staking.bitfinex.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Supported assets, Custody, Lock-up terms, Yield
“Supported Digital Tokens: Tron (TRX), Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), Polkadot (DOT), Ethereum (ETH)”
- support.bitfinex.com/hc/en-us/articles/360036965234-The-B... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“Chat support Need help? Our support team is available 24/7 to assist you with any issues.”
- bitfinex.com/about checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features
“Spot trading Margin trading Borrow Staking”
- bitfinex.com/deposits-withdrawals checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Fiat deposit methods
“You can use a bank card, make a wire transfer or use a stablecoin - you decide.”
- bitfinex.com/features checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Derivatives
“Take a view on future price movements with Bitfinex Derivatives. Trade perpetual contracts”
- bitfinex.com/fees checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Maker fee, Taker fee, Withdrawal fee
“Spot and Margin trades ... Maker fees Zero”
Compiled from 8 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
Bitfinex
Traders who care most about what each trade costs, and who rarely need a long coin list to search.