Bitfinex - The largest exchange in terms of BTC volume has today announced the integration of GBP and JPY pairs to their platform whilst increasing the number of EUR pairs available for trade.
“We are very pleased to add to our selection of fiat offerings and to do our part in making cryptocurrencies more globally accessible. We are making a strong push for improved transparency and worldwide regulatory collaboration, and our ability to add support for these markets is a strong win on that front.”
– JL van der Velde, Bitfinex CEO
Now live on the platform are BTC, ETH, EOS, IOTA and NEO pairs.
Already a major player in the crypto market, this puts Bitfinex one step ahead of most other exchanges. While volume will likely remain low for a while for these new pairings, their popularity is sure to increase. Personally I have been waiting for GBP products to become more available in the crypto-sphere.
This news can only be positive for the platform and it will be interesting to see where Bitfinex will go from here. With the reported move to Switzerland it looks as though Bitfinex is serious about becoming the top exchange in the crypto market.
I would like to see them diversify their portfolio of tradable assets in the near future by adding pairs such as LTC/ETH, EOS/NEO or XMR/XRP. Being able to trade crosses like these would make for a much more interesting market.
While the announcement on Twitter has been followed by mostly positive feedback there is one who was quick to voice his doubts,
While there have always been concerns about Bitfinex and of course its link to Tether, until any real evidence is put forward any negative views can be dismissed as FUD.
The truth is that any exchange could be a scam and if the day comes that Bitfinex runs off with your money and you get hurt, the only person to blame is yourself.
I use Bitfinex all the time but I don't have all of my money on the platform like any sensible trader wouldn't.
You can read the official announcement here:
http://blog.bitfinex.com/announcements/fiat-trading-pair-additions/
