Bitfinex
Centralized exchangeA long-running exchange with zero-fee spot trading, licensed only in El Salvador.
- Spot fee
- 0%
- Coins with a halal verdict
- 0
- of those listed here
- Available in
- 0 of 3
- countries we track
- Checked
- Sep 27, 2026
Reliability
3.3/ 10
No attested proof of reserves, licences only in El Salvador and a history of US enforcement.
Score updated
- Proof of reserves2.0
- Licences4.0
- Incident history5.0
- Segregation of funds2.0
- Insurance fund1.0
- Security practices6.0
Liberandum halal verdict
Not suitable
Not recommended: low reliability and no Shariah product; if used, spot only, never margin funding or derivatives.
Use
- Spot only, coin by coin
Avoid
- Margin funding (riba)
- Derivatives, staking
More details
Bitfinex offers zero-fee spot trading with immediate settlement, but its reliability is low (3.3/10): no attested proof of reserves, licences only in El Salvador, a history of commingled client and corporate funds and repeated US enforcement. It has no Shariah-certified product or token screening. Muslim investors are better served by a more transparent, better-regulated exchange. Spot trading on Bitfinex (the Exchange wallet) settles immediately against the user's own balance, which on its own meets the AAOIFI requirement of immediate exchange for currencies (Shariah Standard No. 1) and the rules on the sale of commodities in organized markets (Shariah Standard No. 20). Much of the platform, however, is built around products a Muslim user must avoid: margin trading financed through the peer-to-peer Funding (margin lending) book, where lenders earn interest (riba) and Bitfinex takes 15% of that interest; perpetual derivatives through Bitfinex Derivatives; and staking or other yield products that are not Shariah-certified. There is no Islamic account and no Shariah screening of listed tokens. The verdict is driven by reliability. Bitfinex published a list of wallet addresses in November 2022 but without liabilities or an auditor, and no regular attested proof of reserves since. Its licences are in El Salvador (CNAD DASP licences for Bitfinex Securities in April 2023, Bitfinex Derivatives in January 2025 and the core spot platform in May 2026); it has no licence in the EU, UK, US, UAE or Singapore. In August 2016 about 119,754 BTC was stolen; Bitfinex cut all balances by 36% and issued BFX tokens, which it bought back at USD 1 face value by April 2017. In January 2025 US prosecutors asked the court to return the roughly 94,000 BTC seized in 2022 to Bitfinex in kind. In February 2021 Bitfinex and Tether paid USD 18.5 million to settle a New York Attorney General probe over the alleged cover-up of an USD 850 million loss of commingled client and corporate funds held with Crypto Capital, without admitting wrongdoing, and in October 2021 the CFTC fined Bitfinex USD 1.5 million for illegal off-exchange retail commodity transactions with US persons. Bitfinex does not serve US persons, restricts EEA customers and reportedly stopped serving UK individuals in 2023; it holds no licence in any Muslim-majority market, and whether it serves individual Muslim-majority countries could not be confirmed from a primary or reputable source.
How to use Bitfinex the halal way
What is allowed and what to avoid on this exchange
- Allowed
Spot
Both sides settle at once
- Allowed
Convert
Instant swap, settles like spot
- Avoid
Staking
Yield products, not Shariah-certified
- Avoid
Savings and Earn
No savings; Funding book is interest-based
- Avoid
Margin
Funding book pays interest (riba)
- Avoid
Futures and options
Bitfinex Derivatives perpetuals
- Avoid
Loans
Borrowing on interest
- Avoid
Structured products
Fixed return, not certified
No dedicated halal product
Bitfinex has no Islamic (swap-free) account and no Shariah-certified earn or staking product as of September 2026. Its Funding section is interest-based margin lending, which is riba; Bitfinex takes 15% of the interest lenders earn.
No token screening
Bitfinex does not screen listed tokens for Shariah compliance. Its listing review is not a Shariah screening, so each coin must be checked on Liberandum before buying.
Step by step
How to trade halal on Bitfinex
Weigh the risks before opening an account
Liberandum does not recommend Bitfinex because of its low reliability score. If you still use it, keep balances small and short-lived.
Open an account and verify
Sign up on bitfinex.com and complete identity verification (ID and selfie). Fiat deposits and higher limits require full verification.
Deposit into the Exchange wallet
Use Deposit to send crypto from your own wallet or fund by bank wire (USD, EUR, GBP; minimum amounts apply). Keep funds in the Exchange wallet, not the Margin or Funding wallets.
Trade on spot only
Place orders from the Exchange wallet on spot pairs, where each trade settles immediately against your balance. Spot trading fees are zero as of September 2026.
Avoid margin, Funding, derivatives and yield
Do not use Margin trading, the Funding (margin lending) book, which pays interest (riba), Bitfinex Derivatives perpetuals, or staking and other yield products. Bitfinex has no Islamic account or Shariah-certified product.
Check each coin on Liberandum first
Bitfinex does not screen listings for Shariah compliance. Check each coin's halal status on Liberandum before buying.
Withdraw to self-custody
Use Withdraw to move coins to a wallet you control as soon as a trade is done, rather than holding them on the exchange.
Availability
Where Bitfinex serves users and under which licence
Your country:Choose your country
- European Union
- United Kingdom
- United States
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- Svalbard & Jan Mayenno data
- Swedenno data
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- Thailandno data
- Timor-Lesteno data
- Togono data
- Tokelauno data
- Tongano data
- Trinidad & Tobagono data
- Tunisiano data
- Türkiyeno data
- Turkmenistanno data
- Turks & Caicos Islandsno data
- Tuvaluno data
- U.S. Outlying Islandsno data
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- Ugandano data
- Ukraineno data
- United Arab Emiratesno data
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- Country not found
Choose your country to see availability
Not available in United Kingdom
- Licence
- No FCA registration; UK individual residents reportedly off-boarded since October 2023 (not confirmed from a primary source)
- KYC
- Not applicable
Not available in United States
- Licence
- No US licence; US citizens and residents are prohibited persons under the Terms of Service
- KYC
- Not applicable
Restricted in European Union
- Licence
- No MiCA licence found; bitfinex.com blocks some pages for EEA customers citing new regulatory requirements, and Bitfinex Securities excludes some EU states
- KYC
- Tiered KYC; full verification (ID + selfie) required for fiat and higher limits
- Local currency
- EUR via bank wire (minimum amounts apply)
- United KingdomUnavailable
No FCA registration; UK individual residents reportedly off-boarded since October 2023 (not confirmed from a primary source)
- United StatesUnavailable
No US licence; US citizens and residents are prohibited persons under the Terms of Service
- European UnionRestricted
No MiCA licence found; bitfinex.com blocks some pages for EEA customers citing new regulatory requirements, and Bitfinex Securities excludes some EU states
Presence by country
No presence data yet
Reliability in detail
Overall 3.3 of 10
Proof of reserves
2.0In November 2022 the CTO published 135 hot and cold wallet addresses (about 204,338 BTC and 1.23 million ETH) on GitHub, but without liabilities and without an auditor. No regular or independently attested proof of reserves was found as of September 2026.
Licences
4.0Licences only in El Salvador from the CNAD: Bitfinex Securities (April 2023), Bitfinex Derivatives (January 2025) and the core spot platform (May 2026). Operator iFinex Inc. is registered in the BVI. No licence in the EU, UK, US, UAE or Singapore.
Incident history
5.0August 2016 theft of about 119,754 BTC: balances cut 36%, BFX tokens bought back at USD 1 face value by April 2017. February 2021 USD 18.5M NYAG settlement over the concealed USD 850M Crypto Capital loss of client and corporate funds (no admission). October 2021 CFTC USD 1.5M fine for illegal off-exchange retail commodity transactions with US persons.
Segregation of funds
2.0No independently confirmed segregation of client assets. The NYAG investigation alleged that client and corporate funds were commingled and moved to cover the Crypto Capital loss; no segregation audit has been published since.
Insurance fund
1.0No disclosed reserve or customer protection fund with addresses or size. The LEO token is a recovery and buyback instrument, not a protection fund.
Security practices
6.0About 99.5% of assets in offline multisig wallets, 2FA and U2F keys, withdrawal whitelisting and monitoring. No SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification or published external security audit found.
Fees
Spot trading, deposits and withdrawals
Spot trading
0% maker · 0% taker
Zero maker and taker fees for all customers on spot, margin, derivatives and OTC since December 17, 2025, with no tier or LEO holding required. Margin funding interest carries a 15% fee.
Deposits
Crypto deposits are free apart from network fees. Bank wire deposits cost 0.1% with a 60 USD/EUR minimum; OpenPayd EUR/GBP transfers up to 10,000 cost 5 EUR/GBP.
Withdrawals
Bank wire withdrawals cost 0.1% with a 100 USD/EUR minimum; express (24h) wire 1% with a 125 minimum; OpenPayd EUR/GBP up to 10,000 cost 5. Crypto withdrawal fees vary by asset and network.
Halal coins you can buy on Bitfinex
Coins with a halal verdict listed on this exchange
No coins with a halal verdict on this exchange yet
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