Bitfinex Introduces Trading for 12 Altcoins Including Tether Competitor

Bitfinex has announced the introduction of 12 new ERC-20 tokens. Among the tokens listed is Dai – a stablecoin competitor to Tether. Among the newly supported altcoins are Aion (AION), Iostoken (IOST), Request Network (REQ) and Raiden Network (RDN).

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Bitfinex Announces Trading Pairs for 12 New Altcoins

On April 7th, Bitfinex announced via Medium the introduction of 12 new altcoins on its trading platform. All of the new tokens are ERC-20 tokens (the technical standard for smart contracts hosted on the Ethereum blockchain).

The newly supported altcoins are Aion (AION), Iostoken (IOST), Request Network (REQ), Raiden Network (RDN), Loopring (LRC) Bnktothefuture Token (BFT), Cofound.it (CFI), Wax (WAX), Singularitynet (AGI), Medicalchain (MTN), Odem (ODEM), and Dai (DAI).

BTC, ETH, and USD trading pairs for the newly supported altcoins went live at 4PM UTC on April 7th. Bitfinex’s announcement stated that “The newly introduced token listings have a combined market capitalization of $1.1B+ USD.” Margin trading and lending markets for the new tokens “will be enabled gradually, as sufficient liquidity develops.”

Notable Listings Include Dai and Bnktothefuture

The newly listed ERC-20 tokens include Dai, “a digital, decentralized stablecoin built on Ethereum.” The listing of Dai is significant, as the project appears to be in direct competition with major stablecoin, Tether – which shares the same directors as Bitfinex. The exchange stated that “Dai will initially be made available against BTC, ETH, and USD whilst we explore the possibility adding additional DAI pairs.”

The listing of Bnktothefuture Token is also notable, as Bnktothefuture appears to own shares in Bitfinex. Bnktothefuture was also involved in the controversial conversion of BFX tokens into equity in Bitfinex following the devastating hack suffered by the exchange in 2016. On August 22nd, 2016, Bitifinex “formally signed a letter of intent with Bnktothefuture […] to provide solutions towards compensating customers with equity in Bitfinex.”

The Chief Executive Officer of Bitfinex, Jean-Louis van der Velde, stated “The introduction of such a large selection of tokens, representing a diverse array of blockchain-based projects, marks an exciting development for Bitfinex. We are proud to introduce these as we believe that each token serves to strengthen and enliven a unique aspect of the global blockchain ecosystem, and will offer new and exciting trading options for our users.”

Mr. Velde added “We are excited to be going the extra distance to accommodate the needs and expectations of our traders. Looking forward, we will continue to expand our service offerings to best address their needs, and to maintain an advanced and supportive trading platform for the growing digital asset community.”

Do you think that Bitfinex’s decision to list Dai is significant? What do you think the listing of Dai on Bitfinex may indicate for Tether’s future? Share your thoughts in the comments in the section below!

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