Bitfinex completes El Salvador licence set across three markets

Bitfinex has secured a Digital Asset Service Provider licence in El Salvador, completing a local regulatory structure covering spot trading, crypto derivatives and tokenized securities. 

The exchange announced the approval on May 12, after the National Commission of Digital Assets registered two Bitfinex-linked operating entities on April 23.

The new approval brings the core Bitfinex trading platform alongside Bitfinex Securities El Salvador and Bitfinex Derivatives El Salvador. Bitfinex said the structure gives the group a regulated presence across its main businesses in the country, although product access will still depend on customer eligibility, location and the platform’s terms.

Core Bitfinex platform joins regulated local entities

El Salvador’s CNAD public registry lists BFXNA El Salvador under registration PSAD-0082 and BFXWW El Salvador under PSAD-0083. Both registrations cover activities that include exchanging digital assets, operating trading platforms, transferring assets, custody, receiving client orders and executing trades in digital asset derivatives.

The registry entries were active before the company’s May public announcement, confirming the approval through CNAD’s database. Bitfinex described the licence as a deeper regulatory base for serving customers across Latin America.

“Holding licences across our spot, derivatives and securities businesses reflects our long-standing commitment to the country and to operating under proper and innovative supervision.” said Bitfinex’s chief technology officer Paolo Ardoino

The licence does not mean every Bitfinex product is available to every customer. The company’s notice states that U.S. persons and other prohibited users cannot open or operate accounts on its main platform. Local rules, onboarding checks and service restrictions also continue to apply.

Securities and derivatives approvals came earlier

Bitfinex Securities became the first platform approved under El Salvador’s Digital Assets Issuance Law. CNAD’s registry lists the securities entity under PSAD-0001, with a registration date of Oct. 24, 2023. The platform supports the issuance and trading of tokenized financial products, including debt, equity and fund-linked instruments.

As previously reported, Bitfinex Securities later launched a regulated tokenized U.S. Treasury product in El Salvador. The offering represented exposure to short-term Treasury bills and traded through the platform’s secondary market. Bitfinex also tested tokenized debt linked to a planned hotel project near the country’s international airport.

Bitfinex Derivatives followed with its own Digital Asset Service Provider approval in January 2025. The licensed entity became the regional base for the group’s derivatives activity. Crypto.news reported at the time that users continuing with the service had to accept revised terms tied to the Salvadoran operation.

El Salvador builds a wider digital asset market

El Salvador adopted its Digital Assets Issuance Law in 2023, creating a framework for token issuance, service providers and regulated trading venues. CNAD oversees the sector and maintains a public registry of approved operators, including exchanges, custodians, issuers and companies offering investment products based on digital assets.

Bitfinex said CNAD had licensed more than 70 digital asset service providers by the time of its May announcement. The registry also includes Binance, Bitget and other international firms. Those approvals cover separate entities and permitted activities, rather than one uniform licence for every crypto service.

The country has also expanded its rules beyond exchanges. El Salvador approved an investment banking framework allowing specialized institutions to offer Bitcoin and other digital asset services. The country has also explored tokenized small-business equity and cross-border regulatory projects.

Bitfinex links licence strategy to tokenized markets

Bitfinex has positioned El Salvador as a base for both trading and tokenized capital markets. Its securities business has worked on products linked to U.S. Treasuries, corporate financing and real-world assets. The group has also partnered with Tether-related infrastructure to study wider distribution and secondary-market liquidity for tokenized investments.

The latest licence gives the core exchange a local authorization alongside those existing businesses. It also allows Bitfinex to present one jurisdiction as covering three distinct lines: spot markets through the main platform, derivatives through its dedicated entity and securities through Bitfinex Securities.

However, the announcement did not provide local customer numbers, trading-volume targets or a timetable for new products. It also did not state whether operations will move from other jurisdictions to El Salvador. The immediate change concerns the regulated status of the core platform and its ability to offer approved services through registered local entities.

Bitfinex’s expansion comes as other crypto companies build operations in El Salvador. Tether announced plans in 2025 to establish its headquarters in the country after securing local approval, while Bitget obtained both Bitcoin and digital asset service licences.

The licence completes Bitfinex’s stated regulatory footprint in El Salvador, but continued operation will depend on CNAD supervision, customer checks and the rules attached to each entity. Future product launches will require separate disclosures and may carry additional eligibility limits.