Bitfinex secures third El Salvador licence, now covers spot, derivatives and securities

Bitfinex has completed its regulatory footprint in El Salvador, adding a core Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP) licence that now covers spot trading alongside its existing derivatives and tokenized-securities approvals.

The latest approval significantly strengthens Bitfinex El Salvador, placing the exchange among the most comprehensively licensed crypto operators in one of the world’s most crypto-friendly jurisdictions.

Bitfinex El Salvador announced the regulatory approval after El Salvador’s National Commission of Digital Assets (CNAD) officially registered two Bitfinex-linked entities on April 23, paving the way for the company’s public announcement. The development reinforces El Salvador’s ambition to become Latin America’s premier destination for digital asset innovation while giving Bitfinex an expanded regulatory foundation for future growth.

Bitfinex El Salvador completes strategic regulatory expansion

The newly issued licence brings the core Bitfinex exchange under the same regulatory umbrella as Bitfinex Securities El Salvador and Bitfinex Derivatives El Salvador, creating a unified structure across the company’s three primary business lines.

According to CNAD’s public registry, BFXNA El Salvador is registered under PSAD-0082, while BFXWW El Salvador holds registration PSAD-0083. These licences authorize a wide range of regulated activities, including digital asset exchange services, custody solutions, trading platform operations, execution of customer orders, digital asset transfers, and crypto derivatives trading.

The approvals establish Bitfinex El Salvador as one of the country’s most broadly regulated crypto businesses, although customer access will continue to depend on eligibility requirements, jurisdictional restrictions, onboarding procedures, and applicable compliance rules.

Bitfinex El Salvador reinforces long-term commitment

Paolo Ardoino, Chief Technology Officer of Bitfinex, described the regulatory achievement as another step in the company’s long-term strategy within El Salvador.

“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,” Ardoino said.

The statement highlights Bitfinex’s confidence in El Salvador’s evolving regulatory environment, which has increasingly attracted major global crypto companies seeking legal certainty for digital asset operations.

Despite the expanded regulatory status, Bitfinex El Salvador emphasized that the approval does not automatically make every product available to every user. U.S. persons and other restricted customers remain prohibited from accessing certain services, while local regulations and platform-specific terms continue to govern customer eligibility.

Bitfinex El Salvador builds on earlier securities and derivatives success

The latest approval follows several important regulatory milestones for the exchange.

In October 2023, Bitfinex Securities El Salvador became the first licensed platform under the country’s Digital Assets Issuance Law. The platform has since enabled regulated issuance and secondary trading of tokenized financial products, including corporate debt, equity offerings, investment funds, and real-world asset-backed securities.

One of its highest-profile launches involved a regulated tokenized U.S. Treasury product, giving investors exposure to short-term Treasury bills through blockchain infrastructure. Bitfinex also explored tokenized financing linked to a proposed hotel development near El Salvador’s international airport, demonstrating the country’s growing interest in real-world asset tokenization.

Meanwhile, Bitfinex Derivatives El Salvador received its own Digital Asset Service Provider licence in January 2025, establishing a regional headquarters for the company’s derivatives business and requiring users to migrate under revised Salvadoran operating terms.

Bitfinex El Salvador benefits from growing crypto-friendly regulation

El Salvador has continued strengthening its reputation as a global digital asset hub since introducing the Digital Assets Issuance Law in 2023.

The legislation created a dedicated legal framework governing token issuance, digital asset service providers, custodians, exchanges, and regulated trading platforms. Oversight is handled by the National Commission of Digital Assets (CNAD), which maintains a transparent public registry of licensed operators.

According to Bitfinex, CNAD has now licensed more than 70 digital asset service providers, including major international companies such as Binance and Bitget.

Each approval applies to specific legal entities and authorized business activities rather than granting blanket permission across all crypto services.

The Salvadoran government has also expanded beyond exchange regulation by introducing an investment banking framework that allows specialized financial institutions to provide Bitcoin and digital asset services while exploring tokenized equity markets and cross-border blockchain initiatives.

Bitfinex El Salvador positions for future tokenized markets

The expanded regulatory structure strengthens Bitfinex El Salvador’s broader strategy of building tokenized capital markets in Latin America.

The exchange has increasingly focused on tokenized securities, real-world assets, and blockchain-based investment products while collaborating with infrastructure partners connected to Tether to improve liquidity and secondary-market distribution.

Although the company did not disclose customer growth targets, trading volumes, or timelines for additional product launches, the latest approval gives Bitfinex El Salvador one of the region’s most complete regulatory foundations covering spot trading, derivatives, and securities within a single jurisdiction.

As more international crypto firms establish operations in El Salvador, the country’s regulatory clarity continues attracting major industry participants seeking stable operating environments.

Bitfinex’s latest licence further strengthens that momentum while demonstrating how comprehensive oversight can coexist with innovation in digital finance.

For Bitfinex El Salvador, the completed licensing framework represents more than regulatory compliance—it marks another significant step toward positioning El Salvador as a leading global centre for regulated cryptocurrency trading, tokenized finance, and blockchain-powered capital markets.