Orionx (investment)
2023
Why
Investment in a Chilean crypto exchange to grow in Chile and Latin America.
Impact
Gave Bitfinex a local partner as it rolled out peer-to-peer trading in Latin America.
Outcome
Terms were not disclosed.
Bitfinex
Cryptocurrency ExchangeFounded 2012- HQ today: Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026
Acquisitions
Bitfinex Acquisitions
3
Major Deals Covered
What are Bitfinex's biggest acquisitions?
This page covers 3 major deals from 2022 to 2023, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.
- Major deals covered
- 3
- First deal
- 2022
- Most recent
- 2023
| Company | Year | Price | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orionx (investment) | 2023 | Undisclosed | Investment in a Chilean crypto exchange to grow in Chile and Latin America. |
| Holepunch (co-funded with Tether) | 2022 | Undisclosed | Fund a serverless peer-to-peer application stack. |
| CityPay.io (strategic investment) | 2023 | Undisclosed | Acquired a strategic stake in crypto payment processor CityPay.io to expand merchant crypto payments across Georgia, Armenia, and the CIS region. |
- What companies has Bitfinex bought?
- Major acquisitions by Bitfinex documented here include Orionx (investment) (2023), CityPay.io (strategic investment) (2023) and Holepunch (co-funded with Tether) (2022).
- What is Bitfinex's most recent acquisition?
- The most recent Bitfinex acquisition documented here is Orionx (investment), in 2023.
CityPay.io (strategic investment)
2023
Why
Acquired a strategic stake in crypto payment processor CityPay.io to expand merchant crypto payments across Georgia, Armenia, and the CIS region.
Impact
Integrated Tether and Bitcoin payments across hundreds of physical retail locations.
Outcome
Enabled expansion into Caucasian regional merchant payment rails.
Holepunch (co-funded with Tether)
2022
Why
Fund a serverless peer-to-peer application stack.
Impact
Holepunch released its code as open source in December 2022 and runs the Keet chat and video app.
Outcome
Ardoino promotes it as the group's main non-financial technology project.
Bitfinex's Growth & Acquisition Strategy
Bitfinex is growing through licences in friendly jurisdictions and through price. It moved its derivatives arm from the Seychelles to El Salvador in January 2025, added a licence for the main exchange in May 2026, and uses Bitfinex Securities to list tokenised bonds and equities. In Latin America it invested in Chilean exchange Orionx in 2023 and launched peer-to-peer trading in Venezuela, Argentina and Colombia. Zero trading fees, introduced in December 2025, are meant to win new customers who then use margin funding and other paid services.
How Bitfinex Makes Money
Bitfinex earns money from the services around trading rather than from trades themselves. On 17 December 2025 it set maker and taker fees to zero on spot, margin, perpetual derivatives, Bitfinex Securities and OTC trading. What stayed in place is the peer-to-peer margin funding market, where users lend USD, USDT, BTC and other assets to leveraged traders and Bitfinex keeps 15% of the interest lenders earn, along with derivatives funding, deposit and withdrawal fees and issuance work on Bitfinex Securities. Paolo Ardoino said the exchange could absorb the change because it had been profitable for many years. Its parent, iFinex, is also bound by the UNUS SED LEO white paper to buy back and burn LEO tokens equal to at least 27% of its consolidated gross revenues.
Bitfinex Acquisitions FAQ
Has Bitfinex acquired any companies?
No major acquisitions are on record. Its disclosed deals are investments and projects co-funded with Tether.
What is Bitfinex's investment in Orionx?
In May 2023 Bitfinex said it would invest in Chilean exchange Orionx to expand in Chile and Latin America. Terms were not disclosed.
What is Holepunch?
A peer-to-peer app platform funded by Tether and Bitfinex. It made its code open source in December 2022 and powers the Keet messaging app.
Did Bitfinex buy Tether?
No. Tether is a sister company under common ownership and management, not an acquisition.
Are Bitfinex and Tether the same company?
While technically separate, both Bitfinex and Tether are owned by the exact same parent company (iFinex Inc.) and share the exact same executive leadership team, leading to massive ongoing regulatory scrutiny.
Related M&A Histories
Compare corporate acquisition records, deal values, and strategic targets
Explore Bitfinex
Core profile pages, founders and related research hubs for this company.