This Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024, brought quite a surprising announcement from the well-known platform Binance. The exchange issued a notice about the removal of spot trading pairs scheduled for this Friday. The announcement emphasized that “the removal of a spot trading pair does not affect the availability of tokens on Binance spot”, which means that customers can still invest in cryptocurrencies as part of other spot trading pairs.

Several popular and growing cryptocurrencies are part of the trading pairs that will no longer be available to Binance customers. These include ETH/AEUR, AI/TUSD, CHR/BNB, LQTY/FDUSD, BTC/AEUR, and GAS/FDUSD. Whether a long-time customer or a new client of Binance and an investor in cryptocurrencies or NFTs, understanding what this announcement means and its potential consequences for the broader cryptocurrency landscape can be useful.

Therefore, below, we explain the definition of spot trading pairs, contextualize Binance’s decision, and analyze the impact of the removal on the current market.

What are Spot Trading Pairs?

Spot trading pairs are digital assets that allow customers to buy and sell a pair of currencies at the spot price or current market rate. Investors in cryptocurrencies often use spot trading pairs to simplify the process of acquiring these digital assets and selling them for profit.

What is Behind Binance’s Decision?

Although Binance’s announcement does not specify why the 5 trading pairs were chosen to be removed, the company mentioned that the decision was made with the intention to protect its customers and maintain a “high-quality trading market.” Based on the results of the market analysis found in the “periodic reviews of all listed spot trading pairs” offered by the platform, “multiple factors such as low liquidity and trading volume” emerged to justify this course of action. Some have questioned whether the recent updates in regulatory measures established by MICA might also be a motivating factor. It is important to remember that the platform still maintains many product options for investors interested in spot trading pairs. Examples of pairs include cryptocurrencies like Tether, Ripple, and Litecoin.

Consequences

Most of the cryptocurrencies in the excluded spot trading pairs have faced difficulties this week. The price of Bitcoin, for instance, dropped 3% in the last 24 hours, while Ethereum and BNB prices plummeted 3.6% and 4%, respectively, in the same time span. This indicates that Binance’s announcement may have had a negative impact on their value. Investors who remain interested in the spot trading pairs removed by Binance may benefit from the options available on the Kraken platform. Renowned and trustworthy, Kraken offers pairs with a wide range of cryptos, including Apecoin, Avalanche, Cardano, and Cosmos.

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