Independent guides for token teams
Get your token ready for centralized exchanges
CEX Ready explains crypto market making, exchange listing preparation, and liquidity in plain language. When it helps, we introduce token projects to a vetted market-making partner and to other specialists they need. Introductions are free for projects; we may be paid by partners, and we say so.
What a token project needs before and after a CEX listing
Exchanges expect a market that can actually be traded: two-sided quotes, enough depth that ordinary orders do not move the price sharply, and a team that can answer questions about supply, contracts, and compliance. These are the services most projects end up buying, starting with the one that matters most on listing day.
Crypto market making
The flagship service: two-sided quotes, tighter spreads, and real depth on CEX pairs. Models, KPIs, costs, and red flags.
Read moreCEX listing preparation
What exchanges review, the documents to prepare, why you must apply directly, and how to avoid paid 'listing agents'.
Read moreDEX liquidity
Setting up and managing on-chain liquidity pools: pool types, concentrated ranges, LP locks, and how DEX and CEX liquidity interact.
Read moreSmart contract audits
Why exchanges and investors expect an independent audit, what scope to buy, and how to read an audit report.
Read moreTokenomics design
Supply, allocation, vesting, and unlock schedules that exchanges can review and order books can absorb.
Read moreLegal and token structuring
Entity setup, token legal opinions, MiCA white papers, and KYC/KYB for exchange onboarding.
Read moreKOL, marketing and PR
Influencer campaigns, crypto media, and launch communications, with the disclosure and compliance basics.
Read moreCommunity management
Moderation, support, and communications for Telegram, Discord and X, especially around listings and unlocks.
Read moreCoinGecko and CoinMarketCap listing
The official request forms, eligibility rules, verification, and why you should never pay a 'listing agent'.
Read moreFundraising and launchpads
Private rounds, exchange launchpads, and public sales: how they connect to listing and liquidity.
Read moreCustody and wallet security
Multisigs, qualified custodians, admin-key hygiene, and moving market-maker inventory safely.
Read moreCrypto market making, in one paragraph
A crypto market maker continuously places buy and sell orders on a token's trading pairs so that there is liquidity to trade against. Good market making narrows the bid-ask spread, adds depth at several price levels, and keeps quotes up when volatility rises. It is usually paid through a monthly retainer, a token loan with call options, or both. It cannot guarantee a price, and it is not the same as buying volume, which is market manipulation.
How to choose a market maker · KPIs to put in the contract · Red flags
- A two-sided market at openSomeone is quoting both sides from the first minute the pair is live.
- Depth, not only a tight top of bookSize at ±2% and beyond, so normal orders do not swing the price.
- Inventory and accounts arranged earlyExchange accounts, token loan, and stablecoin balances in place before announcement day.
- Clear supply and unlocksCirculating supply, vesting, and treasury wallets documented and disclosed.
- Written terms and reportingKPIs, loan terms, custody, and termination in a contract, with regular reports.
Exchange listing guides
What each major exchange publicly says about its listing process, where the official application lives, and what that means for your liquidity plan. Facts are taken from the exchanges' own pages and linked.
Binance
Direct application by the founder, staged Alpha → Futures → Spot path, no fees, and zero tolerance for intermediaries.
Read moreCoinbase
Free, merit-based applications; legal, compliance and security reviews; and a phased launch with an opening auction.
Read moreOKX
The official application, OKX's dos and don'ts, and the MiCA white-paper rule for EEA listings.
Read moreBybit
Bybit's official listing form, Spot X launch programs, and what to verify before paying anyone.
Read moreKraken
One application per token, no fees or paid fast-track, a public listings roadmap, and ongoing spread and depth monitoring.
Read moreBitget
A four-step process, no application, evaluation, or brokerage fees, no external agencies, and post-listing monitoring.
Read moreKuCoin
AssetsHub is the only channel; legal opinion, audits, KYC for three core members, and a 1–2 week preliminary review.
Read moreGate
Apply on gate.com/listing, verify any BD contact through Gate's official verification page, and treat payment requests with caution.
Read moreMEXC
The official application, what MEXC's published listing terms require, and how to verify MEXC staff.
Read moreHTX
Two application routes (initial and direct listing), listing terms, and the official listing email.
Read moreGuides teams read before signing anything
Explainers, checklists, and comparisons written to be useful whether or not you ever ask us for an introduction.
What is crypto market making?
Bids, asks, spread, depth, inventory, and how market makers earn, explained without sales language.
Read moreHow to choose a market maker
Identity, strategy, KPIs, loan terms, custody, reporting, and references: a step-by-step evaluation.
Read moreMarket maker red flags
Volume promises, price targets, personal wallets, no contract, unverifiable reports, and other warning signs.
Read moreMarket maker KPIs
How to define and verify spread, depth at ±2%, uptime, and volume share in a market-making contract.
Read moreRetainer vs loan and option model
How the two main market-making deal structures work, who carries which risk, and when a hybrid makes sense.
Read moreToken loan terms explained
Loan size, term, strikes, tranches, exercise, return, custody, and the clauses that protect the project.
Read moreWhat drives market-making cost
The variables that set the price of a market-making engagement, and why any single number is misleading.
Read moreMarket making vs wash trading
Real liquidity versus fake volume, the 2024 U.S. enforcement cases, EU rules, and how exchanges respond.
Read morePre-listing checklist
A step-by-step checklist from contract and documents to liquidity, communications, and listing day.
Read moreListing day playbook
What happens from deposit window to opening auction to the first three days, and who does what.
Read moreLiquidity around a CEX listing
What exchanges watch in a newly listed book, why volume is a weak signal, and what to prepare.
Read moreCEX vs DEX liquidity
Order books versus AMM pools, who provides liquidity in each, and how prices stay linked.
Read moreListing scams and fake agents
What Binance, Bitget, Kraken, Gate, KuCoin, OKX and CoinMarketCap say about agents, fees, and impersonators.
Read moreMiCA white papers for listings
Why EU listings need a MiCA white paper, OKX's 20-business-day rule, templates, ESG data, and machine-readable format.
Read moreQuestions to ask a market maker
A ready-to-send question list covering identity, venues, strategy, KPIs, inventory, loans, reporting, and exit.
Read moreMarket making for small caps
What realistic market making looks like for small or new tokens: scope, inventory, venues, and expectations.
Read moreToken unlocks and liquidity
How vesting cliffs, unlocks, airdrops, and treasury sales hit the order book, and how to prepare.
Read moreDelisting risk
Common reasons exchanges and data sites delist tokens, from low liquidity to misconduct, and how to stay listed.
Read moreBy chain
Liquidity and listing considerations that differ by network: token standards, main DEX venues, and exchange deposit support.
Ethereum
ERC-20 tokens, Uniswap pools, gas costs, and why Ethereum remains the default for CEX integration.
Read moreSolana
SPL and Token-2022 tokens, Raydium, Orca and Meteora pools, Jupiter routing, and mint/freeze authority checks.
Read moreBNB Chain
BEP-20 tokens, PancakeSwap pools, low fees, and how BNB Chain relates to Binance's listing preferences.
Read moreBase
ERC-20 tokens on Coinbase's Ethereum L2, Aerodrome and Uniswap liquidity, and the Coinbase listing path.
Read moreTON
Jetton tokens, STON.fi and DeDust pools, Telegram-native users, and non-EVM integration considerations.
Read moreArbitrum
ERC-20 tokens on Arbitrum One, Uniswap and Camelot liquidity, bridging, and exchange deposit support.
Read moreFrequently asked questions
What does a crypto market maker do?
A market maker posts two-sided quotes (a bid and an ask) on a trading pair so that other traders usually have someone to trade against. The goal is a tighter spread and more depth near the current price. A market maker does not guarantee a price, a market cap, or a volume number. Read the full explanation.
How much does crypto market making cost?
There is no single market price. Cost depends on the number of exchanges and pairs, the inventory involved, the depth and spread targets, reporting, and whether the deal is a monthly retainer, a token loan with call options, or a mix. Compare proposals on the full scope, not on a headline fee. See what drives market-making cost.
Do I need a market maker to list on a centralized exchange?
It depends on the exchange and listing tier. Many venues watch spread, depth, and orderly trading after listing, and some ask about your liquidity plan. Treat each exchange’s own guidance as the source of truth. Our exchange guides link to each venue’s official listing page.
Can CEX Ready get my token listed on Binance or another exchange?
No. No one can legitimately guarantee or buy a listing. Binance, Bitget, Kraken, Coinbase and others state that listing applications are free and must come directly from the project team, and some disqualify applications submitted through intermediaries. We help you prepare and introduce you to service providers such as market makers; you apply to exchanges yourself.
Is CEX Ready paid for introductions?
Yes, we may be compensated by a partner when an introduction leads to an engagement. Introductions are free for projects. This is disclosed on every page and next to the form. See how we work.
What is the difference between market making and wash trading?
Market making provides real two-sided liquidity that other participants can trade against. Wash trading is trading with yourself to fake volume. Wash trading is prohibited by exchanges and has led to criminal and civil charges, including the U.S. DOJ and SEC cases against several so-called market makers in October 2024. See market making vs wash trading.
Request an introduction
Tell us about the project and tick the services you need. If there is a fit, we connect you with the relevant partner on Telegram. Use this only for a genuine project conversation.
Thank you
Your request has been received. If the project looks like a fit, the relevant partner will follow up on Telegram. If you do not hear back, you can write again with more detail on venues, timing, and inventory.