Crypto Exchange Binance Is Setting Up Shop in Singapore This Month

A Singapore fiat-to-crypto exchange launch, a DEX on the mainnet and token staking are all in the Binance news today.

AccessTimeIconApr 4, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. UTC
Updated Sep 13, 2021 at 9:02 a.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is launching a new fiat-to-crypto exchange in Singapore later this month.

The news was announced Thursday by Binance CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao at the Deconomy event in Seoul, South Korea, in a tweet on the exchange's account that said:

"#Binance Singapore will come online in April. It will be our next Fiat to Crypto exchange servicing $SGD [Singapore dollar]."

No further details were provided, such as which cryptocurrencies will receive trading support.

The plan to set up the new trading platform was first revealed by Zhao in September at CoinDesk’s Consensus event in Singapore. At the time, he said that Binance plans to launch fiat-to-crypto exchanges on almost every continent.

The firm said in a Medium post last October that it was setting up the operation with the help of an investment from Vertex Ventures. It added that beta testing for the platform was already in progress in September.

As pledged, Binance has been rapidly expanding its operations globally. In January, it launched a fiat-to-crypto exchange on the island of Jersey, a British self-governing dependency, allowing users to trade bitcoin and ethereum against the British pound and the euro. It also launched a fiat-to-crypto exchange in Uganda last summer.

DEX launch

In another tweet, Zhao also provided an update on the exchange’s upcoming decentralized exchange, Binance DEX, at the Seoul event, saying that the mainnet launch is expected to take place this month. The platform entered public testing on Feb. 20.

Binance DEX is built on the exchange’s native public blockchain, Binance Chain. A video demo released in December showed that Binance DEX will have a very similar interface to its existing centralized exchange, with some additional features. For example, it includes an option to generate a 24-word mnemonic seed phrase for users’ private keys, a “balances tab” to inform users of the status of their accounts and a “user icon” in the navigation bar that shows individual wallet addresses.

Staking too

Finally, Binance announced Wednesday that its official cryptocurrency wallet, Trust Wallet, will have a staking feature by the end of the second quarter.

Staking is the practice of supporting a proof-of-stake blockchain by holding its cryptocurrency in order to get rewards.

Trust Wallet has also added support for the tezos (XTZ) cryptocurrency, and is preparing to add native support for XTZ staking via tezos' on-chain governance mechanism.

Just last month, Trust Wallet added support for XRP cryptocurrency. It also brought in the option to buy cryptocurrencies with debit and credit cards in partnership with Israel-based payments processor Simplex.

Changpeng Zhao image via CoinDesk archives

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.