Free introductions · Independent guides for token teams

Find a vetted market maker for your CEX listing

CEX Ready explains crypto market making, exchange listing preparation, and liquidity in plain language, and introduces token projects to vetted market makers and the other specialists a listing needs. Introductions are free for projects; partners may pay us a referral fee, and we say so.

Get matched with a market maker Audits, legal, KOLs & more

Free for projects
Referral fees disclosed
We never sell listings
We never ask for keys or payments

Planning a CEX listing?

Exchanges decide what they list, and the biggest ones reject paid "listing agents". What you control is readiness and liquidity. We introduce token projects, for free, to vetted market-making partners that offer:

Market making retainers with KPIs, reporting, and 24/7 monitoring
LP-side liquidity: the partner deploys its own capital alongside yours
Profit- and revenue-share models, from active trading to delta-neutral
Token loan structures for teams with more tokens than cash
Trading competitions for new listings and perp DEX markets

Request a listing readiness call

What you get

A readiness checkDocuments, supply data, and the liquidity plan exchange listing teams ask about.
A market maker before trading opensTwo-sided quotes and depth from the first minute on every venue.
A structure that fits your treasuryRetainer, LP-side, profit share, or token loan, compared like for like.
No listing promisesYou apply to exchanges yourself, through their official forms.

How it works

Tell us what you needProject name, one contact method, and the service. About 30 seconds.
Fit checkWe confirm the project is real and a vetted partner covers it. If not, we say so.
IntroductionThe partner contacts you on Telegram or email for a short call.
You decideCompare proposals with our checklists and calculators. No obligation.

Get matched, free How it works and how we vet partners →

Need something other than market making?

Projects preparing a listing usually need several specialists. Tick any of these in one request and we introduce you where a vetted partner covers it.

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.

CEX listing preparation

What exchanges review, the documents to prepare, why you must apply directly, and how to avoid paid 'listing agents'.

Market maker introductions

Tell us your venues, timing, and treasury; get introduced to a vetted market-making partner. Free for projects, referral fee disclosed.

DEX liquidity

Setting up and managing on-chain liquidity pools: pool types, concentrated ranges, LP locks, and how DEX and CEX liquidity interact.

Market maker second opinion

Wide spreads, thin depth, or a contract ending? A self-check of your market maker against its KPIs, and how to get a second opinion.

Market making retainer

A monthly fee for continuous two-sided quoting with KPIs, reporting, and 24/7 monitoring. What is included and what to negotiate.

Liquidity provision (LP side)

When a market maker deploys its own capital alongside the project's, instead of relying only on your inventory or forced liquidations.

Smart contract audits

Why exchanges and investors expect an independent audit, what scope to buy, and how to read an audit report.

Profit-sharing models

Retainer, profit share, revenue share, and delta-neutral execution compared: who earns what, who carries the risk, and what to negotiate.

Tokenomics design

Supply, allocation, vesting, and unlock schedules that exchanges can review and order books can absorb.

Legal and token structuring

Entity setup, token legal opinions, MiCA white papers, and KYC/KYB for exchange onboarding.

Token loan model

The project lends tokens, the market maker quotes with them and is paid via call options. How it works, terms to negotiate, and risks.

KOL, marketing and PR

Influencer campaigns, crypto media, and launch communications, with the disclosure and compliance basics.

Trading competitions

How trading competitions bring first traders to a new listing or perp DEX market, how to design rules that resist wash trading, and what to measure.

Community management

Moderation, support, and communications for Telegram, Discord and X, especially around listings and unlocks.

CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap listing

The official request forms, eligibility rules, verification, and why you should never pay a 'listing agent'.

Fundraising and launchpads

Private rounds, exchange launchpads, and public sales: how they connect to listing and liquidity.

Custody and wallet security

Multisigs, qualified custodians, admin-key hygiene, and moving market-maker inventory safely.

Crypto 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.

Listing requirements compared

Fourteen exchanges' official listing processes side by side: where to apply, who applies, fees, documents, timelines, and agent policies.

Binance

Direct application by the founder, staged Alpha → Futures → Spot path, no fees, and zero tolerance for intermediaries.

Coinbase

Free, merit-based applications; legal, compliance and security reviews; and a phased launch with an opening auction.

OKX

The official application, OKX's dos and don'ts, and the MiCA white-paper rule for EEA listings.

Bybit

Bybit's official listing form, Spot X launch programs, and what to verify before paying anyone.

Kraken

One application per token, no fees or paid fast-track, a public listings roadmap, and ongoing spread and depth monitoring.

Bitget

A four-step process, no application, evaluation, or brokerage fees, no external agencies, and post-listing monitoring.

KuCoin

AssetsHub is the only channel; legal opinion, audits, KYC for three core members, and a 1–2 week preliminary review.

Gate

Apply on gate.com/listing, verify any BD contact through Gate's official verification page, and treat payment requests with caution.

MEXC

The official application, what MEXC's published listing terms require, and how to verify MEXC staff.

HTX

Two application routes (initial and direct listing), listing terms, and the official listing email.

Crypto.com

One application for the Exchange and App, legal and security reviews first, a Token Admission and Review Committee, and contact only if shortlisted.

BingX

Listing FastTrack portal, a stated 7–14 day review, no brokerage, application or evaluation fees, but fees tied to the review outcome and cooperation level.

LBank

LBank's four published steps, its 48-hour evaluation statement, and what to settle in the business negotiation.

XT.com

XT.com's three-step process, its paid listing plans, the 7-day go-live claim, and its official verification channel.

Head-to-head: Binance vs Coinbase · OKX vs Binance · Bybit vs OKX · Kraken vs Coinbase · Bitget vs MEXC · all comparisons → · build a checklist for your exchanges

Free tools

Calculators and checklists that run in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us. Use them to compare market-making offers, size your liquidity, and check listing readiness. Also see real deal terms from public DAO proposals.

Market making cost calculator

Compare the total cost of a retainer, a token loan with call options, and a profit-share deal under three price scenarios.

Liquidity and spread calculator

Estimate the stablecoins and tokens a market maker needs for your depth targets, and compute spread % and the ±2% band from a bid and ask.

Listing readiness score

Tick what you have ready and get a weighted readiness score, with your gaps ranked and linked to the guide that fixes each one.

Exchange listing checklist

Tick your target exchanges and get one table of how to apply, stated fees, published timing, and the documents to prepare once for all of them.

Guides teams read before signing anything

Explainers, checklists, and comparisons written to be useful whether or not you ever ask us for an introduction.

How to get listed on a CEX

The official route to a CEX listing, step by step: readiness, choosing exchanges, applying directly, liquidity, and launch.

What is crypto market making?

Bids, asks, spread, depth, inventory, and how market makers earn, explained without sales language.

How to choose a market maker

Identity, strategy, KPIs, loan terms, custody, reporting, and references: a step-by-step evaluation.

Public market-maker deal terms

Loan sizes, terms, strikes, and KPIs from five market-making proposals published on DAO governance forums, with links to each original.

Token launch checklist

A phase-by-phase token launch checklist: legal and tokenomics, contracts and audits, liquidity and market making, exchanges, communications, and post-launch.

Best crypto market makers 2026

Why most 'best market maker' lists are paid, the types of market makers, and a scorecard to find the best one for your token.

CEX listing fees

What Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, Bitget, MEXC and others officially say about listing fees, and where the real costs of a listing are.

Market maker red flags

Volume promises, price targets, personal wallets, no contract, unverifiable reports, and other warning signs.

Crypto listing agencies and agents

What a CEX listing agency legitimately does, which exchanges refuse agents, the warning signs, and 10 questions to ask before you pay one.

How to find a market maker

Where token teams actually find market makers, what to send in the first message, how long it takes, and how to avoid impersonators.

Market maker KPIs

How to define and verify spread, depth at ±2%, uptime, and volume share in a market-making contract.

Tier 1 vs tier 2 exchanges

What people mean by tier 1 and tier 2 exchanges, how the listing bar differs, and how to sequence listings for a new token.

Do you need a market maker to list?

No major exchange we reviewed makes a market maker a written requirement, but several review or monitor liquidity, depth, and spread. What that means in practice.

Market maker for a token launch

What a market maker does at TGE, when to sign, how to structure the deal for a new token, and the launch-week plan.

Retainer vs loan and option model

How the two main market-making deal structures work, who carries which risk, and when a hybrid makes sense.

CEX listing timeline

What Coinbase, Kraken, KuCoin and others publish about listing timelines, and a realistic plan from application to first trade.

Token loan terms explained

Loan size, term, strikes, tranches, exercise, return, custody, and the clauses that protect the project.

What drives market-making cost

The variables that set the price of a market-making engagement, and why any single number is misleading.

What exchanges look for

The listing criteria Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, OKX, KuCoin and others publish, grouped into six themes, with how to show each.

Market maker cost for small tokens

Published retainer and token-loan ranges turned into dollar figures at $5M, $20M, $50M and $100M FDV, and what they mean for your float.

Market making vs wash trading

Real liquidity versus fake volume, the 2024 U.S. enforcement cases, EU rules, and how exchanges respond.

Pre-listing checklist

A step-by-step checklist from contract and documents to liquidity, communications, and listing day.

Compare market maker proposals

Normalize two or three market-making proposals to the same scope, compare total cost under three price paths, and score the terms that matter.

Listing day playbook

What happens from deposit window to opening auction to the first three days, and who does what.

Liquidity around a CEX listing

What exchanges watch in a newly listed book, why volume is a weak signal, and what to prepare.

CEX vs DEX liquidity

Order books versus AMM pools, who provides liquidity in each, and how prices stay linked.

Is my market maker dumping?

Normal market-maker selling vs real problems: what to check in reports and on-chain, which contract terms matter, and how to respond.

Perp DEX listings (Hyperliquid)

How spot tokens and builder-deployed perpetual markets get onto Hyperliquid, per its own docs, and what that means for liquidity.

Delta-neutral market making

What delta-neutral execution means, how a market maker hedges inventory, the costs of hedging, and why it matters in profit-share deals.

Listing scams and fake agents

What Binance, Bitget, Kraken, Gate, KuCoin, OKX and CoinMarketCap say about agents, fees, and impersonators.

Binance Alpha listing

TGE vs circulating routes, the six chains named for direct featuring, what Binance evaluates, and why liquidity depth matters on Alpha.

Market maker vs liquidity provider

Market makers, liquidity providers, AMM LPs, and market-making bots compared: who does what, and which a token project actually needs.

MiCA 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.

How to choose a liquidity provider

Ten practical checks for choosing a liquidity provider or LP-side market maker: capital commitment, venues, transparency, incentives, and exit terms.

Questions to ask a market maker

A ready-to-send question list covering identity, venues, strategy, KPIs, inventory, loans, reporting, and exit.

How much liquidity for a listing

A practical way to size tokens and stablecoins for a CEX listing from depth targets, venues, and expected order sizes, without made-up rules of thumb.

Market making for small caps

What realistic market making looks like for small or new tokens: scope, inventory, venues, and expectations.

Bot vs professional market maker

Running your own market-making bot vs hiring a professional firm: costs, risks, exchange rules, and when each makes sense.

Token unlocks and liquidity

How vesting cliffs, unlocks, airdrops, and treasury sales hit the order book, and how to prepare.

Delisting risk

Common reasons exchanges and data sites delist tokens, from low liquidity to misconduct, and how to stay listed.

Market making agreement checklist

The clauses that matter in a crypto market-making contract: scope, KPIs, inventory, options, reporting, prohibitions, termination.

Spread and depth explained

What spread and depth mean, how to calculate depth at ±2%, why exchanges and market makers use them, and how to read an order book.

Choosing a smart contract auditor

Scope, reviewer experience, re-audits, report quality, and timing: a checklist for picking an auditor exchanges and investors will take seriously.

Choosing a launchpad

Audience, allocation rules, fees in tokens and cash, vesting, KYC, and what happens to liquidity after the sale: how to compare launchpads.

By 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.

Solana

SPL and Token-2022 tokens, Raydium, Orca and Meteora pools, Jupiter routing, and mint/freeze authority checks.

BNB Chain

BEP-20 tokens, PancakeSwap pools, low fees, and how BNB Chain relates to Binance's listing preferences.

Base

ERC-20 tokens on Coinbase's Ethereum L2, Aerodrome and Uniswap liquidity, and the Coinbase listing path.

TON

Jetton tokens, STON.fi and DeDust pools, Telegram-native users, and non-EVM integration considerations.

Arbitrum

ERC-20 tokens on Arbitrum One, Uniswap and Camelot liquidity, bridging, and exchange deposit support.

Sui

Coin and Currency standards, TreasuryCap and DenyCap controls, DeepBook's on-chain order book, and what to disclose before a CEX listing.

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.

Who can help me find a crypto market maker for a CEX listing?

CEX Ready introduces token projects to vetted market-making partners for free: tell us your venues and timing. Partners may pay us a disclosed referral fee. You can also compare firms yourself with our A–Z directory and how to choose a market maker.

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.

All questions and answers →

Get matched with a market maker

Tell us about the token and how you want to be contacted. If there is a fit, a vetted market-making partner follows up for a short call. Need something else? Request any other introduction.

Step 1 of 2 · About 30 seconds

Project name (required)

Listing timeline

Market-maker status

How should the partner reach you? (Telegram or email, one is enough)

Telegram handle

Next: optional details (skip if you like)

Optional. These are the details a market maker asks on the first call.

What are you interested in? (tick all that apply)

Token ticker

Chain(s)

Project website

Where does the token trade today?

Current venues (if any)

Target exchange tier

Target exchanges

Rough budget

Your role

How did you find us?

Notes

Free for projects; CEX Ready may be paid a referral fee by a partner. No obligation. We do not submit exchange applications, negotiate with exchanges, or promise a listing. We never ask for tokens, payments, seed phrases, or private keys. How we handle form data.