Hidden Road, a prime brokerage backed by the American market maker Citadel Securities, is enhancing institutional exposure to digital assets through a partnership with Bitfinex.

On June 13, Bitfinex announced an integration with Hidden Road, which will provide the brokerage’s institutional offering with new digital assets and security tools.

With the partnership, Bitfinex will support Hidden Road in introducing or scaling services such as derivatives trading, spot trading, peer-to-peer financing, over-the-counter (OTC) trading, margin trading and others.

Hidden Road’s new partner is operated by the owner of Tether

Bitfinex is a cryptocurrency exchange owned and operated by iFinex, which also owns Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin, the eponymous Tether (USDT). The companies share a chief technology officer, Paolo Ardoino.

“We at Bitfinex are proud to offer customers cutting-edge trading features, deep liquidity, and a wide range of trading pairs, all supported by a robust infrastructure fortified with stringent security measures,” Bitfinex’s head of business development, Bill Brindise, said.

“I am certain that Hidden Road’s customers will enjoy exploring the different products we provide to help institutional and professional investors gain exposure to digital assets,” he added.

Hidden Road stopped working with Bybit over KYC issues in May

The new collaboration comes a few weeks after Hidden Road halted crypto services facilitated by the Bybit crypto exchange in late May. According to online reports, the restriction was triggered by conflicts in Know Your Customer (KYC) verification procedures and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) processes on Hidden Road and Bybit.

Headquartered in Dubai, Bybit exchange is known in the cryptocurrency community for its relatively light KYC policies. In early May, Bybit introduced mandatory KYC for its users, but it only affected those wanting to withdraw more than 20,000 USDT per day.

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Founded in 2018, Hidden Road provides prime brokerage across asset classes, including foreign exchange, precious metals and crypto. In April 2024, the company reportedly planned to raise $120 million in fresh funding, eyeing a valuation of $1 billion.

“Hidden Road is committed to providing our clients with modern technology and streamlined workflows for a seamless experience across products and asset classes on our platform, including digital assets” said Michael Higgins, Hidden Road’s global head of business development.

“Integrating with Bitfinex underscores our efforts to enhance access and choice, and we are happy to offer our counterparties access to this preeminent venue.”

Cointelegraph approached Hidden Road and Bitfinex for a comment regarding the collaboration but did not receive a response by publication.

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