How to trade on Bitfinex
Use this guide to connect your Bitfinex account to Cryptowatch. Learn how to connect, find Bitfinex markets, and trade on Bitfinex via Cryptowatch.
If you have accounts on multiple exchanges, you can connect and manage them all on Cryptowatch.
You can connect your exchange accounts by generating API keys on the exchange site, then plugging those keys into Cryptowatch’s Exchange Keys page. See this article for some tips on API key security, if you haven’t already.
Cryptowatch offers a variety of tools that can enhance your trading on Bitfinex:
In Cryptowatch, click the profile icon in the top-right corner, then select Exchange Keys from the menu:
Find the Exchange Keys link in your Account menu, in the top-right of any Cryptowatch page.
The Exchange Keys page is where you can plug in API keys from trading- and portfolio-enabled exchanges into Cryptowatch:
The Exchange Keys page is used to connect your exchange accounts to Cryptowatch.
Cryptowatch connects to your exchange accounts using the public and private keys generated by the exchange. API keys generally come in pairs — one public key, and one private (like a crypto wallet). As you will see soon, these keys can be set up to allow or disallow different actions.
You can open a new window and navigate to Bitfinex.com, or click the “Generate key here” button in the Bitfinex square on the Exchange Keys page:
If you are not logged into Bitfinex, clicking “Generate key here” will direct you to their homepage
Expand the “Create New Keys” section if it is not already. This is where you can choose your API permissions. You can set your API permissions like this:
To trade via Cryptowatch you will need to turn on:
- Get account fee information
- Get historical entries and trade information
- Get orders and statuses
- Create and cancel orders
- Get position and margin info
- Claim a position
- Get wallet balances and address
We strongly recommend against permitting deposit and withdrawal actions to the API key. These actions cannot be performed on Cryptowatch and may expose you to unnecessary risk.
When your permissions are set, give the API keys a functional nickname — like “Cryptowatch”:
Once everything is set up, click “Generate API key”.
Bitfinex warns you to store your API keys — Cryptowatch recommends you do not. If your keys don’t work, or you want to change your permissions, delete the key and create a new one.
Your keys won’t be pixelated — they will appear as a string of letters and numbers.
Bitfinex will generate public and private API keys. Copy the topmost “API key” into the “API key” field in the Bitfinex box. Then, copy the key labeled “API key secret” into the “API Secret” field.
Once both keys are input into their respective fields, Cryptowatch will automatically connect to your Bitfinex account. If the connection is successful, the box will change color and hide the keys:
If you received an Invalid Key, Unprivileged Key, Key Not Exclusive, or Unhandled error, visit the How to connect exchange accounts to Cryptowatch article for troubleshooting tips.
Success! Now you can place and cancel orders and manage your Bitfinex portfolio on Cryptowatch. If you’re new to Cryptowatch, try following the New User Guide to get acquainted with the interface.
Now you can use Cryptowatch to trade on Bitfinex markets!
A good way to get started is to visit the Markets page, then filter the list by exchange. Click the Exchanges drop-down list on the left and select Bitfinex. Alternatively, type “Bitfinex” in the search bar to narrow the exchange list down.
Now you will only see Bitfinex markets listed. If you want to view markets for a specific asset, use the Asset’s drop-down list to filter the results even further. Clicking any market here will open that market in the trading terminal.
You can select multiple assets on the Markets page to quickly compare markets.
Bitfinex traders can use Cryptowatch’s advanced charts to trade and perform technical analysis as well as track their funds alongside any other exchange accounts on the Portfolio page.
Check out these articles to learn more about trading and analysis on the Charts page:
These articles demonstrate the Portfolio page:
Cryptowatch’s alerts function is a favorite among traders as well. Check out these articles to learn how to set alerts for price, volume, and order fills: