Listing on a top-tier Centralized Exchange (CEX) has long been considered the ultimate prize, the moment a fledgling crypto project transitions from a niche experiment to a global financial asset. Historically, this moment was synonymous with explosive growth, often resulting in a legendary “Binance pump” or “Coinbase effect.”
But the landscape has undergone a profound transformation. Increased regulatory scrutiny, a more sophisticated investor base, and the rise of Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs) have fundamentally changed the listing game. Exchanges are no longer just market facilitators; they have evolved into the gatekeepers of credibility, and their listing criteria reflect this new mandate.
We spoke with industry leaders from major exchanges, research firms, and infrastructure providers, including LCX, Trezor, BloFin, XYO, Gate, Bitget, Eightcap, Xandeum and Phemex to understand what it truly takes to secure a top-tier listing today, and where the balance of power lies between the new and old guard of crypto trading.
What Projects Must Demonstrate Today
The consensus across the industry is clear, the days of listing a project based purely on social media buzz or pre-sale hype are over. Exchanges are prioritizing substance over speculation, looking for foundational strength that can withstand both market cycles and regulatory pressure.
For Patrick Murphy, Managing Director for UK & EU at Eightcap, the single most critical factor is the proof of genuine activity:
“From a market standpoint, the single most critical factor is proof of genuine demand and activity among real users. Exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase aren’t just listing assets – they are facilitating liquidity and trading volume that directly impacts their growth and user engagement.”
Murphy emphasizes that securing a top-tier listing now requires a project to demonstrate verifiable, organic trading activity and adoption, evidenced by on-chain metrics like wallet growth, transaction volumes, and token velocity. Furthermore, a strong, active, and loyal community is crucial, as is alignment with global compliance and regulatory frameworks.
This view is strongly echoed by Monty C. M. Metzger, CEO & Founder of LCX.com and and TOTO Total Tokenization, who asserts that his platform now maintains the same standards as the industry giants:
“Getting listed at LCX today carries the same prestige and rigor as being listed on Coinbase or Binance. The most crucial factor a project must demonstrate is substance — not just market momentum. Exchanges are no longer chasing volume; they’re curating credibility. At LCX, we look for projects that are built for long-term sustainability, with transparent tokenomics, clear compliance frameworks, and genuine utility.”
This emphasis on substance is the bedrock of compliance-focused platforms. Bitget, a top global platform, implements rigorous criteria to filter out speculative, short-lived projects. Their COO, Vugar Usi Zade, emphasizes the necessity of demonstrable strength before any listing:
“Every blockchain project seeking to list its token on the platform undergoes a comprehensive legal review to verify its code quality, security and compliance… Special attention will be paid to tokenomics, including a detailed analysis of token supply, distribution, and utility, as well as the experience and qualifications of the development team.”
In short, the new listing criteria revolve around three key pillars: Genuine Utility, On-Chain Traction, and Compliance Readiness. As Sebastien Gilquin, Head of BD & Partnerships at Trezor, notes, exchanges are looking for “Liquidity, compliance readiness, and strong on-chain traction,” adding: “that’s what exchanges look for now, not just hype hence Aster with Binance or Apex for Bybit.” The focus has decisively shifted from a project’s potential to its proven ability to sustain a market and navigate a complex legal environment.
Listing Impact in a Mature Market
The most nostalgic question for long-time crypto investors is whether the legendary ‘listing pump’ is still a reliable event. The overwhelming answer is no, though a major listing still carries immense validation.
Monty C. M. Metzger from LCX perfectly encapsulates this shift:
“The impact of a major exchange listing isn’t what it used to be. In past cycles, a new listing could trigger an overnight price surge. Today, the market is far more sophisticated — and investors are focused on fundamentals, not just FOMO. A listing at LCX, Binance, or Coinbase still validates a project, but the real value now lies in liquidity depth, compliance, and long-term trust. The days of speculative pumps are giving way to a more mature market where utility and regulation drive demand.”
This maturation is rooted in a fundamental shift in market psychology. Vugar Usi Zade, COO of Bitget, argues that the era of a listing guaranteeing a massive, widespread price rally is over because the underlying market lacks the necessary technological catalysts. For him, a pump requires proof of innovation:
“I don’t think we will see that huge pump, unfortunately, because there’s no logical reason behind it,” states Usi Zade. “There haven’t been any technological advancements. We haven’t seen any big things coming out of projects. Why would the price go up? Just because now it is the time? It’s not.”
This perspective underscores a crucial realization among exchange executives, listing volume must translate to sustained ecosystem growth, not short-term speculation.
Markus Levin, Co-Founder of XYO, notes that the short-term effect is now considerably smaller:
“The short-term effect is smaller now because the market has matured. A listing still increases visibility and liquidity, but traders are more data-driven and less speculative than in past cycles. What matters most today is what happens after the listing: whether a project keeps delivering and whether its ecosystem continues to grow. A strong listing is only a starting point.”
A listing remains a powerful statement, but it no longer serves as the ultimate destination. Instead, it is a key milestone that grants access to deeper, more serious capital. As Federico Variola, CEO of Phemex, points out, CEXs owe users a more transparent explanation for their choices, moving away from a transactional model:
“The future can’t be pay-to-play. It has to be proven-to-play. Listings need to be merit-based, transparent, and tied to real value creation. Exchanges owe users clarity on why a token deserves to be listed, that’s how we build lasting trust, not just short-term hype.”
How Scrutiny is Reshaping Listings
The growing shadow of regulation is arguably the single most impactful force reshaping the listing process. Global regulators, led by bodies like the SEC and the European Union’s MiCA framework, are pushing exchanges to assume greater responsibility for the tokens they list, effectively forcing them to act as regulatory compliance filters.
Kevin Lee, CBO of Gate, highlights the dramatic effect this has had, even citing a specific regulatory shift:
“While regulatory scrutiny is increasing, we’re also seeing regulators develop more coherent and consistent frameworks across jurisdictions. This actually works in favor of global exchanges like Gate, as we can leverage our established compliance processes across different regions.”
Lee explains that Gate has enhanced its compliance framework to evaluate projects across three critical dimensions: regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions, technical security audits, and long-term utility beyond speculative trading. The consequence?
“Projects without clear regulatory pathways or utility functions are increasingly filtered out early in our review process. This elevated standard actually benefits the industry by reducing retail exposure to high-risk speculative tokens while maintaining access to legitimate innovation.”
The regulatory environment is not just about avoiding penalties; it’s a competitive advantage for exchanges like LCX, which are proactively building compliance into their service offering. Monty C. M. Metzger notes:
“Regulatory scrutiny is raising the bar for listings. Projects need transparent tokenomics, governance, and legal clarity. At LCX, we file MiCA white papers for multiple projects, handle ESMA registration for admission to trading, and offer this as part of our listing process.”
Bitget’s extensive vetting process is designed to proactively protect users by focusing on the financial and ethical background of a project. They check for high-risk indicators like disproportionate Fully Diluted Valuation (FDV) or team concentration:
“Projects looking to list a token on Bitget must undergo a rigorous legal and technical review to assess its code quality, security measures, and regulatory compliance,” emphasized Hon Ng, Bitget’s Chief Legal Officer.
The key takeaway is that regulatory readiness is a core, non-negotiable component of a project’s architecture today.
The takeaway is that regulatory readiness is no longer a bolt-on feature but a core, non-negotiable component of a project’s architecture.
CEX vs. DEX: The Complementary Reality
The eternal debate in crypto revolves around whether the decentralized ethos of DEXs will ultimately displace the centralized dominance of CEXs. For projects aiming for global accessibility, the answer today is a nuanced one, CEXs and DEXs are currently complementary, serving different but equally critical roles.
Kevin Lee from Gate perfectly summarizes the dynamic:
“DEXs serve as crucial incubators for early-stage projects, offering permissionless listing and global accessibility without KYC barriers. However, our data shows that CEX listings remain essential for mature projects seeking institutional adoption and mainstream liquidity. The reality is complementary rather than competitive – DEXs excel at price discovery for emerging tokens with 70-fold trading volume increases typically observed when successful DEX tokens migrate to centralized platforms.”
This massive volume increase highlights the CEX’s unparalleled role in onboarding global capital and providing liquidity depth necessary for institutional players. Lee emphasizes the difference in clientele:
“For global accessibility, DEXs provide crucial geographic reach, but CEXs offer the institutional-grade infrastructure that pension funds, family offices, and corporate treasuries require. As the industry continues to grow and mature, we believe the market has a wide enough spectrum of audience seeking both CEX and DEX solutions, and we have to be positioned to cater for both.”
Griffin Ardern, Head of BloFin Research and Options Desk, seconds this view, positioning a CEX listing as a critical “credit endorsement”:
“DEXs and self-listing mechanisms will become essential channels for future projects to obtain pre-listing financing, but they cannot completely replace the role of CEXs. Listing on a large, leading CEX (such as Coinbase) can be understood as a form of ‘credit endorsement,’ meaning that the project is ‘verified.’ Self-listing cannot achieve this, meaning that investors must take a relatively higher risk when buying tokens during the pre-listing phase.”
Further emphasizing the enduring importance of CEXs in accessing a critical market base, Bernie Blume, Founder and CEO of Xandeum, highlights the CEX’s role as a customer channel:
“A major exchange listing still brings significant market access to emerging projects,” notes Blume. “It’s one thing to get listed, but it’s another to create enough waves in the marketplace to generate interest. Major centralized exchanges are organizations that can spend millions to create and maintain relationships with potential customers—something decentralized exchanges cannot easily do. Therefore, the customer base that large centralized exchanges have is their main asset for emerging projects. If you can get listed on one of these reputable exchanges with access to the right market, it remains a great asset for that emerging project.”
While DEXs are gaining traction and catering to the demand for self-custody, as championed by Trezor’s Sebastien Gilquin (“users want control, not gatekeepers and that is where Trezor will strive in this new dynamic for self sovereignty and freedom”) the path to mass adoption still runs through centralized hubs.
Markus Levin, Co-Founder of XYO concludes by suggesting that the most successful projects will leverage both worlds:
“DEXs are improving quickly, but for now CEXs still provide critical liquidity and user accessibility. The most successful projects will use both. CEX listings bring scale and user clarity, while DEXs bring openness and interoperability. Over time, the balance will shift toward decentralized systems, but CEXs will continue to play a key role in bridging traditional markets with the crypto economy.”
Conclusion: The New Credentials of Credibility
The gatekeepers of crypto have adjusted their standards. The listing process has evolved from a speculative beauty contest into a rigorous due diligence audit, driven by regulatory demands and a demand for provable utility.
Securing a top-tier listing today is less about buying visibility and more about earning credibility. Projects must demonstrate real-world adoption, robust on-chain metrics, and a proactive approach to regulatory compliance. While Decentralized Exchanges are vital for innovation and early price discovery, Centralized Exchanges remain the essential bridge for institutional capital and mass market liquidity.
The listing is no longer the destination. It is the highly regulated checkpoint that verifies a project’s fitness for the global financial stage. The future of the listing game belongs to the compliant, the credible, and the proven.
