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Exchange market share, market makers, and murky behavior: The impact of no-fee trading on cryptocurrency market quality

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  • Galati, Luca

Abstract

This study examines the impact of zero fees on market quality. This issue is examined using a natural experiment in Bitcoin provided by the Binance exchange, which eliminated maker–taker trading fees for market participants in July 2022. I find that although zero fees increase investors’ willingness to trade, thereby prima facie increasing liquidity, their elimination encourages market makers to widen the bid–ask spread and provide a shallower market depth, which in turn reduces liquidity. Liquidity providers realize gains at the expense of liquidity takers, suggesting the emergence of new potential forms of unethical financial market conduct. Notably, despite the removal of trading fees, total transaction costs increased for customers. These outcomes, coupled with the boost in exchange market share, raise concerns about price integrity and investors’ protection in the highly unregulated crypto environment, in turn implying that the elimination of maker–taker fees is harmful to the market.

Suggested Citation

  • Galati, Luca, 2024. "Exchange market share, market makers, and murky behavior: The impact of no-fee trading on cryptocurrency market quality," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:165:y:2024:i:c:s0378426624001390
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2024.107222
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    Cited by:

    1. Riccardo De Blasis & Luca Galati & Rosanna Grassi & Giorgio Rizzini, 2024. "Information Flow in the FTX Bankruptcy: A Network Approach," Papers 2407.12683, arXiv.org.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bitcoin market; Cryptocurrency exchange; Unethical financial market conduct; Liquidity; Market microstructure; Zero-fee trading;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D47 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Market Design
    • D53 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Financial Markets
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G18 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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