Rankings, Ratings, and Repeat Successes: The 2023 Award Season So Far…

It’s easy for hard work to get lost in the shuffle. In a fast-paced world, a moment spent enjoying the fruits of one’s labor can be shortened by the demands of life, or the reality of the next assignment. And yet, the perfect convergence of events can also make it difficult to ignore the heat of accumulating attention. When the right praises fall concurrently, it can halt the always-on grind, providing space to enjoy the satisfaction of accomplishment, or stand in awe of some collective effort.

As a tenured leader in the crypto space, we’ve been operating and innovating since the earliest days of the digital economy. As we approach the 10-year anniversary of serving as a trusted guide to curious participants, the world has only grown in its complexity. However, through a combination of ingenuity and sheer tenacity, we’ve managed to wrestle the scope and scale of these new obstacles into the framework of our understanding. Now, during another period of compound uncertainties, CEX.IO’s global community continues to pull together to achieve transformative goals, refining a product ecosystem of user-centric crypto tools. 

Since the start of 2023, CEX.IO’s legacy and reputation for excellence has been highlighted across a whole spectrum of outlets and industry arbiters. From retaining or holding coveted rankings, to winning awards for the first or subsequent time, to blazing new pathways of recognition, it’s been a banner year. While we hope to avoid any showboating, we are proud to announce that there’s quite a bit for us to celebrate. 

No time to hibernate

Unlike some land dwellers, crypto enthusiasts remain active in the winter, and CEX.IO was no exception. The Market Research Team was hard at work taking stock of Q4 2022 for our then-upcoming quarterly COMPASS report, as excitement circulated around Bitcoin’s robust health 14 years later. Shortly after the report’s publication, financial advisory institution Investopedia became the first to recognize CEX.IO in 2023 with a glowing renewal of their previous 4.5/5-star review. Suddenly, the season’s studious hush was replaced with the first beat in a cadence of positive coverage, awards, and accolades that has kept CEX.IO buoyed in the public conversation.

March saw leading comparison outlet Finder recognize CEX.IO as “Highly Commended” in the category of “Best Crypto Trading Platform – Beginners” in their 2023 Crypto Trading Platform Awards. For a company that prioritizes the needs of crypto curious participants, this was a gratifying assessment. By building and refining an intuitive ecosystem of crypto products, Finder acknowledged that our offerings encourage traders to set the pace of their own discovery. And it seems they weren’t the only outlet to pick up on this trend.

The thaw of spring brought word that CEX.IO was named “Best Overall DeFi Platform” for the second consecutive year at the FinTech Breakthrough Awards. Known for recognizing the best products, platforms, and people driving innovation in the digital economy, FinTech Breakthrough centered its 2023’s honor on the release of our latest creation: Exchange Plus. The award panel appreciated the platform’s improved functionality, and seamless interoperability within our trusted product ecosystem. While temperatures were unquestionably on the rise, things didn’t really start to heat up until April.

Spring has sprung

Regardless of one’s level of attention, the bloom always seems to happen overnight. This rang true when leading arbiter of crypto and exchange health, Digital Asset Research, once again listed CEX.IO as a “Vetted Exchange” in its April 2023 Crypto Exchange Vetting Results. The NYC-based crypto asset data and research outlet combines quantitative and traditional qualitative due diligence to determine which exchanges are reporting accurate prices and volumes to their communities. In addition to building accessibility into all our institutional and retail products, there’s no shortcuts in our operational ethics. But don’t just take our word for it…

Barely a week later, reputable ranking and market research outlet CCData, formerly CryptoCompare, concurred with DAR, and gave CEX.IO another “A” rating in their Exchange Benchmark report. Noting marked improvement in categories such as Legal/Regulation, Security, and Market Quality, and another perfect score for KYC/Transaction Risk prevention, our hard work once again stared back at us in print. But it turns out these dual evaluations were only meant to set the stage.

Amidst the positive report findings, CEX.IO was once again shortlisted for “Best Exchange” and “Best Exchange – Innovation” by the Hedgeweek European Digital Asset Awards 2023. This was another instance of repeat recognition from a reputable outlet, and corroborated the recent findings by both data analytics firms. With the decision set to a public vote, we were quick to spread the word about our encore performance. 

Following in quick succession, CEX.IO was contacted by Financial News notifying of our inclusion in the 21st annual Excellence in Trading & Tech Awards. Shortlisted for “Best Crypto Trading Platform” alongside four other distinguished leaders in the space, this now put CEX.IO in the running for a trio of major awards. As an April capstone, Business Insider again recognized CEX.IO among the “Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges” in their May 2023 review, published on the first of the month. Emphasizing our broad selection of vetted listings, and accessible product ecosystem, the outlet reaffirmed its 4.45/5 rating of our services.

Toward summer and beyond

For those just starting to wake up, it felt like summer was right over the horizon. Yet as markets swung between sluggish and anxious behavior, participants rallied behind their favorite projects, or reevaluated their positions. Rising tensions in the ecosystem and three pending awards aside, CEX.IO went on to end May with three additional, outright wins across two distinct outlets. With spring officially coming to a close, the company kept pace with rising temperatures.

In back-to-back announcements, CEX.IO was named “Most Secure Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Exchange Platform” and “Leading Cryptocurrency Exchange Platform” by World Business Outlook, and “Best Cryptocurrency Exchange Platform” by Global Brands Magazine. These concurrent wins put the 2023 award program into overdrive, as the momentum continues to gain speed into the warmer months.

Looking ahead, and as we await the results of our remaining awards, the ecosystem has found itself at another crossroads. Without question, some of the limitless potential that was felt in the early months of 2023 has been eclipsed by uncertainties in the global regulatory landscape. However, there is nothing about this moment that should discourage those who have always operated with the space’s best interests at heart. As with any community, the sum of its parts cannot be spoiled by a few bad events. That being said, we pledge to remain at the forefront of ethical crypto stewardship, and continue working toward the promotion of wide scale adoption. From our point of view, that’s what it means to be a leader. But the awards are a nice perk too.

Disclaimer: Information provided by CEX.IO is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as financial, tax or legal advice. The risk of loss in trading or holding digital assets can be substantial. You should carefully consider whether interacting with, holding, or trading digital assets is suitable for you in light of the risk involved and your financial condition. You should take into consideration your level of experience and seek independent advice if necessary regarding your specific circumstances. CEX.IO is not engaged in the offer, sale, or trading of securities. Please refer to the Terms of Use for more details.