1,000 New Token Pairs Added to Uniswap in One Week; Buyers Beware

The exchange now supports nearly 10 times more pairs than Binance.

AccessTimeIconSep 9, 2020 at 8:31 p.m. UTC
Updated Mar 2, 2023 at 8:25 p.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

Leading decentralized exchange Uniswap has added 1,000 new token pairs in the past week – many of questionable quality – as the decentralized finance (DeFi) craze continues unabated.

  • Since the start of September, Uniswap users have added an average of 150 pairs per day, signalling the popularity of permissionless token creation now possible through the exchange’s token factory, a prominent feature of the decentralized trading platform.
  • A record high of 221 pairs were created Sunday, according to Dune Analytics.
  • Exponential growth in the number of tokens and pairs on Uniswap is “a good thing," according to Jack Purdy, decentralized finance analyst at Messari, as it “shows the power of a completely open, permissionless financial primitives."
  • Uniswap currently supports 8,278 trading pairs, a 90% increase over the past 30 days and nearly 10 times more pairs than Binance, the largest traditional cryptocurrency exchange, which currently supports 838 markets, according to Cryptowatch.
  • For all of August, Binance announced new listings for only 15 tokens, up from four listings announced a year ago.
  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    • Uniswap has reported experienced record-breaking trading volume for the past four months, as CoinDesk previously reported, even though only four tokens — SushiToken, USDC, tether, and wrapped ether — report 24-hour trading volume greater than $50 million.
    • Of course, without gatekeepers to approve or deny new listings, the exchange platforms will almost inevitably support “a lot of worthless tokens or outright scams purporting to be something they’re not,” Purdy told CoinDesk. Users are therefore responsible for creating tools on their own that protect against these fraudulent tokens, he added.
    • Demonstrating the complete permissionlessness of token listings on Uniswap, one user listed the “Uniswap Exchange Token” Wednesday afternoon, a token believed to be fake and not created by the Uniswap team.
    Uniswap-listed pairs compared to the largest traditional exchanges by number of active markets
    Uniswap-listed pairs compared to the largest traditional exchanges by number of active markets
    • Uniswap did not respond to CoinDesk’s request for comment on the newly listed "Uniswap" token, nor to a request for comment on the exponential growth in trading pairs listed on the exchange.
    • However, in a blog post in late August, the Uniswap team acknowledged the problem its own permissionless system was helping create. “As the rate of token issuance accelerates, it has become increasingly difficult for users to filter out high quality, legitimate tokens from scams, fakes, and duplicates,” the Uniswap team wrote, adding that the trend is something “we expect will only accelerate in the future.”

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.