Ethfinex Development Update & Q1 Roadmap – Ethfinex

Timeline — Q1 2018 Although the core beta features are now live and usable, Ethfinex is still far from completion and this milestone represents only the beginning of a long journey for us.The first step towards launching Ethfinex was getting trading and discussion features up and running, and we’re excited to say that this is largely complete. As Ethfinex matures we will gradually roll out a number of the more exciting and unique features whilst continuously optimising the discussion platform to create a more comprehensive, value-adding information hub.We’d like to yet again emphasise the fact that Ethfinex is not ready for trading for the public, and we will make an additional announcement once this is set to change. It won’t be long, but there are few things we’d like to double check prior to enabling sign ups and full-fledged trading. Complete 1. Ethfinex live (Complete) The beta version of the Ethfinex website is now live, providing access to an Ethereum token (ERC20) trading platform, a streamlined token sale platform and a community hub for the analysis, discussion and rating of these tokens.Our aim is to build an ecosystem for the trading and analysis of Ethereum-based projects. As the discussion section is refined to allow our users to become the primary filter for determining token quality, we can begin to use this information to determine which additional tokens and crowdsales will be offered on Ethfinex. In Progress 2. Information & Token Sale Platforms (In Progress) The next step for us will be refining the discussion and information features. We are creating the infrastructure necessary to facilitate professional contributions and due diligence to help users study and filter quality projects throughout the Ethereum ecosystem. Since this is largely experimental, it is important for us to roll it out gradually to avoid spam, abuse and misinformation.In conjunction with this will be the roll out of the token sale platform. Our aim is to make the highest quality token sales available to users through our network of trusted partners. The biggest area of focus here is on KYC and we are looking to ensure we can cope with the potential KYC demands before making the first sales available to users. 3. Integration of the Ethfinex Portal (In Progress) Our focus is also on integrating our trustless trading portal, allowing for order settlement on the Ethereum blockchain using the 0x protocol messaging format.Originally planned for phase 2 of the Ethfinex development roadmap, the Ethfinex Portal will enable trustless, non-custodial trading, enabling users to trade directly from their Ledger or Metamask wallets without the need to trust a 3rd party with custody of funds.We’re extremely excited to see this component of Ethfinex go live in what will represent one of the most user friendly applications of trustless trading to date. 4. Integration of the Nectar (NEC) Token (In Progress) The next few months will also see the finalisation and integration of the Nectar token which is fundamental to the long-term decentralisation (and success) of Ethfinex. Our aim is for the Nectar token to become an integrated part of the platform within the next 2 months.We recently announced the Nectar bug bounty and we encourage everyone to take a deeper look at what we’ve come up with. Although no security issues have been found so far, we appreciate all the time spent and comments we have received so far.The Nectar token will become an integral part of Ethfinex through rewarding users who add liquidity, kickstarting less liquid markets once the beta period definitively ends. It will also work to decentralise the ownership and governance structure of Ethfinex, giving loyal contributors a meaningful stake in the future of Ethfinex. Scheduled 5. Exit beta mode (Scheduled for early Q1 2018) A large portion of our resources will be dedicated to testing and maturing our trading engine, allowing for a steady stream of new tokens and crowdsales to become available on Ethfinex, for both trading and analysis.Once we exit beta mode, our focus will be on: Expanding the range of token pairs offered;Putting our full development resources towards designing and building a fully decentralised, trustless exchange on Ethereum.