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Arkham Exchange closed after under a year due to low trading volume and thin liquidity, failing to attract enough users.
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Expanding from analytics to derivatives didn’t work; users ignored the platform despite spot trading and a mobile app launch.
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Crypto remains volatile; Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana moves show new exchanges face steep challenges in today’s market.
Arkham Intelligence is shutting down its crypto trading venue, Arkham Exchange, after less than a year of live operations. The platform struggled to generate meaningful trading volume, forcing the company to reconsider its approach.
Sources cited by Wu Blockchain indicate that Arkham faced “insufficient trading volume,” with daily activity barely hitting $620,000. This low liquidity made market-making and fee economics unsustainable, particularly when leading exchanges clear tens of billions daily. Arkham’s attempt to expand from data analytics into derivatives and spot trading in multiple U.S. states ultimately failed to gain traction.
Initially announced in October 2024, Arkham Exchange aimed to provide perpetuals and leveraged products for professional traders. By early 2025, it rolled out spot trading in several states and launched a mobile app in December. However, users largely ignored the platform, leaving order books thin and activity stagnant.
Bitcoin hardliners criticized the strategy, with one user noting, “They would be better just buying and holding bitcoin.” Another added, “Everyone wants to be an exchange, custodian, or facilitator of bitcoin but so few actually want to buy it themselves.” These reactions highlight the challenge of integrating an exchange into a firm primarily known for data analytics rather than asset flow.
Market Challenges and Competitive Landscape
The shut service appears to be an instance of the overall problems being faced by mid-tier exchanges in the current highly fragmented nature of the cryptocurrency market. Other service providers seem to be quiet about launching their services due to the challenges being faced in terms of thinner capital and high variability in fees.
Arkham’s move into derivatives, framed as a strategy to capture institutional order flow, failed to produce sustainable trading activity. Moreover, investors remain selective, favoring established exchanges with deep liquidity and strong user adoption.
Crypto Market Context
This comes as cryptocurrencies remain volatile while making transactions. Bitcoin is currently trading around $66,988, with 24 hours of trading between $66,558 and $69,994. Ethereum is trading around $1,950, losing about 3% in value.
Solana gained about 5% to trade near $208, attracting liquidity into high-momentum layer-1 tokens. This environment shows digital assets remain sensitive to macro risk sentiment, which amplifies challenges for emerging exchanges like Arkham.
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