Listings Criteria

DATA ADMISSIBILITY GUIDELINES

Determining which requests to prioritize/process is a balancing act as information may vary across different sources. Consequently, we rely on 3 principles to guide our decision-making process:

1. Credibility: Is the requester able to substantiate his/her case with supporting evidence?
2. Verification: Are we able to verify the information from credible and independently verifiable sources?
3. Methodology: Is this request in accordance with our methodology?

The most common types of requests that CoinMarketCap receives are as follows:

LISTINGS REVIEW CRITERIA

On a daily basis, CoinMarketCap receives thousands of requests to add specific cryptoassets and exchanges to the website. In an ideal world, we would be able to entertain most of these requests, but the reality is that due to finite resources, we must prioritize listings based on set criteria and guidelines.

The process of getting listed and remaining active on CoinMarketCap is a 5-step process, as outlined in Sections A - E below.

(Section A) Application Tips

The online submission form is the only way to request a new addition to CoinMarketCap. Do not reach out through other channels, such as email or social media, because you will always be directed to this form.

1. Please review Sections A - E before submitting an application.
2. Requests that provide complete and well-structured information (with evidence) will be prioritized for review.
3. Check and ensure that you submit your application to the correct option on the form. For example, new exchange applications must be submitted to the ‘Add new exchange’ option on the form, and not anywhere else. Applications that are submitted to the wrong option(s) on the form will be discarded.
4. Take the time to consolidate your points in a separate document before completing the form.
5. Avoid piecemeal submissions.
6. Substantiate your points with evidence from credible, independently verifiable sources.
7. Quantify and qualify your progress with concrete and specific examples.
8. Avoid hyperbole and vague statements.
9. Organize and structure your points in a coherent and logical manner.
10. Be truthful. False or misleading claims may render your submission inadmissible.

(Section B) Minimum Requirements for 'Tracked Listings'

Note that these are just the minimum requirements and meeting them does not guarantee a listing.

(1) Cryptoassets

For a cryptoasset to be considered for a tracked listing, it must meet the following prerequisites:

1. Leverage cryptography, consensus algorithms or distributed ledgers, peer-to-peer technology and/or smart contracts to function as a store of value, medium of exchange, unit of account, or decentralized application.
2. Must have a functional website and block explorer.
3. Must be traded publicly, and actively traded on at least one (1) exchange (with material volume) that has tracked listing status CoinMarketCap.
4. Provide a representative from the project with whom we can establish open lines of communication for any clarifications.

(2) Exchanges

For an exchange to be considered for a tracked listing, it must meet the following prerequisites:

1. A functional website with trading volume that matches its API data.
2. Must publish a summary API endpoint that exposes the last price and 24h volume of each cryptoasset. 
   1. See sample of an ideal API endpoints. Exchanges must include a variable for ‘type’ of market to help us distinguish derivatives (e.g. perpetual swaps, options, physically-delivered futures) from spot markets.
3. Must be in operation for at least sixty days (The number of days that affiliated exchanges/projects of the same name have been in operation counts towards this requirement).
4. Must allow traders to place buy and sell orders on an orderbook. DEXes with no orderbook data will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
5. Must allow users to view all market pairs/order books without the need to log-in to the website.
6. Must have direct URLs that display each asset unambiguously (full asset name and/or logo), preferably with a ‘System Status’ page that shows all listed assets.
7. Must be able to provide a representative from the exchange with whom we can establish open lines of communication for any clarifications.
8. Requests originating from emails that share the domain of the exchange will be prioritized.

(3) Listing Tiers

Projects that do not meet the minimum requirements may still be featured on the site as untracked listings, as outlined in Item (c) below.

1. Inactive Listing - Projects that have been set to inactive status due to the absence of market data on at least one CMC-supported exchange or cessation of operations. To qualify for a reactivation review, the project must be able to demonstrate that the asset is actively traded with material volume on at least two CMC-supported exchanges.
2. Unverified Listing - Projects whose price data show up through automated processes, but have not been reviewed by CMC.
3. Untracked Listing - Projects that do not meet the minimum requirements in Section B1/B2 to track market data, but nevertheless exhibit strengths in a number of areas of Section C (Evaluation Framework) below.
4. Tracked Listing - Projects that have met the minimum requirements in Section B1/B2 and exhibit strengths in a number of areas of Section C.

(Section C) Evaluation Framework

Beyond the prerequisites, we perform our evaluation holistically and pay close attention to a multitude of factors (both quantitative and qualitative). Getting listed is therefore not simply a matter of ticking off a checklist or hitting predefined thresholds, as we benchmark submissions against others in the cohort. These factors include but are not limited to:

(Section D) House Rules

1. The online submission form is the ONLY way to request for listings/updates to CoinMarketCap.
2. DO NOT reach out through other channels, such as email or social media, because you will always be directed to this form.
3. DO NOT submit duplicate requests or repeatedly ask for status updates as it will add to the queue and delay the process.
4. DO NOT contact our team members on any other channel, as this will not help in getting your request expedited.
5. DO NOT ‘spam’ the request form (or incite other entities into doing so on your behalf) as this may result in the blacklisting of your project.
6. DO NOT send “angry comments” to our official email channels or social media as this does not reflect well on your organization and may result in the blacklisting of your project.
7. If your project is not listed right away, you may send us additional information about your progress (consolidated with all the information from previous submissions as a new request on the online submission form) to keep us updated, especially if the project has made significant progress.
8. CoinMarketCap listings remain free, with the option of a fast-track service (CMCP). Please beware of spoofed emails, fake social accounts, or individuals requesting fees. Anyone asking you to pay a fee or tip for getting your project listed on CoinMarketCap is definitely not sanctioned to do so. We also do not sanction any listing service to assist in the listing application of any cryptoasset project or exchange. While we gladly accept donations, attempting to bribe us in the hopes of influencing the outcome of your request will not work.
9. CoinMarketCap DOES NOT accept payment of any form to bypass listing requirements or to intentionally publish inaccurate information. We evaluate every request with the same level of scrutiny.
10. Offering to pay large sums for advertising, contingent upon the outcome of your listing, will also not improve your chances of getting listed.
11. Focus on organic growth and use of your project. Inflating your project’s trading volume, traffic, or social media metrics will not increase your chances of getting listed.
12. It is in every project’s interest to provide accurate and well-documented information in good faith.
13. Projects that attempt to manipulate or artificially inflate their figures will be permanently disqualified from the rankings.

(Section E) Delisting Policy

CoinMarketCap reserves the right to exercise its sole discretion in delisting a market/pair, exchange, or cryptoasset without prior notice. Factors that could contribute to such a course of action may include the following:

1. Low liquidity or suspicious trading activity.
2. The project’s cessation of development and/or business activity.
3. The project’s listing on CMC was the result of misleading, incomplete, or false information.
4. The project (and/or its associates) is under investigation, on regulator watchlists, or is found guilty of a breach of law(s), statute(s), and regulation(s).
5. Extraordinarily poor implementation or reception by the project’s community.
6. Any other factor that CoinMarketCap deems risky for its users.