Disclaimer: This is general information, not investment advice. Backtest figures are self-reported and do not guarantee future results. Crypto lending carries platform and counterparty risk. Always check the current official source for fees and features.
This walks you from zero to your first fully automated lending on Bitfinex with FuNi — creating the right API key, connecting it, reading the dashboard, and tuning your strategy.
1. What is FuNi Bot?
FuNi is a non-custodial automation tool for Bitfinex margin funding (lending). It connects through your own Bitfinex API key and runs the APEX III engine, which reads several market signals to choose the offer rate and lock-up term, re-places offers when loans end, and re-lends available balance, including interest that has landed in your funding wallet. It never holds your money — your funds stay in your Bitfinex account the whole time.
2. Before you start
You’ll need: a Bitfinex account with Intermediate KYC completed (required for funding), some USD or USDT in your Funding Wallet, and about 10 minutes. If you haven’t opened the account yet, see how to open a Bitfinex account.
3. Create a Bitfinex API key (funding-only)
The single most important step. Create a key with only these permissions — Funding: Read, Funding: Write, Wallets: Read, History: Read — and leave Trading and Withdraw unchecked. Without withdrawal rights, a leaked key still cannot move your money. The full walkthrough with screenshots is in the API key setup guide. Copy the Secret immediately — Bitfinex shows it only once.
4. Create your FuNi account
Sign up at the FuNi app with your email (or Google), confirm, and you’re in. New sign-ups get an up to 21-day free trial with no credit card. The trial runs the APEX III engine with 20-minute scans and no fund cap; when it ends your account moves to a permanent free plan.
5. Connect your Bitfinex API key
In the FuNi dashboard, open the API key page and paste your key and secret. FuNi validates the key with Bitfinex (and refuses any key that has withdrawal permission, as a safety check). Once connected, the bot starts placing offers on the next scan. The key is stored encrypted.
6. Reading the dashboard
The dashboard shows what matters at a glance: available balance, amount currently lent out, your average rate, and earnings. You’ll see live offers and filled credits, plus a rate chart of the market. Green numbers update as interest settles daily.
7. Lending strategy settings
You can let APEX III run on defaults (recommended for most people) or adjust the guardrails — minimum rate, reserve amount, maximum lock term. The engine decides per scan whether to post short and flexible (when rates are low) or lock longer (when rates spike). You don’t have to micromanage; the defaults are built to capture rate highs while keeping funds working.
8. Telegram notifications
Connect a Telegram bot token and chat ID to get a daily earnings report and rate-anomaly alerts pushed to your phone — this works on every plan, including Free. This lets you monitor with a glance at the daily report instead of watching the exchange. You can toggle the daily report and rate alerts independently.
9. Plans and pricing
All plans run the same APEX III engine; they differ in scan frequency, fund cap and advanced order-splitting settings:
| Plan | Scan interval | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free (permanent) | 60 min | $0, $1,000 cap |
| Trial | 20 min | Free, up to 21 days |
| Entry | 15 min | $30/qtr, $100/yr |
| PRO | 5 min | $62/qtr, $206/yr |
| VIP | 2 min (30s on rate spikes) | $128/qtr, $394/yr |
FuNi charges a flat subscription and takes no cut of your interest (Bitfinex’s own 15% fee still applies).
10. What returns to expect
Per FuNi’s own backtest (covering 2019–2026, the USD pool), APEX III annualized roughly 8%–16%, averaging about 11% after Bitfinex’s 15% fee. These are historical backtest figures, not a forecast — rates float with the market and a bear market can drop yields to low single digits. Treat the range, not a single number, as your expectation, and never lend money you can’t afford to leave alone.
11. FAQ
How often does the bot scan? Free 60 min, trial 20 min, Entry 15, PRO 5, VIP 2 (30s on anomalies).
Is my API key safe? Stored encrypted, lending + read only, no withdrawal — revocable anytime in Bitfinex.
Can I run another bot at the same time? Not recommended — multiple bots fight over the same key and offers. Use one.
What if my subscription lapses? Your account moves to the permanent free plan (60-min scanning, $1,000 cap) rather than stopping; open loans run to their term and your data is kept.
12. Withdrawing your earnings
FuNi never touches your money, so withdrawals happen on Bitfinex, not in FuNi. Your interest accrues in your Funding Wallet; move it to the Exchange Wallet and withdraw on-chain as usual. FuNi only places and manages lending offers.
13. Start your automated lending
Once the key is connected and the strategy is on, that’s it — the bot keeps your funds lent out 24/7 so you don’t have to watch rates. Start on the free trial, set up the Telegram report, and compare a week of automated results against doing it by hand.