How do I easily understand Bitcoin exchanges?
Randolf A bitcoin exchange is a digital marketplace where traders can buy and sell bitcoins using different fiat currencies or altcoins. A bitcoin currency exchange is an online platform that acts as an intermediary between buyers and sellers of the cryptocurrency.
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Understanding Bitcoin Exchanges
Bitcoin exchange platforms match buyers with sellers. Like a traditional stock exchange, traders can opt to buy and sell bitcoin by inputting either a market order or a limit order. When a market order is selected, the trader is authorizing the exchange to trade his coins for the best available price in the online marketplace. With a limit order set, the trader directs the exchange to trade coins for a price below the current ask or above the current bid, depending on whether they are buying or selling.
To transact in bitcoin on an exchange, a user has to register with the exchange and go through a series of verification processes to authenticate his or her identity. Once the authentication is successful, an account is opened for the user who then has to transfer funds into this account before he or she can buy coins.
Different exchanges have different payment methods that can be used for depositing funds including bank wires, direct bank transfers, credit or debit cards, bank drafts, money orders, and even gift cards. A trader who would like to withdraw money from his or her account could do so using the options provided by his exchange which could include a bank transfer, PayPal transfer, check mailing, cash delivery, bank wire, or credit card transfer.
Decentralized Exchanges
Decentralized bitcoin exchanges are those that are operated without a central authority. These exchanges allow peer-to-peer trading of digital currencies without the need for an exchange authority to facilitate the transactions.
There are a number of benefits to decentralized exchanges. First, many cryptocurrency users feel that decentralized exchanges better match the decentralized structures of most digital currencies themselves; many decentralized exchanges also require less personal information from their members than other types of exchanges. Second, if users transfer assets directly to other users, that eliminates the need for the transferring of assets to the exchange, thereby reducing the risk of theft from hacks and other fraud. Third, decentralized exchanges may be less susceptible to price manipulation and other fraudulent trading activity.
On the other hand, decentralized exchanges (like all cryptocurrency exchanges) must maintain a fundamental level of user interest in the form of trading volume and liquidity. Not all decentralized exchanges have been able to achieve these important baseline qualities. Further, users of a decentralized exchange may have less recourse if they are the victims of fraud than those who make use of exchanges with centralized authorities.