Cryptocurrency, shortened as crypto, is any digital or virtual currency. To ensure that transactions are secure, cryptocurrency uses cryptography as a means of security.
Cryptocurrencies don’t have a central issuing or regulating power. Instead, they rely on a decentralized system for recording transactions and issuing new units. As such, it doesn’t rely on banks to do transactions.
What is it used for? It depends on a peer-to-peer system that allows anybody to send and receive payment anywhere. The currency is digitally stored on an online database which records specific transactions.
Each time a transaction is done with cryptocurrency funds, it will be recorded in a public ledger. Every owner of cryptocurrency keeps their funds in a digital wallet.
Cryptocurrency is so named because of its use of encryption to keep and verify transactions. This is why cryptocurrency can only exist in the digital and virtual space, as it uses encryption methods that only computers can understand.
This advanced coding is used to store and transmit cryptocurrency data. It provides security and safety while transactions between wallets and public ledgers take place.
Bitcoin was the first Cryptocurrency and was established in 2009. It remains the best known today. It is not the only cryptocurrency. Other cryptocurrency options include DogeCoin and Ethereum, BNB (Binance Coin), Tether and Solana.
To trade or exchange these currencies, one would need to use the services of a crypto exchange or digital currency exchange (DCE).
A Cryptocurrency exchange is a business that allows customers to trade cryptocurrencies and digital currencies for other assets like other digital currencies or fiat money.
The functions of crypto exchanges are very similar to those offered by online brokerage platforms. They provide you with the tools to buy and sell digital currencies and tokens for different kinds of cryptocurrencies.
Crypto Exchanges accept wire transfers and credit card payments in exchange for digital currencies.
Binance is one such dedicated cryptocurrency exchange.
Binance and Overview Binance Chain
For those of you who prefer a more visual experience, here is a video review from Beau Troxclair on his YouTube channel 0xBeau. You can still read our article for a complete overview of Binance.
When it comes to cryptocurrency exchanges, Binance continues to be one of the top cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. It has the highest trading volume of any crypto exchange by offering users the most cryptocurrency trading pairs.
Binance got its start in 2017 through Changpeng “CZ” Zhao. It was initially based in China but was quickly moved out of the country due to crypto restrictions getting stricter and stricter. Since then, it has moved from Japan and Malta but did not have a permanent place to call home.
However, news has come out that the company signed a memorandum with Bermuda and Malta to finally establish its home base. Binance Chain
Binance’s popularity came from a user base that preferred its low fees, many available cryptocurrencies, and innovative products. The platform currently offers many crypto-based products.
From Binance, you can avail of such services as exchange, earn, staking, derivatives, loans, payments, credit cards, NFTs, and more.
Binance has its own unique tokens, cryptocurrencies and coins. One of which is BUSD, a stablecoin, and the other is BNB which is known as a strong performer due to its low fees.
That said, Binance is not without its issues and dark side.
The United States Department of Justice (Internal Revenue Service) investigated the company in 2021 for money laundering and tax crimes.
The Financial Conduct Authority of the United Kingdom ordered that the platform stop all regulated activities in June 2021. That said, the scope of this ban was limited, and that non-registered firms can still interact with UK consumers.
It was originally set up in the spring of that year to launch a digital asset marketplace in Britain. However, it withdrew its application because it did not meet anti-money laundering requirements.
In the same year, Binance was also reported to have shared client information, including addresses and names, with the Russian government. This was a Russian government way of helping them combat crime.
Binance Perks
Large Selection of Cryptos
The company is one of the largest cryptocurrency platforms on the market. It is not surprising that there are many cryptocurrencies and digital currencies available. You can get decentralized finance tokens (DeFi), stable coins, alt currencies, and other popular cryptos.
A few examples of this include:
- Binance Coins (BNB)
- VeChain, (VET).
- Harmony (ONE)
- VeThor (VTHO).
- Dogecoin (DOGE)
- Matic Network (MATIC).
Binance offers support for popular cryptocurrencies like:
- Dash (DASH)
- Compound (COMP)
- Bitcoin (BTC).
- Ethereum (ETH).
- Litecoin (LTC).
- Cardano (ADA)
- Cosmos (ATOM)
Low fees
Trading currencies and tokens are not offered free on any platform. However, choosing Binance as your trading platform will give you deals that may as well be free. Comparable to other cryptocurrency exchanges, which charge commissions and fees, this is quite a difference. The highest spot trading fee so far is 0.1%.
The platform uses a maker/taker fee structure. Fees will vary depending on trading volume or Binance Coin (BNB). balance. As a rule of thumb, the higher the volume of your trade, the lower the fees your trades are subjected to. Binance Chain
What’s more, is that users can also get fee discounts for some services. These include:
- Trades using Binance (BNB), coins
- If you achieve Very Important Person (VIP status) by trading a certain amount of assets.
However, Binance users still have to pay additional fees. There will be different fees depending on the type of withdrawal and payment type. As a sample, you refer to the chart below
Payment Type | Fees |
|
|
In a later section, we will discuss fees.
> > Click Here to Sign Up and Get 100 USDT Trading Fee Rebate < <
Passive income from crypto assets
Binance lets you earn crypto assets. Of course, these come with varying degrees of risk. A few options include earning 50% APR or more on certain cryptos in its staking program or putting assets into flexible savings accounts for lower but more consistent rates.
There are more available staking options available on the platform. They also pay higher rates than other exchanges.
For riskier opportunities, you can try to earn income by adding liquidity on pairs of tokens. It is up to you to decide if these risks are worth taking. As such, it is important to understand what is involved and what is at stake before jumping into these opportunities.
Advanced Trading Tools
Binance’s advanced trading tools provide an easy way to customize your trading options. Setting a limit to buying or selling crypto at a specific price is easy. It even accommodates beginner users with its “convert” function.
For veteran traders, the charting tools in the advanced trading interface are something to behold. There is also a Bitcoin futures section that can let people speculate on whether the price of Bitcoin will go up or down.
The platform allows you to sell leveraged tokens in connection to earning opportunities with inherent risk. Customers can multiply their currency positions by selling leveraged tokens. As stated, this is a risky strategy because it can multiply losses and may even cause traders to lose their entire position.
The Binance Shortcomings
This is not for newbies
Binance is not for beginners. Binance is complex platform designed for experienced traders. This platform’s goal is to maximize the profits of these traders.
We have already discussed the risks Binance offers its users in order to make passive income from their crypto holdings. The thing is, most of these features will only be useful when you know what those things mean and what you are doing.
As for the risky opportunities, more often than not, this is where beginner traders and newbies lose their money. To understand the hidden and inherent risks that trades can carry, it takes years of experience.
The huge market selection and the in-depth dashboards presented by the platform can also be overwhelming and difficult to navigate, especially if you are just getting started in crypto investing.
Once you are comfortable with the platform, it will be very simple to manage your assets. Binance also has a simple interface that is suitable for beginners. It also provides a sizable educational resource.
While Binance is not that beginner friendly, it still has a lot of resources to help those who want to learn. It is still not a platform where you just buy Bitcoin and then sit back and relax. Binance Chain
Pay attention to regulatory matters
As covered in the overview, one of Binance’s main drawbacks is that it has been in the crosshairs of some countries. It is currently in the crosshairs of several countries, including Japan, Canada, Singapore and Thailand.
The United States authorities are currently investigating the platform in regard to possible money laundering, tax fraud, and insider trading. Binance has not been charged and no criminal charges have been filed. Only time will tell if anything comes out of this.
In response, Binance has taken steps to strengthen its compliance team and keep regulators onside. However, this could prove to be a difficult endeavor as most of the products that make Binance attractive to customers are also the ones attracting regulatory attention.
It is not available in the U.S.
In response to regulations targeting Binance’s business in the United States, they had to build a separate platform for U.S. customers called Binance.US. This U.S. version of Binance has fewer features and cryptocurrencies offered.
Binance.US trades more than 120 cryptocurrencies, but does not offer futures trading. It is also not available in all countries. It’s unavailable in Hawaii, New York, Texas, or Vermont.
> > Click Here to Sign Up and Get 100 USDT Trading Fee Rebate < <
How it All Works
We’ve seen the positive and negative aspects of Binance. Now we can talk about how it all works.
As we know, Binance functions as a cryptocurrency exchange. It has a huge range of services. Some of these include:
- Buy, Sell, or trade cryptocurrency
- Set up recurring buys
- Earn passive income
- Access advanced features such as crypto derivative products, limits orders, and peer-to-peer trading
- Trade non-fungible tokens (NFTs)
- Participate in Binance’s Launchpad and Launchpool to get exposure to new cryptos
- Get portfolio insights and live tracking, as well as alerts
- Keep track of your tax obligations with its tax reporting tool
It is important to remember that many regulatory agencies around the globe have been focusing on Binance’s wide range of products. Binance warns users about the potential risks of investing on the platform.
It also has an anti-addiction setting just in case users become too involved with trading. The system warns traders about the risks involved in trading derivatives if they suffer heavy losses or a losing streak. It encourages them to rest and hold back on their trading activities.
The platform believes responsible traders should be critical and keep themselves in check to avoid harmful excesses like compulsive trading or gambling.
These are all just reminders; ultimately, it is up to the retail investors how they manage the risk and how they should keep their money.
Signing Up to Your Binance Account
It takes just minutes to create and register your Binance account. You are also given the choice of two types of accounts: Verified and unverified accounts.
For Unverified users:
- Register on the Binance homepage
- Enter your email address
- Set up a password
- Accept Binance’s Terms of Use
- Click “Create Account”
- Confirm registration through email
For Verified Accounts
- Register for an unverified account.
- Login to your account
- Click Identity Verification in the User Center
- Select Personal
- Please fill in your details
- Choose an ID type for document verification, such as a Passport or Driver’s license
- Take a photo or upload a file of your document
- Take a photo of yourself
- Click confirm after you have uploaded the document and image.
- Binance will then review it as soon as possible. Binance Chain
From then on, you will have to wait for an email from Binance to ensure that your account has been verified.
Trading Experience
As we’ve mentioned, Binance offers a variety of trading tools. Some of these tools include their real-time charting tools with moving averages and exponential moving averages. Trading is also convenient and accessible, as users can place trades through the Binance app, Binance website, or Binance desktop app.
The platform allows traders to view their trade history and portfolios. They can view the order book and price charts. The platform also gives users a selection of order types. You can place stop orders, limit orders and stop-limit orders.
Users can also choose from different trading views to better understand data and view it in the way that they prefer. There are many views to choose from, including classic, margin and OTC views.
> > Click Here to Sign Up and Get 100 USDT Trading Fee Rebate < <
Trust your wallet
Binance provides a custodial wallet through its platform. Trust Wallet is also recommended by Binance, which supports thousands upon thousands of cryptocurrencies across all major blockchains. It is easy to withdraw from Binance to a Trust Wallet or other external crypto wallet.
Withdrawals are usually completed in 10 minutes and the fees are very low. Since you can use Binance via a multitude of platforms such as desktop, mobile, or through a web-based app, users will need to provide some personal information to verify their account to get started.
Fees
Binance is known for its low fees. This does not mean users are exempt from any charges. Users of Binance are still required to pay fees for using the platform.
Deposit and withdrawal fees
Deposit fees depend on the currency and method of payment. Although bank transfers are usually free, debit card payments will often incur fees.
Depending on your country, Binance might allow credit or debit card payments, bank transfers, and peer-to-peer payments.
As for withdrawing money, you can do so as a fiat currency to a bank account. You can also withdraw crypto to a wallet or another exchange. These withdrawal fees and minimum amounts are determined by your currency and method. Binance Chain
Trading Fees
Your trading fee percentage will depend on your trading history in the past 30 days and the volume in the past 30 days. It will also impact the amount of BNB that you have.
Maker orders, which add liquidity to the market, will get lower fees than taker or remover orders.
It also encourages users to use their native currency, Binance Coin (BNB). Anyone doing so can get a 25% discount on the trading fee. Binance also offers 0% trading on selected Bitcoin and Binance USD (BUSD) pairs.
The chart below shows how VIP status, the 30-day trade volume, and maker/taker are related.
VIP | 30-Day Trade Volume (BUSD) | Maker/Taker |
0 | Less than 1,000,000 | 0.10%/0.10% |
1 | 1,000,000 to 4,999,999 and at least 25 BNB | 0.09%/0.10% |
2 | 5,000,000 to 19,999,999 and at least 100 BNB | 0.08% / 0.10% |
3 | Between 20,000,000 and 119,999.999, with at least 250 BNB | 0.07% / 0.10% |
4 | 120,000,000 to 199,999,999 and at least 500 BNB | 0.07% / 0.09% |
5 | Between 200,000,000 and 499,999.999 and at most 1,000 BNB | 0.06% / 0.08% |
6 | 500,000,000 to 99,999,999999 and at most 1,750 BNB | 0.05% / 0.07% |
7 | Between 1,000,000,000 and 2,499,999.999999 and at most 3,000 BNB | 0.04% / 0.06% |
8 | Between 2,500,000,000 and 4,999,999.999999999 with at least 4,500 BNB | 0.03% / 0.05% |
9 | More than 5,000,000,000 and at least 5,500 BNB | 0.02% / 0.04% |
Security
Since Binance handles multiple sensitive and high stakes data, and it should be expected that the platform has good and robust security measures to protect its assets as well as their client base.
Binance offers two-factor authentication via the Google Authenticator app, or a short message service for customers. It uses address whitelisting, device administration, and the ability restrict device access.
Binance claims that it has its own insurance fund. Binance stores 10% of trading fees in a safe fund. This is meant to cover any losses from hacking, an incident that Binance is familiar with (more on that later).
Although this insurance does not provide the same protection as third-party insurance, it can give some protection.
Binance also keeps its most important security feature, its funds, offline, in cold storage. This is to avoid any contact with hackers.
Customers should be cautious about Binance, however, as it has a poor track record in security. The platform was hacked in early 2019 for $40 million in BTC. It also suffered another major hack in October 2022, this time costing them $570 million in BNB.
There is a silver lining to this. Sometimes, it would be more beneficial for exchanges to experience these incidents so that they can determine which part of their security to fix. As for the customer side, at least they can see how the platform handles themselves and their customer base whenever these cases happen.
Binance quickly responded to the hack and reimbursed all those affected through their Secure Asset Fund for Users. This cold storage wallet keeps enough capital to cover users’ losses.
Customer Service
In terms of customer support, Binance offers three basic options. You have three options for customer support: submit a ticket, chat with a representative, or reach out via Twitter.
To obtain tickets, you simply need to complete a form on Binance’s website. You will be able to get email assistance by submitting a ticket.
For support, all you need to do is tag or mention Binance (@BinanceHelpDesk). Because it is more visible, Binance encourages users to tweet about their problems through this channel.
Lastly, Binance has a chat box on the bottom right corner of the support screen if you want a more direct approach. You can access this on the Binance website.
> > Click Here to Sign Up and Get 100 USDT Trading Fee Rebate < <
Binance Pros and Cons
Pros
- Low fees
One of the reasons why Binance is among the top choices for crypto exchanges is its low fees. This is no surprise. After all, if a platform asks for lower fees, crypto traders and investors get to keep more of their investments and earnings to themselves.
- Ability to earn passive income in many ways.
Whoever does not want to earn passive income. Binance offers many opportunities to make passive income. It’s like being paid for nothing. These opportunities come with inherent risks. These opportunities are not for the weak-hearted. Binance Chain
- Wide selection of Cryptocurrencies: From Bitcoin to Dogecoin and Etherium, there is no shortage of cryptocurrency you can buy from Binance. With the addition of cryptos such as Fish (FISH) or Fanverse (FT), that number is increasing.
The platform even has its crypto in the form of BNB. This allows crypto investors and traders flexibility in making their selections.
- Advanced Trading Tools
A trading platform will only be as good as the tools it provides its users. In the case of Binance, it gives users enough tools for a more flexible trading experience. Investors and traders will have no trouble trading on the platform.
- There are many ways to deposit money
You cannot start trading if you have no money at stake. Binance makes it easier to start crypto trading by making it easy to deposit funds through its many ways.
- Flexible Order Types and Trading Options
Bear in mind, trading is like a gamble. While assets and stocks may be worth a lot right now, you never know when they will lose value. Binance, one of the best trading platforms, should allow users to trade in any way they like. Binance Chain
Cons
- Platform can seem overwhelming to beginners.
Multiple options and advanced tools can be a bad thing. A multitude of choices can overwhelm beginners and make it difficult to choose from. Binance’s numerous options can even be intimidating to some traders who are more experienced.
- Issues with Regulation in many countries
Binance has been faced with numerous legal and regulatory issues. This is a major issue that many investors are considering switching to other exchanges.
Despite this, the platform is working hard to resolve these regulatory issues.
- It is not available in the United States
Due to issues with the United States regulatory bodies, Binance was somewhat banned in the country. Binance U.S. was created by the parent company to provide a U.S-exclusive version.
Binance U.S. has a smaller selection than the original Binance. It is not available in certain states, such as New York and Vermont.
- No built-in digital wallet available
Many popular cryptocurrency exchange platforms include their digital wallets as part of the platform. Binance doesn’t have one. Instead, it recommends Trust Wallet, a third-party service. While it has a good reputation, there might be issues as they can only offer limited support Binance Chain
Binance Last Thoughts
Let me begin by saying that I’m a complete beginner when it comes crypto. My knowledge is based on a few YouTube videos, articles here and there, as well as some Reddit threads.
Binance was the best platform for me because it charges very low fees. I joined cryptocurrency to find out what all the fuss was about. I am not planning to take this seriously (yet).
Creating my account from scratch and verifying it took no time. In a matter of minutes I was able to view the UI and all the features offered by the platform. And here is what I have to say…..
So with confidence, I can honestly back the opinion that Binance is not beginner friendly. Binance presented me with a lot of options that were overwhelming and intimidating. I had to get a friend to teach me what all the stuff was all about.
With his assistance, and some tutorials from Binance Support, it was easy to get my bearings and start trading. Although it is still confusing at times, I am slowly getting the hang of trading.
Right now, I hope I bet on the right horse, not the wrong one.
> > Click Here to Sign Up and Get 100 USDT Trading Fee Rebate < <
Common Questions about Binance Binance Chain
Binance is safe?
Yes, it is safe, but it does not have a good track record.
Binance does have its own security measures, but it has been hacked twice. The company did beef up its security, but in the end, time will judge if these security measures can survive attacks.
How do you decide if Binance is right for you?
It is hard to determine which platform is right for your needs until you have read the reviews and tried the services for yourself.
You may find Binance a good fit for you, if you:
- You are not a newbie in crypto trading, and you have intermediate to the advanced crypto trading experience.
- You want a service that charges low fees and carries many currencies.
- You are looking for a service with many advanced features.
- An institutional trader is one with a high net worth.
- You live outside the U.S.
Does Bianance Offer FOREX Trading?
Binance doesn’t offer Forex trading (Foreign Exchange Trading) traditional Forex.
It lacks the currency pairing required to join FOREX. To enter FOREX-only exchanges, a company needs access to thousands. This is quite a distance from Binance which has only 50 currency pairs.
Does Binance Offer CFD Trading?
Unlike FOREX trading, Binance does offer CFD (Contracts for Difference) trading.
They are still controversial in crypto, and many prefer native assets. Unlike CFD’s, these assets can easily be withdrawn to a personal wallet. That said, CFDs do have their advantage. They can be extremely liquid.