Cryptoplanetry

  An exchange that dates back to the colorful  early days of cryptocurrency, U.S.-based Poloniex has had a long journey to its current version. Acquired in a $400 million deal by Goldman Sachs-backed   Circle   in Feb. 2018, it does not allow users to trade government currencies for cryptocurrency. But while less appealing for beginners today, early on it was the main differentiator for the exchange. Not only was Poloniex one of the first to offer crypto-to-crypto trading, it made a business out of quickly adding any and all cryptocurrencies for more seasoned traders. During that time it also established a reputation as an honest business, but ended up losting 12 percent of its bitcoins in a 2014 hack, only to repay customers in full later that year.  Today, Poloniex is part of a broader plan by Circle to enter the more regulated cryptocurrency exchange market that also includes Gemini, Coinbase and itBit. How does it stack up on usability? Let’s dive ...

  Kraken is one of the world’s oldest and best-known cryptocurrency exchanges and has built upon its reputation for both security and as a leader in bitcoin to euro trading volume. Founded by Jesse Powell in July 2011, the exchange offers 47 market pairs with seven base currencies ranging from the US dollar to the British Pound. Kraken is also one of the few cryptocurrency exchanges to offer both margin lending with up to 5x leverage on trades and futures trading to US-based customer. At this time,  international users  can partake in margin lending but do not have the ability to participate in the futures market. Now, let’s dive into how you can facilitate a trade on Kraken in a step-by-step process. Signing up On the  Kraken  landing page, in the top right corner, you will find the “create account” link tab which will request some general information including your email address and a desired password. Enter your details and await the confirmation link to be s...

  Founded in 2013, Huobi is a Singapore-based global cryptocurrency exchange that has perhaps evolved more than any other major exchange in its time in the market. Meaning “currency” in Mandarin, Huobi today still consistently ranks as one of the world’s top 10 largest exchanges by trade volume. Yet, at times in its history, Huobi was among the very top exchanges in terms of volume, liquidity, and prestige. As part of China’s vaunted “Big 3” crypto exchanges (along with OKCoin and BTCC), the group of companies accounted for nearly 90 percent of bitcoin trading prior to regulatory crackdowns in the country, formerly the industry’s largest and most active market. Not to be deterred, Huobi has shifted its business model to enable more crypto-to-crypto trading, launched services in the U.S. and abroad and is innovating with newer decentralized and peer-to-peer exchange trading models. While it does serve an international clientele, Huobi has a focus on Asian markets...