Top Crypto Exchanges 2021: CEX, DEX & Derivatives

As the crypto markets go through wild bull cycles, posting lucrative returns, everybody wants to jump in and get a piece of the action. The common question for investors is “Where do I buy cryptocurrency such as bitcoin (BTC) and trade it?” While seasoned traders and crypto investors know where to go, the newbies are simply lost in choices and features available.

Ranging from Centralized (CEX), Derivatives, and Decentralized exchanges (DEX), we look at the vast array of top-quality exchanges that are worth keeping an eye on, in the future.

The list includes a variety of exchanges, all with their dynamic offerings ranging from wallets, mobile applications, centralized and decentralized offerings.

1. Uniswap

Uniswap is the largest decentralized exchange in the world is currently doing $1.2 billion in daily volume. Uniswap offers a simple decentralized platform for users to exchange any ERC-20 token on the market between one another. One of the major drawbacks currently is the gas fees of the ERC-20 transactions. However, Uniswap is looking at improvements by offering lower latency, faster settlement and cheaper transactions. The exchange also airdropped the existing users of the exchange with 400 UNI, currently valued at around $9,000. Uniswap is likely to remain the most favored decentralized exchange of choice with transactions on the exchange accounting for 25% of all Ethereum (ETH) network transactions.

2. Binance

Binance is well known for being an easy to use centralized exchange. Binance exchange has risen to prominence during the 2017-2018 bull run favored for spot and derivatives trading. Binance boasts a staggering $27 billion in daily volume. No other exchange even inches close to this volume of trading activity.

The exchange offers several fiat on-ramps to fund accounts, as well as offering over 275 cryptocurrencies to trade. Binance remains the largest cryptocurrency exchange on the crypto market for the foreseeable future.

3. SushiSwap

Upcoming decentralized exchange SushiSwap is another popular exchange to watch out for in 2021 with $446 million in daily volume. The exchange has grown in popularity as users seek to move off of centralized exchanges. SushiSwap also offers yield farming, a form of generating interest through staking of crypto assets. The DeFi enthusiasts also favor the new exchange which looks to rival Uniswap.

4. Coinbase

Coinbase, founded in 2012, is the most popular exchange in North America, Among, the oldest exchanges in its kind, Coinbase boasts over 43 million verified users in 100 countries. Coinbase currently handles over $5.7 billion in daily volume. Featuring over 44 cryptocurrencies, the exchange has remained a vital gateway for Americans to access the cryptocurrency space. Coinbase offers fiat gateways for ease of use. As a huge plus, the exchange is insurance-backed.

5. Currency.com

Currency.com is probably the only fully-regulated Cryptocurrency exchange on the market. It offers over 150 Crypto assets for trading and is known for being one of the most reliable exchanges to trade on due to advanced charting and leverage options, instant price alerts, safety through guaranteed stop-losses and comprehensive 24/7 customer support. Currency.com provides an easy-to-use, award-winning platform that makes it simple for traders of all experience levels to complete trades. They provide extensive Credit and Debit card support, allowing for easier FIAT on-ramping and trading pairs in the top assets available in the Crypto market.

6. FTX

FTX is a newcomer yet managing around $7 billion in daily trading volume. It focuses on trading of derivatives and is quickly growing in popularity. Pitched around as a cryptocurrency exchange built by traders for traders the exchange does not fail to deliver. FTX currently offers derivatives, spot, prediction, volatility, and even recently adding stock markets to their exchange. The exchange also features an over-the-counter (OTC) for whales who need fast settlement with zero fees and tight spreads. FTX also features a well-designed mobile app for all platforms.

7. Bittrex

As an old player, Bittrex is well known for being the most popular exchange even before the bull market that saw bitcoin hit $20,000. Bittrex unfortunately could not keep up with the trading volumes, and Binance moved in to capture a piece of their market space. Bittrex offers a huge array of cryptocurrencies, approximately 315 different coins to trade on the globe exchange. Bittrex is also available on iOS and Android.

8. eToro

As pioneers in social trading and multi-asset brokerage, eToro now even offers a crypto-specialized exchange in the form of eToroX. eToroX offers professional crypto services for corporate and institutional grade crypto traders. The popular exchange is currently doing over $467 million in daily volume on eToroX.

9. Stormgain

As a rather late entry, Stormgain has grown in popularity recently for its leverage trading. Stormgain has over 120,000 in user base, facilitating exchange, trade, and storage of top cryptocurrencies. Users can purchase cryptocurrencies using a credit card or bank transfer. Stormgain is favored for its leverage trading which offers 200x leverage for those looking to profit from risks. The exchange also features a mobile app for android, iOS, and Huawei.

10. Crypto.com

Crypto.com is a centralized exchange started out with an initial coin offering (ICO) in 2017. The project has come a long way since its ICO, now offering an exchange, a debit card service, a crypto payments solution, as well as a decentralized finance (DeFi) wallet. Crypto.com now oversees roughly $284 million in daily volume and offers a mobile application for iOS and Android to manage user funds for exchange or for card spending.

11. Changelly

Changelly, founded in 2015, in the role of a non-custodial exchange enables exchanging cryptocurrencies without users’ funds sitting on it. Users can exchange over 150 cryptocurrencies, through the Changelly website or mobile apps available on Android and iOS. Changelly sees over a million visitors monthly

2021 looks to be a huge year for the cryptocurrency industry. The exchanges listed above will offer any seasoned crypto trader or newcomer to the market some of the best options for buying, trading, or holding cryptocurrency.