Binance Review 2023: Pros, Cons and How to Start Trading on Binance

[Rony Khan]

In early 2009, an anonymous internet persona named Satoshi Nakamoto notified users of a well-known forum community that he had launched a new kind of peer-to-peer currency. Using blockchain technology, this new currency provided for the near-instant and permissionless transfer of value anywhere on Earth without needing a third party. This new magic internet money that we call Bitcoin became the foundation of an entirely new asset class and spawned a multi-trillion dollar cryptocurrency industry. In 2017, nearly a decade after the Bitcoin network was launched, Changpeng Zhao founded Binance.

This Binance review will examine the pros and cons of one of the top cryptocurrency exchanges in the world today. Let's get started.

What is Binance
Domiciled in the Cayman Islands, Binance is one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges on Earth. At the time of writing, the Binance exchange boasts over 500 cryptocurrencies available to trade at some of the most competitive prices on the market. Amongst these is their cryptocurrency, Binance Coin (BNB). The wide selection of features, the advanced trading platform, and the many transactions supported make Binance one of the best cryptocurrency exchanges.

Pros
Wide Selection - Binance has one of the widest selections of cryptocurrencies in the world. Their platform offers users over 500 currencies to purchase.

Transaction Types - Unlike most exchanges, Binance is not just a trading platform. Users can access sophisticated transactions and tools, including margin trading, trailing stop-losses, and peer-to-peer trading.

Platform - The comprehensiveness of Binance's platform is designed for the highest levels of trading and offers its users access to financial instruments such as options, advanced charting tools, and the best technical indicators available.

Cons
Difficult to use - Due to the sophisticated nature of the platform, Binance can be overwhelming to investors who are new to the cryptocurrency market. Even individuals with experience with other exchanges may find it challenging to navigate through the Binance exchange.

Regulation - Binance is far from the most regulated exchange on the market. Investors looking to prioritize safety and regulations over sophistication and access to more complex trading mechanics may wish to steer clear of the Binance exchange.

Binance is one of the top crypto exchanges in the world, alongside Kraken. To learn more about Kraken, read our review.

Is Binance Safe and Reliable?
One only needs to Google "cryptocurrency hack" to see untold numbers of people who have had their cryptocurrencies stolen over the last ten years. With horror stories like the Mt Gox saga still scaring into the psyches of veteran cryptocurrency investors, it is a foregone conclusion that the question on every investor's mind will be, "Is Binance safe"?.

On May 7th, 2019, Binance experienced a major hack involving over 7000 Bitcoins stolen from the exchange. Since then, Binance has spared no expense regarding safety and security on the platform. They now offer users various services to help secure their accounts, including using 2-factor authentication.

Other security features include I.P. address and device whitelisting, cold storage, and its new Safe Asset Fund for Users (SAFU). While no exchange can guarantee against any breach in security, with Binance's broad security features, it is highly unlikely that your cryptocurrency investments will be at risk on the platform.

Users should know that financial regulators do not regulate Binance in major jurisdictions, including the U.K. and the United States. Users wishing to invest their capital with regulated exchanges should consider alternative exchanges.

Binance Review: Platform & Features
For regulatory reasons, there are two versions of Binance. One version is designed for users in the United States, and the other is intended for users in other countries. Due to these regulatory restrictions, the U.S........ version of the platform has a far more limited range of functionality than its counterpart. It is not available in multiple states, including New York. This Binance review will focus on the platform and features of Binance outside the U.S.

Like most exchanges in the digital age, Binance divides its services between its desktop platform and Binance app. Their Binance app is suitable for investors of various skill levels. They have included a "lite" feature that simplifies the user interface making the app much easier for novice investors. This site functionality counteracts an essential criticism of Binance's exchange: it is too complex for new investors to navigate.

The Binance exchange accepts multiple payment methods, supports a range of fiat currencies, and offers several options for transferring funds into/out of your account. These include bank transfers, SEPA, wire transfers, and cash deposits.

If you are interested in trading cryptocurrencies, the Binance exchange also provides one of the most sophisticated and cutting-edge platforms. Their comprehensive range of trading tools, indicators, and chart options thoroughly equips traders with the necessary resources.

Finally, Binance has followed other major exchanges by breaking into the borrowing and lending markets, allowing you to earn interest on your cryptocurrencies. They offer up to 7% APY on selected coins you store using the Binance wallet.

Binance Loans
You can also borrow money on Binance.

Binance loans offer a seamless and efficient way to borrow money on Binance using your cryptocurrency holdings. This dynamic financial service enables users to leverage their assets and gain access to additional capital by providing collateral in the form of digital currencies. By offering a diverse range of loan options and competitive interest rates, Binance loans cater to the varying needs of its users, empowering them to maximize their investment potential and financial flexibility.

To borrow money on Binance, select the desired loan product that best suits your requirements. Binance offers a wide array of loan options, including:

fixed-term loans
flexible loans
Binance Liquid Swap loans
Fixed-term loans give users a predetermined loan term, interest rate, and repayment schedule. In contrast, flexible loans allow users to repay the loan anytime without incurring additional fees. Lastly, Binance Liquid Swap loans allow you to borrow stablecoins against your cryptocurrency holdings, leveraging the platform's liquidity.

Users must deposit their collateral as supported cryptocurrencies upon selecting the appropriate loan product. Binance currently offers an extensive list of cryptocurrencies that can be used as collateral, including popular digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Binance Coin (BNB), and Binance USD (BUSD), among others. Once the collateral has been deposited and the loan terms have been agreed upon, the user can borrow money on Binance, with the loan amount being disbursed to their account almost instantly.

Binance loans employ a robust risk management system, ensuring the users' collateral remains protected throughout the loan tenure. This system monitors the Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio. It triggers a margin call or liquidation event if the LTV exceeds a predetermined threshold, safeguarding the interests of both the borrower and the platform.

Binance Review: Fees & Commissions
Binance trading fees are some of the most competitive in the industry. Currently, it does not charge a deposit fee, and the Binance withdrawal fee is a flat fee paid by users to cover the transaction costs of moving the cryptocurrency out of their Binance account. The specific price you pay to withdraw your cryptocurrency from the Binance exchange will fluctuate depending on the blockchain network you are withdrawing from, as well as the level of congestion that the network is experiencing at the time of the withdrawal.

Here are some of the Binance fees:

Trading Fees - 0.02-0.10% per trade
Debit/Credit Card Fees - 3-4.5%
Wire Transfer Fee - $15
Crypto Conversion - N/A
Other Fees - 0.50% Instant Buy/Sell
As you can see, the Binance exchange is significantly cheaper than other platforms. Although users of Binance US will pay slightly, their fees will still be substantially cheaper than if they were to use other leading brokers.

What can you trade on Binance?
Binance has one of the most comprehensive ranges of cryptocurrencies in the industry. They currently offer over 500 different cryptocurrencies and a wide selection of financial instruments to trade these currencies. Let's take a look at some of their most popular products.

Cryptocurrencies - Binance boasts one of the most impressive altcoin lists globally, with over 500 altcoins available to be purchased through their exchange. With a list of currencies that long, you can find even the most exotic cryptocurrencies available to trade on the exchange. Check out our article on how to buy altcoins on Binance in just a few easy steps.

Futures - The Binance exchange is one of the few that offers instruments of this level of sophistication.

Derivatives -  Various derivative contracts are also available on the Binance exchange.

Due to regulatory pressures from various European jurisdictions, Binance has decided to wind down its futures and derivatives products in most of Europe. This includes the U.K., Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands.

Besides these, Binance also opened its NFT marketplace, where you can trade such products or even give them as gifts.

How to Open Your Binance Account
The account opening process with Binance has become extremely streamlined and should take no longer than one business day to complete. To begin, head over to the exchange's website. 

On their homepage, you will see the option to "Register Now." Select this option to begin registering an account with Binance.

You will have the option to register either with a mobile number or email. Once you have done that, you will be asked to verify either option by entering the code via email or text, depending on which one you used.

Once you complete this step, you must verify your identities to use the Binance exchange. You must send a copy of basic identity documents such as passports/IDs to do this. Cards and comply with a facial recognition scan. Suppose you need extra help complying with the intermediate verification; an instructional video can be found in the top right-hand corner of the screen.

Learning how to use Binance can be quite an overwhelming experience. Before we move on, let's quickly look at how to deposit and withdraw from Binance.

To deposit funds into your Binance account, select the "buy crypto" option on the top left-hand side of the screen and then select "card deposit." Alternatively, deposits can be made by selecting the "wallet" option on the top left-hand side of the screen.

To withdraw funds from your Binance account, select the "wallet" option on the top left-hand side of the screen and then select "Fiat and Spot." On this page, you can withdraw your funds to your preferred bank account and in your selected currency.

How to Trade Crypto on Binance
No Binance review would be complete without discussing how to trade on Binance. Let's look at how to buy Binance coin (BNB) and how we can trade it on the platform. As you can see below, we have several options, including Binance margin trading and the more advanced trading tools. For this Binance review, let's select the "Classic" option.

Once selected, you will be presented with the Binance trading station. For those of you who are new to trading, the trader workstation may prove to be quite formidable. You can select the currency pair you wish to trade from the search bar in the top left-hand corner of the screen. In the top right corner, you can see that we are trading BNB/BTC (Binance Coin/Bitcoin).

The buy/sell functions are just below the price/volume charts on the screen. You will be able to enter your trades using these two options. You should practice your trading strategies with small capital before progressing to larger trades/margin trading.

BNB - The Binance Coin
Binance Coin (or BNB) is a cryptocurrency created by Binance in 2017. It is based on the Ethereum blockchain and uses the ERC20 token standard. You can use Binance Coin to pay fees on the Binance exchange and trade various cryptocurrencies. The Binance coin is an important part of the Binance ecosystem and has several benefits for exchange users. For example, holding Binance coins gives users a discount on trading fees. In addition, you can use BNB to pay for goods and services on the Binance platform. The price of Binance coin has grown significantly since it was first listed on exchanges in 2017 Betano aplicație. It is currently one of the top 10 largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Given its utility on the Binance platform and growing popularity, BNB is an important cryptocurrency.

Binance Customer Support
Binance offers three options for customer support: reaching out Via Twitter, asking basic questions through chat, or submitting a ticket. Fill in the form on their website to submit a ticket and get email assistance.

Conclusion
Despite their regulatory challenges, their low fees, diverse offerings, and advanced trading platform ensure that the Binance exchange remains a top contender for most cryptocurrency traders. However, if you don't think it's a good fit for you, check out these Binance alternatives.

If you enjoyed this Binance review and want more information on the best cryptocurrency exchanges, follow the link below to check out our comparison page!