Kucoin: The People’s Exchange

Kucoin was originally based in China. Following the government crackdown on the mainland on all exchanges, it relocated to Hong Kong and has since seen steady growth. Kucoin’s approach is to list new tokens shortly after their release (including airdrop and bounty tokens). This means it currently lists a few hundred tokens. Most of these are ERC20 but it also has lots of other well-established altcoins (Ripple, Litecoin, EOS, NEO, Monero, OMG). One of the great strengths of Kucoin is how easy it is to use. The interface is fairly simple and users do not have to validate their identities to withdraw 2 BTC or less.

Kucoin is a great place to pick up cheap altcoins. A number of tokens listed on the exchange are worth 5 cents or less (you should do your research before buying anything as not all of these necessarily have huge future potential). This means that newbies and those who don’t hold much crypto can still get in the game.

Arguably, Kucoin also is the best exchange for selling airdrop and bounty tokens. It lists them fast but it is also selective. Kucoin vets projects well and lists those with solid potential (which is not to say they all end up increasing in value).

Kucoin also runs regular promotions that anyone can benefit from. Some of these are simple retweet/airdrop type promotions. I’ve earned $100–150 just from retweeting the odd time from Kucoin’s account. Kucoin also holds regular trading competitions. If you like to day trade or want to give it a try, it’s a good place to start. For those who hold airdrop tokens, these competitions are a great chance to win some more. The features make Kucoin a good choice for new traders, as well as airdrop and bounty hunters.

Coinsquare: Canada’s Home for Digital Currency

In some ways, Coinsquare is the opposite of Kucoin. Coinsquare gears itself to two groups: 1) new traders 2) crypto traders with large holdings and investment capital. Coinsquare isn’t a brand new exchange (it’s been around for a few years) and what makes it unique is that users can fund their accounts using fiat Canadian currency. Other funding options are BTC, ETH, LTC, DOGE, DASH, BCH and XRP. Like Kucoin, Coinsquare is a good exchange for beginners because it is simple and easy to use. The interface is intuitive and the relatively small number of listed coins make it very easy to get started. Coinsquare also has a nice referral program.

Coinsquare differs from Kucoin in that it offers services and specialized options for large investors. It recently started a “Wealth” program that includes reduced fees, rapid withdrawals, over-the-counter trading, and personalized customer service. “Coinsquare Capital Markets” is an institutional portal that provides access to proprietary trading technology, along with an in-house designed and built order management system. “Coin Capital Investment Management Inc.” offers other types of investment products focused on technologies including blockchain, digital currencies, AI, and robotics.

Large investors will like the fact that Coinsquare has a 95% cold storage policy. Its system has been stress tested and DDoS tested. Its ledger is managed about 2,346 times per day to track where every coin is at all times. This all makes Coinsquare a very safe place to deposit and trade large amounts of digital assets. It is also a good place for Canadians who want to start an account with Canadian currency.

Profit Sharing

Both Coinsquare and Kucoin have their own in-house token. Kucoin pays out KCS to holders with at least 6 KCS as a portion of daily trading fees collected by the platform. Coinsquare Coin (CSC) is a reward for trading on the platform. You receive an amount of CSC with every trade, which can also be held or sold.

Concluding Thoughts

Both Coinsquare and Kucoin are excellent exchanges that are easy to use. Yet, each is suited to a different type of trader. Coinsquare lists fewer projects than Kucoin but the coins it lists are incredibly solid. It is also a great choice for those who want to fund their accounts with Canadian fiat. Institutional investors, large holders, and those interested investment products focussed on emerging tech will also like Coinsquare.

Kucoin is a good choice for those who are not looking to use fiat to fund their accounts and/or who do not want to send copies of their ID for verification. It’s an excellent place for selling airdrop and bounty tokens. It’s also easy to use, which makes it more appealing than some of the decentralized options. Those who don’t hold much digital currency will like Kucoin as well because it list lots of inexpensive tokens, so you don’t need a lot of funds to start trading.

Disclaimer: Trading digital currency is risky so always do your research before buying and never risk funds you can’t afford to lose. I will receive a small referral bonus if you sign up for Coinsquare or Kucoin using my links.

Originally published in Hacker Noon on August 29, 2018.

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