Gate.io

Note: Gate.io DOES accept customers from USA (excluding the states of Washington & New York), Canada and Japan. However, only spot trading is allowed, and only mainnet cryptocurrencies. No tokens, no margin or futures trading.

Introduction to Gate.io

Owned by the China-based company Gate Technology Inc., Gate.io has been in the cryptocurrency exchange business for over seven and a half years, having learned a thing or two about how to run a smooth operation and gain user trust along the way. They currently support a listing of over 180 coins and tokens, resulting in about 450 trading pairs; many of which cannot be found on other exchanges of similar size. According to CoinMarketCap.com, these numbers place them in the #10 position according to number of trading pairs offered, splitting about 6,300 BTC worth of trades per day among them.

Why choose Gate.io?

If you are an experienced trader who is looking to trade altcoins that can’t otherwise be found on exchanges with a good degree of reputation, Gate.io is definitely a worthy choice. They are known for being a competent, trustworthy operation and have stood the tests of time when many others have failed.

Gate.io offers several different types of trading options to most customers, as well as a lending program and a good collection of educational/informational resources. There are bigger and flashier exchanges out there, to be certain, but for trading that one coin which just doesn’t seem to be listed on any other notable exchanges, Gate.io is a dependable, go-to operation that knows how to treat their customers right.

Brief history of Gate.io

Launched as China’s first altcoin exchange, Gate.io (formally known as Bter) opened for business in January 2013, making them one of the very oldest of all altcoins exchanges still in operation. By 2014, not only did they support an unprecedented number of altcoins but they also developed one of the first altcoin exchange mobile trading apps as well. In 2015, they were famously the victims of a 7,000 BTC hack, though they eventually managed to repay all customers affected by the hacking.

In 2017, after China placed a ban on fiat/crypto trading, the exchange rebranded their operation from Bter to Gate.io, steadily appearing in the top 30 cryptocurrency exchanges by trading volume every year since. In 2019, they raised $64 million in funding to build a next-generation decentralized exchange and launched and IEO startup platform. Though unregulated, Gate.io has developed a reputation for being a safe and fair exchange and is used by hundreds of thousands of traders worldwide.

Basics of getting started

Gate.io accepts registrations from all around the world with the exception of the following:

• Washington & New York State (U.S.A)
• Cuba
• Iran
• North Korea
• Sudan
• Syria
• Pakistan
• Venezuela
• Crimea

How to register an account at Gate.io

It is relatively simple to register a new account at Gate.io, and only requires that customers provide their nationality and email address. You will also need to create a username, password, and fund password (this will allow you to make trades and move funds off the exchange). After the information has been entered, you will be asked to confirm your email address by clicking on the link in the email sent to it by Gate.io. Upon finishing this step, your account will have been created.

In order to use Gate.io you will need to complete at least the first part of the account verification process, as well as set up a 2-FA code either via SMS or Google Authenticator.

How to get verified on Gate.io

After creating an account, you will notice 2 colored tabs at the bottom of your screen. The first one says “Please register real name first before proceeding”. Click on this tab to begin the verification process. Gate.io accepts 3 types of ID for KYC purposes: national ID, passport, and driver’s license. Click on the tab of the ID you will be submitting. You will need to upload a picture of the ID as well as a selfie with you holding the ID along with a piece of paper that clearly displays your Gate.io ID number on it (this can be found on the screen right above the ID type selection tabs).

For the second step, you will need to enter your full name twice and your ID document number (driver’s license, state ID or passport number). After entering this info, press “Confirm and Submit”, and your documents will be verified using an automated verification process. This step can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours to complete.

Pictures of documents are easily rejected as not being clear enough to read, so it is recommended that you take photos of your documents with a high-resolution camera and in a well-lit area. It’s therefore a good idea to check back regularly (within half an hour or an hour) after uploading your document pictures to see if they have been accepted or not.

After successful verification, the next step is to click on the green bar at the bottom of the screen that says “You must enable one time password (TOTP) or added your phone number”. Under the words “Two-factor authentication”, click the red button that says “Click here”. It is possible to use a text message from your phone for 2-FA purposes, but recommended that to download Google Authenticator for your Android or iOS device instead.

After scanning the QR code with Google Authenticator, be sure to save your 2-FA key somewhere as you will need it to get into your account should you lose access to your mobile device. You will be required to not only enter the TOTP (2-FA) code from Authenticator but also your fund password and an email code in order to enable 2-FA for your account.

How to make a deposit on Gate.io

Gate.io is a cryptocurrency-only exchange, which means there are no fiat deposit options. You will need to deposit cryptocurrency in order to fund your account. To access the deposit options, click on the “Account Settings” menu item toward the upper-right corner of the screen and then click the “Deposit/Withdrawal” option. Next, find the coin which you wish to deposit and click the “Deposit” button to the right of its name. This will show you the deposit address for the coin which you are depositing.

The minimum deposit for Bitcoin is 0.0001 BTC, and 2 confirmations are required before the deposit amount is reflected in your balance. Other coins have differing amounts of confirmations based on the strength of their network security (hash rate).

How to trade on Gate.io

There are a few different types of trading options on Gate.io, including Spot, Margin, and Leverage. Trading options are limited in some jurisdictions, with customers in the U.S., for example, only being allowed to conduct Spot trading. Here we explain the different types of trading.

• Spot Trading. This is the basic type of trade: converting coins from one into another. In addition to the usual Market and Limit trades, users can also place what are called Time Condition Orders which are trades that can be triggered at set times or time intervals, only being executed when certain conditions are met. Additional types of orders include Price Condition Orders, Cyclical Orders, and Trailing Reversal Orders.
• Margin Trading. This type of trading allows you to borrow coins or tokens (for a fee) and trade them on the exchange at a margin. This means that, while the size of your trade is amplified (leveraged), you run the risk of liquidating your collateral if the market should move too far in an unfavorable direction.
• Leverage Trading. This type of trading allows you to trade what are called Perpetual Contracts on Gate.io, which can be traded with far more leverage than Margin Trading. With perpetual contracts, you are not trading the coin itself (leveraged products cannot be withdrawn from Gate.io), but rather placing a bet that the market will move up (long position) or down (short position).
• Derivatives. Like Perpetual Contracts, these are trading instruments which do not correspond with a withdraw-able coin or token but rather are products developed by Gate.io to reflect changes in the price movement of baskets of coins or other metrics related to cryptocurrency, such as volatility. An example of a Derivative is any one of Gate.io’s cryptocurrency-based ETFs which can have leverage built into them.

The Gate.io trading screen is divided into 3 columns, with coin pairings displayed in the left column, an expandable chart with an order entry screen and balance list in the middle column, and the order book and recent trades list in the right column. The trading screen is a little basic compared to many other exchanges and non-adjustable; however, it does offer 2 different dark mode settings and 3 different chart display options (Professional, Simple, and Depth).

To make a trade, go down to the order entry screen, type in the amount of coins you wish to buy (or sell) and the price you wish to buy (or sell) it at. The total amount of coins being spent will be displayed underneath. If you are satisfied, simply hit the “Buy” (or “Sell”) button and your order will be placed after entering your trading password to confirm that you want to make an order.

One of the interesting features that Gate.io offers is the ability to view activity on other exchanges for the trade pair you are currently viewing so you can see what kind of a price you are getting relative to other exchanges. The right column is set to display the order book by default, but it has 3 tabs; the other 2 representing Global Markets (trade pair activity on other exchanges) and News (recent cryptocurrency news items as curated by Gate.io).

Overview of supported coins

Gate.io offers over 180 cryptocurrencies and 450 trading pairs across 5 different base coins, though pair options are severely limited in some jurisdictions. The base coins which all other cryptocurrencies are paired with include USDT, BTC, ETH, PAX and QTUM. While the number of coins and tokens supported by Gate.io is too large to list in its entirety, some of the most popular trading pairs by daily volume include:

• BTC/USDT
• ETH/USDT
• EOS/USDT
• LTC/USDT
• BCH/USDT
• BSV/USDT
• GT/USDT
• XRP/USDT
• BTM/USDT
• ZEC/USDT

Some of the smaller cap coins trading against USDT which still have a relatively high amount of volume and usually can’t be found on exchanges of comparable size include:

• MovieBloc (MBL)
• Polkadot (DOT)
• Filecoin (FIL)
• KardiaChain (KAI)
• Super Zero Protocol (SERO)
• Hashgard (GARD)
• Aave (LEND)
• Klaytn (KLAY)
• Meter (MTRG)
• Grin (GRIN)

Gate.io trading fees

Gate.io uses a tiered fee system based on VIP levels. For regular trading markets, both maker (limit order) and taker (market order) fees are 0.2% at the VIP 0 level (entry level). If you trade more than 3 BTC a month and hold 40 or more Gatechain Token (GT, Gate.io’s utility token), fees are discounted to 0.185% for maker fees and 0.195% for taker fees. You can also become eligible for this VIP level by simply holding 100 or more GT. The fee tier continues all the way to VIP 16, with the last 2 levels offering negative fees for maker orders.

You can also use GT to pay for fee discounts when making a trade by simply activating this option from the trading screen before making a trade.

Futures trading fees are set at a flat -0.025% maker fee and 0.075% taker fee.

How to make a withdrawal

Similar to making a deposit, the withdraw function can be found by accessing the “Account Settings” menu option and then pressing the “Deposit/Withdrawal” option. Withdrawals can also be made from the trading screen, located in your balance list below the order entry screen. After confirming the withdrawal amount and destination, you will be asked to enter in your trading password and a 2-FA code, which is dependent on how your 2-FA is currently configured.

Withdrawal fees on Gate.io are pretty fair compared to industry standards. Bitcoin has a withdrawal fee of 0.0005 BTC and Ethereum has a withdrawal fee of 0.005 ETH. Most other coins have significantly less expensive withdrawal fees. There is a daily withdrawal limit of 100 BTC and 3,000 ETH.

Security

Although they have been the victims of a few successful hacking attempts over the years, Gate.io is considered to be a very reliable and trustworthy exchange. They take the security of its users very seriously, insisting that every account use 2-FA (through email at first; can be changed to phone SMS or Google Auth through Security settings later). They also present a warning upon each login to remind you to be sure you are logging in to the correct website and not a phishing/impostor website. Other security features used by Gate.io include:

• Login Verification Setup. When activated, requires that both an email code and a 2-FA code are entered in order to log in.
• Email Setup. Activate to require an email code during login, withdraw, and/or to change security settings.
• Anti-Phishing Code. When set up, adds a special user-defined code to be included in all emails sent by Gate.io. This makes it easier to identify emails sent by scammers posing as Gate.io.
• Security Logs. Here, the IP addresses of all prior logins to your account can be viewed.

Gate.io mobile app

Gate.io has a mobile app for both Android and iOS devices. It allows users to access most of the functions available on the regular browser version of the exchange, including placing spot trades, margin trades, and even futures trades. It is even possible to perform the KYC procedure directly through the app, meaning owning a computer is not necessary to sign up for and use Gate.io. The app has generally favorable reviews across both versions and is considered to be one of the most reliable trading apps.

Benefits of Gate.io (over competitors)

• Dependable, reputable exchange that readily processes deposits and withdrawals.
• Large number of cryptocurrencies and trading pairs.
• Incorporates several trading options like margin/leverage and derivatives trading.

Limitations of Gate.io

• Strict KYC requirements for all users which can be an arduous process.
• Severe limitation of trading options for users in some areas.
• No support for fiat options.

Wrapping it up

Although not as famous or highly trafficked as some of the bigger exchanges, Gate.io is a dependable option when it comes to trading top or mid tier cryptocurrencies. They are about as trustworthy as a largely unregulated and unlicensed exchange can get. The KYC process is required for all users and can be downright frustrating to complete, but after getting past it the exchange offers a more-than-decent crypto trading experience.

In all, there are a few things about Gate.io that could be better, such as presenting a more fine-tuned trading screen and making the trading process a bit more intuitive. It’s certainly not a recommended exchange for novices, but for those with a little experience under their belt who are looking for an array of multiple trading options all under one roof, Gate.io is a worthy utility to have in a crypto trader’s arsenal.