The Ultimate Gate.io Review

Choosing a cryptocurrency exchange is a challenging endeavor. There are more than enough exchanges to confuse anyone, especially a beginner.  Our Gate.io review is designed to teach you everything you need to know about this exchange, its features, and much more. Read on.

What Is Gate.io

Gate.io is probably the earliest crypto-to-crypto exchange created back in 2013 in China by Lin Han. Rebranded to Gate.io in 2017, it is one of the fastest-growing cryptocurrency exchanges with a leading Initial Exchange Offering (IEO) platform and numerous digital currencies.

It provides a Futures market for margin trading with 10x leverage, perpetual contracts trading, and other advanced financial services like margin lending, borrowing, or participating in period investment plans. You can also invest in IEO’s via its Gate.io Startup platform, perpetual swap contracts, and much more.

Gate.io is a multifaceted exchange, regarded as one of the top trading platforms for crypto. It is currently ranked 27th globally based on traffic, liquidity, and trading volumes of spot markets.  IO review scores #7 in the trust rating on CoinGecko and has a wide selection of trading pairs available worldwide.

It’s an unregulated exchange in terms of its market liquidity and overall exchange volume. As of the moment of writing, the daily trading volume clocked at $1.35 billion. The exchange offers 1965 trading pairs and 949 coins in total.

Gate.io provides a Low Trading Fee System: Supports a flat trading fee of 0.20%, relatively much lower than the global average, i.e., 0.25%. 

It is no longer associated with China and has a registered address in Virginia. It is believed that this unlicensed platform is part of Gate Technology Incorporated.

History

As mentioned, the exchange was launched in 2013 by Lin Han in China. The platform was initially called Bter.com. However, given the instability of the governmental policies towards cryptocurrencies, the creators rebranded the exchange. In 2017 China banned fiat to crypto trading, and Bter.com became Gate.io. 

With rebranding came a change in focus. Gate.io dropped fiat-crypto pairs and focused on crypto-crypto trading, as well as OTC (over-the-counter) trades to stay legal. The exchange is available globally, except for specific regions (People’s Republic of China, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Crimea, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, and two US states: New York and Washington). 

The exchange is currently based in George Town, Kentucky, US.

Key Features

Design and Usability

Simplicity is essential, especially for beginners. The exchange interface has to be legible enough and intuitive for non-professional cryptocurrency traders. Gate.io exchange is relatively easy to navigate. Its faceted design simplifies simultaneous actions. However, beginner traders could find it a bit intimidating. 

The users can keep the trading charts in the middle of the screen while the order book is conveniently presented on the right. Placing orders can be accomplished right beneath the TradingView chart. 

Beginner and Pro Options

The chart itself has several options, from design to professional or beginner mode. The difference is in the details and the availability of displayable indicators.

The search function makes it easy to find different cryptocurrency markets through the exchange interface. Scrolling will also get the job done.

The vast number of features can be overwhelming, but it’s essential to consider the instrumental implementations of the features and their benefits. 

You can also borrow funds, spot and margin trade on the trading platform. 

User Support 

The support feature on the trading platform is efficient and has an option of live chat, making troubleshooting faster and easier for users. Gate.io also features an extensive Support Center designed to answer typical questions and resolve standard issues users face. Users also have the option of direct emailing. According to the platform, its customer support is available 24/7 to accommodate any time zone. 

Availability 

Users will need to go through an account registration to create a Gate.io trading account.  The Gate.io exchange is available both through the website and the app. Users who prefer trading using smartphones can rely on the Gate.io app.  The app provides similar functionality to the desktop trading versions, where traders can enter positions and monitor the trades on the go. 

The app is available for both Android and iOS devices. The latter is accessible for Android and iOS users and downloaded from Android APK, Google Play, or the App Store.

At the moment, the app has over a million downloads, 6,000 reviews, and an overall score of 3.3 on Google Play.  

Safety Review

The main reason behind the 2017 rebranding was a security breach. At the time, 7,000 BTC were stolen by unknown culprits. However, Gate.io claims to have worked hard on improving the user protection level on its platform. Currently, CER ranked Gate.io #8 out of the top 100 exchanges by protection level (a score of 8.5 out of 10).  

The trading platform has several built-in security mechanisms that can protect user accounts. Buy and sell orders are instantaneous, and you can create a fund password to ensure your trades are secured.

 As a user, you can secure your account with:

• two-factor authentication (2FA), using Google Authenticator
• Anti-Phishing code.
• Blind IP logins

Gate.io also safeguards cryptocurrency assets by utilizing both hot and cold wallets, additional fund withdrawal password requirements, login verifications,  and, last but not least, KYC verification.

KYC Verification

KYC  (Know Your Customer) verification generally makes the crypto exchange more secure. Higher deposit accounts in Gate.io must undergo a more extensive customer verification procedure (KYC & KYC2) to get their withdrawals processed immediately. However, bear in mind that despite being one of the top-ranking exchanges by security level, Gate.io is still unregulated. Another disadvantage is that the exchange doesn’t offer Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) protection, which is considered the most secure way to protect against unauthorized access to your account.

To sum up, the platform’s security measures are not the highest available, but it still scores high in the top 100 most secure crypto exchanges.

Getting Started on Gate.io Trading Platform

Before trading on any crypto exchange, traders are strongly advised to consider its safety features and make an informed decision based on it.

With that said, getting started on Gate.io requires signing up, going through verification and KYC, etc. Here is a step-by-step on how to get started:

Sign Up

The signup process is rather intuitive. There is a signup button in the top right corner and a large one in the middle of the screen. What follows is a standard procedure of providing a username, email address, password, etc. After signing up, users will receive an email with a confirmation link. 

It’s IMPORTANT to note that users must choose a separate fund access password after the fund deposit, which has to differ from the initial account password.

Verification 

As already mentioned, verification is the next step following the initial signup. Users don’t have to verify their identity straight away, but it gives traders a smoother and faster experience on the platform. Gate.io requires all verified users to submit their personal information, i.e., government-issued ID, photo, etc.

So let’s go through it step by step:

• Log in again after having confirmed your account through the verification link  
• Upload your ID (passport/driving license) as required. No expired documents will be accepted 
• Upload a photo/selfie
• NOTE that the verification process is not immediate, and it will take somewhere between 30 min and 12 hours 

After the verification is complete, it’s time to deposit funds in your account. 

Fund Deposit 

The first step is complete; you have successfully signed up. What’s next? As mentioned before, Gate.io does not provide financial services involving fiat currencies anymore. To start trading on the platform, users have to deposit funds. The exchange does not accept any other deposit method than cryptocurrencies, so investors new to the crypto community are restricted from trading here. So to start the process, beginners will have to acquire some cryptocurrencies from another exchange first. 

Instead, trading digital assets shouldn’t be an issue for seasoned traders – they can simply transfer funds from a crypto wallet. Gate.io supports a wide variety of tokens, making the process quick and painless.

If users are registered on other cryptocurrency exchanges, they can transfer funds; otherwise, they should register to get a crypto wallet. 

You can successfully deposit funds both through the app and on the website. Simply copy the deposit address, and you’re good to go! The list of supported digital assets can be found under the ‘My Funds’ icon.

Now you are all set for trading!

Trading on Gate.io

One of the perks of Gate.io is the option to choose between Standard and Professional trading, according to the user’s expertise and level of commitment. The standard interface is designed for beginners and aims not to overwhelm them with extensive technical analysis features they don’t need.

With that said, the standard layout includes a TradingView chart, an order entry box, an order profile list, and a trading history. The interface is easy enough to operate.

The TradingView chart comes with standard perks like switching the time frame, shifting from one asset to another, drawing out formations, and applying indicators.

 The professional interface, on the other hand, has various tools for the technical analysis of markets. 

Margin Trading

Margin Trading implies ‘leveraging,’ or simply borrowing funds from the platform itself, unlike Spot trading, where each trader uses only the funds they have to place bets.  Gate.io offers 10x leverage for its clients.

Leveraged trading is a risky business, but many traders prefer it for the higher rewards. 

Leveraged Trading Explained

In a nutshell, this is how leveraging works. If a trader has $10,000 on their account, they can easily place a $100 long bet on Bitcoin (BTC). A long bet is when the trader expects the asset to increase in value, i.e., if it increases by 10%, the trader gets $10. This is low risk but also low reward.

Now, leveraging that bet by, say, 100x will get the trader a handsome reward of $1000. However, on the flip side, if BTC decreases by 10%, the trader will be out of $1000 instead of 10. Beginner traders are generally advised against high-risk endeavors since experience is a valuable component in margin trading.

Now let’s discuss the platform’s fees.  

Fees on Gate.io 

Like any other crypto exchange, Gate.io uses a different fee structure for various actions.  This exchange’s fee model is called a “flat fee model”. The flat trading fee is set at 0.20% and is slightly below the industry average, which is arguably around 0.25%. Before diving into the list, it’s important to note that to deposit funds to Gate.io exchange; there are no deposit fees. The platform, however, does have various trading fees. 

Spot and Margin Trading Fees

The spot and margin trading market offered by Gate.io has a different fee structure. Gate.io charges 0.2% for each margin and spot trading transaction. The percentage is relatively high compared to its competitors, but Gate.io also offers a 25% discount for transactions carried out using its native token (G.T.). However, the spot trading fee decreases with increased trade volume, meaning the more you trade, the less you pay in fees.

Withdrawal Fees

The platform does not charge a deposit fee from its users. Still, when they withdraw an asset from the Gate.io exchange, it initiates a standard blockchain network fee that is unavoidable and automatically adjusted based on market conditions.

To bring an example, Gate.io charges a withdrawal fee amounting to 0.0005 BTC when you withdraw BTC. This is around 40% lower than the industry average, which is arguably around 0.0008 BTC per BTC-withdrawal. 

Gate.io also has a withdrawal limit, which restricts the daily amount of coins a user can withdraw (the limit is also digital asset-specific). If a trader wishes to withdraw a more considerable amount, the transaction has to be verified by the team. 

Gate.io Rewards

The platform does not directly reward its users. Instead, traders get points for performing various tasks.  You have to do tasks like Verify your account, Fiat Transactions, etc.  The tasks are divided into categories, depending on the user’s expertise, including Novice tasks, Experience Tasks, Trading Volume Tasks, and Growth Tasks. 

Points from completing tasks can be used to cover spot and contract trading fees or to participate in USDT special activities.  

Conclusion

To sum up, Gate.io is among relatively secure (still unregulated) cryptocurrency exchanges focused on crypto-to-crypto trading. It has multiple features and tools that cryptocurrency traders can implement for both spot and margin trading. The exchange gives you a wide variety of choices with 180 currencies and more than 400 markets.

There are no deposit or withdrawal fees associated with it except a low trading fee of 0.2%. The exchange does not feature fiat deposits, which can be inconvenient for beginners. However, seasoned traders should feel comfortable with its interface and wide range of tools.

FAQ

Is verification a necessary step before trading?

No, users can trade without KYC and verification but cannot withdraw funds from the exchange. The risk management mechanism on the platform flags unverified accounts and pays extra attention during withdrawal. 

Why can’t I upload the ID image properly?

• The platform accepts jpeg and png formatted images. Any other format might cause a problem. Additionally, the image shouldn’t be larger than 4MB. 
• If the problem is not in the image, recheck its name. If there are unique characters in the spelling, try replacing those. 

Is Gate.io safe?

Despite the previous hacks in Gate.io’s history, the platform is considered relatively safe. It’s rated 10 out of 100 secure crypto exchanges. 

Is there a minimal amount of trading on the platform?

The minimal order size is $10.