Cryptocurrency prices move both up and down, but one set of companies always profits: crypto exchanges. These trading platforms have also attracted the attention of big pocket investors and venture capitals and are receiving astronomical sums from them at insane valuations.
FTX.com, which became one of the leading crypto trading venues in terms of volume, recently hit the valuation of $32 billion, jumping from $25 billion in just three months. The US subsidiary of this global exchange touched the $8 billion valuation mark separate last month.
While FTX and its investors were vocal about the exchange’s valuation, Binance, which leads the pack of global crypto exchanges, never disclosed its value. A former Binance executive, however, said that the exchange could be worth $300 billion.
So what is driving this astronomical valuation of cryptocurrency exchanges? And is it even fair to put such a high valuation on these young exchanges?
“When it comes to the valuation, we should in the first place think in terms of the fundamentals which are pertinent to any commercial vehicle, such as its ability to generate cash flow, its long-term prospects, and the return at which the company can produce value for its investors,” Sergey Zhdanov, COO of crypto exchange EXMO, explained to Finance Magnates.
However, these metrics alone cannot be predicted with some level of certainty are not sufficient to evaluate the fair valuation of crypto exchanges as so many other factors also need to be considered.
“With that in mind, looking from the present-day perspective, I believe that nobody can be sure about how realistic the valuations of the exchanges are to their true market value,” Zhdanov added.
Exchange Always Make Money
The valuation of crypto exchanges does not directly depend on market trends: buyers will jump in during a bull run, while holders will liquidate their cryptos in a bear market. In other words, crypto exchanges always make money as they charge fees and spreads for executing orders.
“Valuation of crypto and digital asset exchanges will continue to grow as the
clearing
Clearing
Clearing is a general term that simply means many different things depending on the subject and related industry. Most commonly, this refers to the reciprocal exchange between banks of checks and drafts, and the settlement of the differences, or the total of claims settled at a clearinghouse. In finance and banking, the word clearing has different meanings depending on the more specific business model. Moving checks from the bank where they were deposited to the bank on which they were drawn. This gives credit to the bank where funds are deposited and a corresponding debit to the account of the paying institution. The Federal Reserve operates a nationwide check-clearing system. Clearing also is used to signify matching buyers and sellers in stock, futures, and options transactions. Understanding ClearingToday, any type of payment can be cleared. A credit card payment is cleared through the payment merchant. It can be said that clearing is the settlement of balances and transactions. There is also an act of cleaning contracts and risk through A clearinghouse, like CME Clearing, which is an intermediary between buyers and sellers in the derivatives market. As the intermediary or counterparty, to every trade, CME Clearing acts as the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer for every transaction on an exchange. Stocks are cleared through global stock exchanges similar to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The clearing is the process of updating the accounts of the trading parties and arranging for the transfer of money and securities.
Clearing is a general term that simply means many different things depending on the subject and related industry. Most commonly, this refers to the reciprocal exchange between banks of checks and drafts, and the settlement of the differences, or the total of claims settled at a clearinghouse. In finance and banking, the word clearing has different meanings depending on the more specific business model. Moving checks from the bank where they were deposited to the bank on which they were drawn. This gives credit to the bank where funds are deposited and a corresponding debit to the account of the paying institution. The Federal Reserve operates a nationwide check-clearing system. Clearing also is used to signify matching buyers and sellers in stock, futures, and options transactions. Understanding ClearingToday, any type of payment can be cleared. A credit card payment is cleared through the payment merchant. It can be said that clearing is the settlement of balances and transactions. There is also an act of cleaning contracts and risk through A clearinghouse, like CME Clearing, which is an intermediary between buyers and sellers in the derivatives market. As the intermediary or counterparty, to every trade, CME Clearing acts as the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer for every transaction on an exchange. Stocks are cleared through global stock exchanges similar to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The clearing is the process of updating the accounts of the trading parties and arranging for the transfer of money and securities.
Read this Term requirements of the burgeoning asset class continues to increase,” said Sang Lee, CEO VegaX Holdings.
Coinbase is the only public crypto exchange listed on a US stock market and thus discloses financials every quarter. The company, however, reported mixed numbers for the quarters after it become public.
The ultimate goal of most of the big private companies is to become public. But, how is Coinbase, being the only public crypto exchange, performing in the open market? Well, shares of the company significantly shed their value from the initial levels of the direct listing.
However, the case is different for private crypto exchanges.
The valuation of these companies mostly co-relate with tech startups. They are highly scalable, and their offerings and geographical reach can be easily expanded, with the minimum capital requirement. Also, in the case of the crypto exchanges, this
scalability
Scalability
Scalability is a term that describes the constraints of a network via hash rates to meet increased demand. In the context of Bitcoin, scalability reflects the issue in which a limited rate can process transactions adequately.Blocks within the Bitcoin blockchain are limited in both size and frequency. The overall transaction processing capacity of the network is dictated by the average block creation time of 10 minutes as well as a block size limit of 1 megabyte. Consequently, this leads to pain points in transaction processing, relative to other cryptos or traditional payments options. Inherent Scalability Issues with BitcoinBitcoin’s block size limit represents a true bottleneck in its design. This reflects the potential downside of a Proof-of-Work (PoW) system with Bitcoin’s consensus protocol.Lags in transaction processing capacity can result in increasing transaction fees and delayed processing of transactions that cannot be fit into a block.This is perhaps one of Bitcoin’s most pressing issues long term, an issue that has since head to the creation of other altcoins or networks to remedy this concern.There have also been many attempts to solve Bitcoin’s scalability problem through software upgrades.Increasing the network’s transaction processing limit requires making changes to the technical workings of bitcoin. This is where forks in the network can come into play, be it soft or hard forks.However, forks have resulted in the creation of entirely new cryptocurrency networks such as Bitcoin Cash, among others. Technical optimizations have also been floated to decrease the amount of computing resources required to process and record Bitcoin transactions. Presently there is no consensus on what the best solution to Bitcoin’s scalability is.
Scalability is a term that describes the constraints of a network via hash rates to meet increased demand. In the context of Bitcoin, scalability reflects the issue in which a limited rate can process transactions adequately.Blocks within the Bitcoin blockchain are limited in both size and frequency. The overall transaction processing capacity of the network is dictated by the average block creation time of 10 minutes as well as a block size limit of 1 megabyte. Consequently, this leads to pain points in transaction processing, relative to other cryptos or traditional payments options. Inherent Scalability Issues with BitcoinBitcoin’s block size limit represents a true bottleneck in its design. This reflects the potential downside of a Proof-of-Work (PoW) system with Bitcoin’s consensus protocol.Lags in transaction processing capacity can result in increasing transaction fees and delayed processing of transactions that cannot be fit into a block.This is perhaps one of Bitcoin’s most pressing issues long term, an issue that has since head to the creation of other altcoins or networks to remedy this concern.There have also been many attempts to solve Bitcoin’s scalability problem through software upgrades.Increasing the network’s transaction processing limit requires making changes to the technical workings of bitcoin. This is where forks in the network can come into play, be it soft or hard forks.However, forks have resulted in the creation of entirely new cryptocurrency networks such as Bitcoin Cash, among others. Technical optimizations have also been floated to decrease the amount of computing resources required to process and record Bitcoin transactions. Presently there is no consensus on what the best solution to Bitcoin’s scalability is.
Read this Term can be accelerated further because of the borderless nature of cryptocurrency trading.
While FTX.com is based in the Bahamas, Binance does not even have any physical presence. Most of the offerings are not based on fiat, so they can circumvent local regulations to onboard traders from any jurisdictions, well, mostly.
Eric Chen, CEO and co-founder of Injective Labs, said: “These platforms have the potential to be highly scalable with minimal marginal cost. I can understand the justifications behind these valuations. While these private valuations may appear high, the short-term premium certainly pales in comparison with the long-term growth should their theses play out.”
Decentralization Is a Threat
Though regulators are now tightening the noose of these unregulated platforms, the only major threat of these crypto-to-crypto trading platforms is the rise of decentralized exchanges.
The popularity of decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms are skyrocketing day by day with the increase in the lockin crypto on them. The offered staking rewards also lure crypto holders to provide liquidity to these platforms and earn interest. But, they are still far behind their centralized counterparts.
Too Many Exchanges?
The crypto market grew aggressively over the past few years with the growing interest from both retail and crypto space. Though this should have encouraged new crypto exchanges to enter the market, in reality, the existing ones are only getting bigger. Exchanges like Binance and FTX are even acquiring small local exchanges to further grow their global footprints.
“In the short history of crypto, we have seen multiple paradigm shifts in crypto exchanges. While I do think that a few major crypto exchanges will achieve close to 50% market share, the roster of top players may shift. Decentralized finance and decentralized exchanges are what Coinbase categorized as a threat to its business model, I certainly agree with that,” Chen added.
Cryptocurrency prices move both up and down, but one set of companies always profits: crypto exchanges. These trading platforms have also attracted the attention of big pocket investors and venture capitals and are receiving astronomical sums from them at insane valuations.
FTX.com, which became one of the leading crypto trading venues in terms of volume, recently hit the valuation of $32 billion, jumping from $25 billion in just three months. The US subsidiary of this global exchange touched the $8 billion valuation mark separate last month.
While FTX and its investors were vocal about the exchange’s valuation, Binance, which leads the pack of global crypto exchanges, never disclosed its value. A former Binance executive, however, said that the exchange could be worth $300 billion.
So what is driving this astronomical valuation of cryptocurrency exchanges? And is it even fair to put such a high valuation on these young exchanges?
“When it comes to the valuation, we should in the first place think in terms of the fundamentals which are pertinent to any commercial vehicle, such as its ability to generate cash flow, its long-term prospects, and the return at which the company can produce value for its investors,” Sergey Zhdanov, COO of crypto exchange EXMO, explained to Finance Magnates.
However, these metrics alone cannot be predicted with some level of certainty are not sufficient to evaluate the fair valuation of crypto exchanges as so many other factors also need to be considered.
“With that in mind, looking from the present-day perspective, I believe that nobody can be sure about how realistic the valuations of the exchanges are to their true market value,” Zhdanov added.
Exchange Always Make Money
The valuation of crypto exchanges does not directly depend on market trends: buyers will jump in during a bull run, while holders will liquidate their cryptos in a bear market. In other words, crypto exchanges always make money as they charge fees and spreads for executing orders.
“Valuation of crypto and digital asset exchanges will continue to grow as the
clearing
Clearing
Clearing is a general term that simply means many different things depending on the subject and related industry. Most commonly, this refers to the reciprocal exchange between banks of checks and drafts, and the settlement of the differences, or the total of claims settled at a clearinghouse. In finance and banking, the word clearing has different meanings depending on the more specific business model. Moving checks from the bank where they were deposited to the bank on which they were drawn. This gives credit to the bank where funds are deposited and a corresponding debit to the account of the paying institution. The Federal Reserve operates a nationwide check-clearing system. Clearing also is used to signify matching buyers and sellers in stock, futures, and options transactions. Understanding ClearingToday, any type of payment can be cleared. A credit card payment is cleared through the payment merchant. It can be said that clearing is the settlement of balances and transactions. There is also an act of cleaning contracts and risk through A clearinghouse, like CME Clearing, which is an intermediary between buyers and sellers in the derivatives market. As the intermediary or counterparty, to every trade, CME Clearing acts as the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer for every transaction on an exchange. Stocks are cleared through global stock exchanges similar to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The clearing is the process of updating the accounts of the trading parties and arranging for the transfer of money and securities.
Clearing is a general term that simply means many different things depending on the subject and related industry. Most commonly, this refers to the reciprocal exchange between banks of checks and drafts, and the settlement of the differences, or the total of claims settled at a clearinghouse. In finance and banking, the word clearing has different meanings depending on the more specific business model. Moving checks from the bank where they were deposited to the bank on which they were drawn. This gives credit to the bank where funds are deposited and a corresponding debit to the account of the paying institution. The Federal Reserve operates a nationwide check-clearing system. Clearing also is used to signify matching buyers and sellers in stock, futures, and options transactions. Understanding ClearingToday, any type of payment can be cleared. A credit card payment is cleared through the payment merchant. It can be said that clearing is the settlement of balances and transactions. There is also an act of cleaning contracts and risk through A clearinghouse, like CME Clearing, which is an intermediary between buyers and sellers in the derivatives market. As the intermediary or counterparty, to every trade, CME Clearing acts as the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer for every transaction on an exchange. Stocks are cleared through global stock exchanges similar to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The clearing is the process of updating the accounts of the trading parties and arranging for the transfer of money and securities.
Read this Term requirements of the burgeoning asset class continues to increase,” said Sang Lee, CEO VegaX Holdings.
Coinbase is the only public crypto exchange listed on a US stock market and thus discloses financials every quarter. The company, however, reported mixed numbers for the quarters after it become public.
The ultimate goal of most of the big private companies is to become public. But, how is Coinbase, being the only public crypto exchange, performing in the open market? Well, shares of the company significantly shed their value from the initial levels of the direct listing.
However, the case is different for private crypto exchanges.
The valuation of these companies mostly co-relate with tech startups. They are highly scalable, and their offerings and geographical reach can be easily expanded, with the minimum capital requirement. Also, in the case of the crypto exchanges, this
scalability
Scalability
Scalability is a term that describes the constraints of a network via hash rates to meet increased demand. In the context of Bitcoin, scalability reflects the issue in which a limited rate can process transactions adequately.Blocks within the Bitcoin blockchain are limited in both size and frequency. The overall transaction processing capacity of the network is dictated by the average block creation time of 10 minutes as well as a block size limit of 1 megabyte. Consequently, this leads to pain points in transaction processing, relative to other cryptos or traditional payments options. Inherent Scalability Issues with BitcoinBitcoin’s block size limit represents a true bottleneck in its design. This reflects the potential downside of a Proof-of-Work (PoW) system with Bitcoin’s consensus protocol.Lags in transaction processing capacity can result in increasing transaction fees and delayed processing of transactions that cannot be fit into a block.This is perhaps one of Bitcoin’s most pressing issues long term, an issue that has since head to the creation of other altcoins or networks to remedy this concern.There have also been many attempts to solve Bitcoin’s scalability problem through software upgrades.Increasing the network’s transaction processing limit requires making changes to the technical workings of bitcoin. This is where forks in the network can come into play, be it soft or hard forks.However, forks have resulted in the creation of entirely new cryptocurrency networks such as Bitcoin Cash, among others. Technical optimizations have also been floated to decrease the amount of computing resources required to process and record Bitcoin transactions. Presently there is no consensus on what the best solution to Bitcoin’s scalability is.
Scalability is a term that describes the constraints of a network via hash rates to meet increased demand. In the context of Bitcoin, scalability reflects the issue in which a limited rate can process transactions adequately.Blocks within the Bitcoin blockchain are limited in both size and frequency. The overall transaction processing capacity of the network is dictated by the average block creation time of 10 minutes as well as a block size limit of 1 megabyte. Consequently, this leads to pain points in transaction processing, relative to other cryptos or traditional payments options. Inherent Scalability Issues with BitcoinBitcoin’s block size limit represents a true bottleneck in its design. This reflects the potential downside of a Proof-of-Work (PoW) system with Bitcoin’s consensus protocol.Lags in transaction processing capacity can result in increasing transaction fees and delayed processing of transactions that cannot be fit into a block.This is perhaps one of Bitcoin’s most pressing issues long term, an issue that has since head to the creation of other altcoins or networks to remedy this concern.There have also been many attempts to solve Bitcoin’s scalability problem through software upgrades.Increasing the network’s transaction processing limit requires making changes to the technical workings of bitcoin. This is where forks in the network can come into play, be it soft or hard forks.However, forks have resulted in the creation of entirely new cryptocurrency networks such as Bitcoin Cash, among others. Technical optimizations have also been floated to decrease the amount of computing resources required to process and record Bitcoin transactions. Presently there is no consensus on what the best solution to Bitcoin’s scalability is.
Read this Term can be accelerated further because of the borderless nature of cryptocurrency trading.
While FTX.com is based in the Bahamas, Binance does not even have any physical presence. Most of the offerings are not based on fiat, so they can circumvent local regulations to onboard traders from any jurisdictions, well, mostly.
Eric Chen, CEO and co-founder of Injective Labs, said: “These platforms have the potential to be highly scalable with minimal marginal cost. I can understand the justifications behind these valuations. While these private valuations may appear high, the short-term premium certainly pales in comparison with the long-term growth should their theses play out.”
Decentralization Is a Threat
Though regulators are now tightening the noose of these unregulated platforms, the only major threat of these crypto-to-crypto trading platforms is the rise of decentralized exchanges.
The popularity of decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms are skyrocketing day by day with the increase in the lockin crypto on them. The offered staking rewards also lure crypto holders to provide liquidity to these platforms and earn interest. But, they are still far behind their centralized counterparts.
Too Many Exchanges?
The crypto market grew aggressively over the past few years with the growing interest from both retail and crypto space. Though this should have encouraged new crypto exchanges to enter the market, in reality, the existing ones are only getting bigger. Exchanges like Binance and FTX are even acquiring small local exchanges to further grow their global footprints.
“In the short history of crypto, we have seen multiple paradigm shifts in crypto exchanges. While I do think that a few major crypto exchanges will achieve close to 50% market share, the roster of top players may shift. Decentralized finance and decentralized exchanges are what Coinbase categorized as a threat to its business model, I certainly agree with that,” Chen added.
Source: https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/are-cryptocurrency-exchanges-overvalued/