Things to consider when choosing your trading platform

  • Choosing a good trading platform is one of the first steps to crypto investing.
  • Check local laws and find out if the platform is regulated or complies with set requirements.
  • Decide what type of trader you are and assess your technical skills.

Trading platforms allow traders to manage their trades, monitor markets and execute transactions in real time. It is an application that facilitates your ability to trade stocks and other financial instruments.

The best trading platforms offer features and functionality that meet the needs of both novice and experienced traders.

Check local laws and regulations

As a trader, it’s important to make sure your trading platform complies with local laws and regulations in your area. Some countries require traders to disclose their true identity before they can start trading or use a particular platform. Other countries have strict rules regarding the types of financial instruments that can be traded online and regulate which platforms are allowed to offer services in their jurisdiction.

Decide what type of trader you are

Are you just starting out and looking to learn the ins and outs of the business? Or are you an experienced trader looking for advanced features to help you maximize your profits? Do you need a platform that specializes in a particular type of trading, such as cryptocurrencies, or can your account be used on multiple platforms at once?

Your answers to these questions determine which features and tools are most important to you. So, before you start comparing different trading platforms, take a moment to think about what type of trader you are and what features will best help you achieve your goals.

Assess your technical skills

Platforms are designed for different skill levels, so it’s important to choose one that matches your level of expertise. If you are just starting out as a trader, it is best to choose a simple platform. That way, you can learn the basics without being overwhelmed by complicated tools and features.

However, even if you have some experience in trading stocks or other financial instruments, some complex aspects of your chosen platform may require extensive use of technical skills, such as advanced charting tools or automated algorithmic trading systems. It is therefore important to assess your capabilities before choosing a platform.

Evaluate the reliability and security of the platform

When you entrust your money to a trading platform, it’s important to make sure it’s reliable and secure. After all, you don’t want to have to worry about your money – or your personal information – being stolen by hackers.

There are a few key things to consider when evaluating the reliability and security of a trading platform. First, check to see if the platform is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or another regulatory body. This is a good indication that the platform is legitimate and has been monitored by a government agency.

Look at the customer service

The final thing to consider when choosing a trading platform is the quality of customer service. So make sure that any platform you consider has a reliable customer support team and an easy-to-use system for getting in touch with them.

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Chiliz token declines 7% after rallying to 2-month high on new blockchain launch

  • Chiliz launched a new layer-1 blockchain that’s EVM-compatible.
  • The price of the native token CHZ rose more than 20% to a two month high above $0.17.
  • Profit taking today has seen it decline over 7% to around $0.15.

Chiliz , the blockchain-based platform for fan tokens and leading Web3 sports infrastructure, marked its 5th anniversary on 8 February with the validation of the genesis block of its new layer-1 blockchain.

Chiliz’s native token CHZ will power the new blockchain ecosystem, including fueling all the decentralised applications (dApps). With CHZ holders able to stake and receive rewards, the overall appeal of buying CHZ and then staking the coin helped push its price higher following the genesis block.

According to data from CoinGecko, the price of CHZ rose to highs above $0.17, ticking up by more than 20% on the day. However, with the broader crypto market slipping on Thursday morning, and likely due to profit taking deals, CHZ/USD has pared its recent gains and currently trades just above $0.15.

The token’s value is down 7.6% in the past 24 hours, though it’s still nearly 10% up this past week and over 33% in the last 30 days.

The Chiliz Blockchain launch

As earlier noted, the launch of the EVM-compatible Chiliz blockchain comes as the network looks to tap into the growing adoption of fan tokens across the world’s sports and entertainment brands.

Over the past year, Chiliz has, through the Socios.com fan engagement and rewards app, issued fan tokens and sealed collaborations with top sports brands, including soccer giants FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.

The platform makes it possible for clubs and entertainment brands to leverage the Chiliz blockchain to issue fan tokens, allow for the minting of NFTs, and build DeFi products. Chiliz also helps brands develop and grow via new play-to-earn (P2E) games as they look to further fan engagement.

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MakerDAO to launch Spark lending platform to rival Aave

  • Aave, a crypto lending platform, is currently one of Ethereum’s largest DeFi products.
  • MakerDAO, on the other hand, facilitates the generation of DAI stablecoin.
  • MakerDAO is planning to launch a crypto lending platform called Spark Lend to rival Aave.

MakerDAO, the DAO of the giant decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Maker and the facilitator of the generation of DAI stablecoin has unveiled its plans to launch a crypto lending platform to rival the Aave lending protocol.

The plan to launch Spark Protocol was announced on MakerDAO Forum alongside the announcement to launch Phoenix Labs.

Spark Protocol

Spark Protocol is a fork of Aave v3 and will be a front-end app allowing users to interact with the DAI stablecoin by staking, borrowing, and lending. News about the Spark Protocol comes after months Aave, which has a total value locked (TVL) of about $4.6 billion, announced its own generated stablecoin, the GHO.

Since its inception in 2017, MakerDAO has sourced its revenue from the issuance of DAI and the development of a dedicated lending protocol represents a shift in the DeFi protocol’s focus.

MakerDAO has formed Phoenix Labs, a research and development company tasked with the development of the Spark Protocol.

etherDAI deployment

Besides Spark Protocol, MakerDAO has also announced the deployment of etherDAI, which will be a synthetic liquid staking derivative of Ether (ETH) pegged to ETH on a ratio of one-to-one.

Liquid staking will allow users to get extra yield besides the standard staking rewards for staking tokens on MakerDAO.

At press time, the price of Maker (MKR), the native token of Maker had risen by 1.13% over the past 24 hours showing some positive response to the news about the Spark Protocol.

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ARGO token ticks higher as Peter Wall resigns as CEO of Argo

  • Peter Wall resignation is the second after the Argo Blockchain acquisition by Galaxy Digital.
  • Peter Wall will remain an adviser to Argo to support the transition.
  • Argo has been conducting a series of changes since late December 2022 when it reported insufficient funds.

Leading Bitcoin miner Argo Blockchain has announced that Peter Wall has resigned as CEO. The company made their announcement via Twitter after Peter Wall announced his resignation from his position earlier today.

Wall’s resignation is the second resignation of the executive since the company was acquired by Galaxy Digital. He will however remain an adviser to the company for the next three months to support the transition.

The price of the ARGO token has risen by about 12% at press time following the news, adding to the bullish trend that the token started on February 7.

Argo board member Sarah Gow also resigns

The same announcement announcing the resignation of Peter Wall also announced the resignation of Argo board member Sarah Gow, which was because of health reasons.

On February 1, Argo lost its chief financial officer (CFO) Alex Appleton through resignation. According to a filing with the London Stock Exchange, Appleton stated that he was resigning to “pursue other opportunities.”

Appleton’s resignation coincided with the finalization of the Helios crypto mining facility sale to Galaxy Digital Holdings. Helios was sold for $65 million to help Argo reduce its debt as it looks for ways to avoid Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The crypto miner reported mining fewer bitcoin in December 2022.

The acquisition also allowed Argo to regain compliance with the Nasdaq minimum bid price rule. However, there is a lawsuit that was filed on January 26 alleging that Argo, some of its executives, and board members did not disclose key information like susceptibility toward capital constraints, electricity costs and network difficulties to investors.

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Robinhood to buy back Bankman-Fried’s seized 7.6% stake


Key Takeaways

  • Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX co-founder Gary Wang bought a 7.6% stake in Robinhood last May
  • Purchased for close to half a billion, the funds were raised via a loan from sister trading firm Alameda Research
  • In November, FTX was revealed to be insolvent, after it sent customer assets to Alameda to shore up trading losses, ultimately leading to an $8 billion hole on the balance sheet
  • Robinhood directors have approved a plan to purchase back the 7.6% stake 

The king of the crypto villains may be under house arrest at his parents’ $4 million home in California, but the rest of the world continues to clean up the mess caused by FTX. 

Sam Bankman-Fried’s formerly tier-1 exchange, FTX, collapsed in November. One of the interesting tidbits to come out of this, aside from employees’ apparent love of the drug Adderall, was the presence of Robinhood shares on the balance sheet. 

FTX had purchased 56 million shares of Robinhood in May 2022, the same month that LUNA collapsed, which we now know caused large losses at FTX’s sister firm Alameda Research and led to Bankman-Fried sending customer assets to cover the losses and meet margin calls. The shares comprised a 7.6% stake in Robinhood. 

Bankman-Fried bought Robinhood stake with borrowed funds

In an affidavit to a Caribbean court prior to his arrest, Bankman-Fried revealed he and FTX co-founder Gary Wang borrowed over $546 million from Alameda last April. This money was used to capitalise Fidelity Technologies Ltd, which is a shell corporation through which the Robinhood stake was bought. 

The shares had been pledged as collateral against a loan taken out by Alameda. Which if it sounds odd, it should, because as said above, Alameda is the very same firm whose funds were used to purchase the shares in the first place.

Like everything in the FTX/Alameda universe, it was a circular economy backed by nothing. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and all that.  

Robinhood to rebuy shares

A filing Wednesday by Robinhood’s board of directors approved a plan to repurchase the stake, worth $586 million at current market prices. 

“The proposed share purchase underscores the confidence the Board of Directors and management team have in our business,” said Robinhood’s chief financial officer Jason Warnick.

Robinhood went public in July 2021, and in a lot of ways became the poster child of the pandemic market hysteria. Its app spiked to the top of downloads, with retail traders taking to the markets with their stimulus cheques. 

The firm grew meteorically, ultimately going public in July 2021, in the heat of the bull market. Its share price since has done what almost everything within the tech and crypto space has – plummeted. 

Ultimately, this shouldn’t change much for HOOD investors. As for the crypto space, the further it moves away from the disgraced Sam Bankman-Fried the better. 

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