Binance Sets New Record: Spot Trading Volume Reaches $427 Billion

According to a recent CoinGecko report, Binance, the world’s largest centralized exchange (CEX) by trading volume, has retained its market leadership position in 2023. 

Despite facing increased regulatory scrutiny and undergoing significant leadership changes, Binance maintained a market share of 43.7% and saw its spot trading volume rise to $427.1 billion in December 2023, representing a 37.5% month-on-month (MoM) increase.

Binance Trading Volume Reached $3.8 Trillion In 2023

According to CoinGecko’s report, Binance started the year with a commanding 63.5% market share but experienced a gradual decline throughout 2023, ending with a 43.7% market share in December. 

While Binance still dominated the market with 52.6% of the total spot trading volume in 2023, the exchange’s relative market share decline was notable. In absolute terms, Binance generated $3.8 trillion in trading volume throughout the year.

Binance

As previously reported, Binance faced significant regulatory pressure throughout 2023, culminating in a settlement agreement in November that required the exchange to pay a $4.3 billion fine to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CTFC) for alleged financial breaches. 

As part of the settlement, Binance’s CEO, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), also agreed to step down. Richard Teng has assumed the role of the company’s head, while CZ remains restricted from traveling outside the jurisdiction of the United States as the legal battle unfolds. 

Upbit And OKX Follow Closely

Upbit, South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, managed to maintain its position as the second-largest centralized exchange in 2023, with a 9.5% market share and $687.0 billion in spot trading volume for the year.

According to the report, Upbit benefited from the Kimchi Premium, which resulted in strong local demand and premium prices for crypto assets. 

The exchange’s monthly spot trading volume hit a yearly high of $90.7 billion in December, with a 93.5% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) increase.

Conversely, OKX secured the third position among centralized exchanges in 2023, with a 6.7% market share and $485.9 billion in trading volume. Throughout the year, OKX experienced a steady increase in market share, starting at 5.1% in January and ending at 8.9% in December. The exchange’s trading volume in Q4 reached $177.9 billion, reflecting a notable 151.6% QoQ gain.

Among the top 10 centralized exchanges, CoinGecko reports that MEXC recorded the highest growth in Q4 2023, with trading volume surging by 203.7% to $90.4 billion. 

Bybit followed closely with a growth rate of 162.1% ($107.5 billion), while KuCoin experienced a growth rate of 161.2% ($49.2 billion). KuCoin regained its spot in the Top 10 in Q4 after briefly losing it in Q3, with a market share of 3.3% at the end of December.

Binance

Binance Coin (BNB) has successfully maintained its position above the $300 threshold, with the current trading price standing at $304. This represents a 1.8% decrease in price over the past 24 hours.

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com 

Trader Who Placed $10 Million Bet Against LUNA Loading Up Reddit’s Moons

In a new development, a trader who placed a substantial $10 million bet against LUNA in May 2022 before the then native currency and UST—the algorithmic stablecoin, collapsed is now setting his sight on Reddit Moons. Going by the moniker “GCR,” on-chain data on August 8 showed the trader moved 450,000 MOON from MEXC Exchange to Kraken.

Moons Rallying

Moons, the ERC-20 token associated with the r/CryptoCurrency forum on Reddit, is firm and on an uptrend, looking at current price action. At spot rates, the token is up 400% from late July and changing hands at $0.47, hovering near 2023 highs. 

Based on price action from MEXC trade data, the immediate resistance level is at $0.65, which was printed in late July 2023. However, with the revival currently visible across the crypto market, prices will likely continue increasing. To illustrate, Moons is already up 90% in August alone, rebounding from $0.25 and surging to spot rates. 

MOON price on August 8 after Moons listing on Kraken| Source: MOONUSDT on Binance, TradingView

Several factors are believed to be fanning demand. One of these is the influence of traders like GCR, who are acquiring Moons and potentially improving sentiment on altcoins considering the recent lower lows recorded in the better part of July.

However, looking at how MOON prices reacted after Kraken’s listing on August 7, the community appears more buoyant and confident of improving liquidity. 

Kraken Listing

As trackers reveal, before the Kraken listing, most Moons trading activity was concentrated on MEXC Exchange. On August 7, Kraken announced its listing of Moons alongside Bricks (BRICK). Alongside the announcement, Kraken said users could deposit MOON and BRICK from the Arbitrum Nova network.

Moons and Bricks are also available for trading on Kraken and Kraken Pro accounts. From Kraken Pro, clients can trade MOON and BRICK perpetual derivatives.

MOON has been described as a “community-driven” token since its launch in May 2020. Within the r/CryptoCurrency subreddit, it serves multiple functions, including rewarding users who contribute positively.

Reddit said Moons’ holders can access premium features, including badges and custom emojis, and tip fellow community members. Moreover, holding Moons grants voting power in subreddit polls, affording holders a say in shaping the subreddit’s future. 

Arbitrum data on August 8 shows over 121 million Moons in circulation. Out of this, more than 206,000 holders have generated over 670,000 transfers. All Moons are stored on Vault, the mobile-based wallet launched in 2022.