Safe Exchange? What You NEED To Know!

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Crypto traders living in Australia have an exchange option that the rest of us don’t have. That’s Swyftx, a Queensland-based exchange that was conceived in 2017 by Alex Harper and Angus Goldman. Later in 2019 the platform launched, delivering better functionality, zero inflation, real spreads and simple low fees for all Australians to enjoy.

The two founders, who are currently the CEO and CTO respectively of Swyftx, were simply two crypto enthusiasts and software developers who felt there was a need for a crypto exchange that could solve some of the common problems of the existing exchanges.

They continue working to grow the exchange, and with a history of nearly four years in an increasingly competitive industry they must be doing something right. In fact, we’ll find out during this review whether this is true or not.

Why Swyftx?

Traders all around the world have an issue with crypto exchanges that have poor customer service, insufficient liquidity, cluttered trading interfaces, and high fees. Swyftx is attempting to fix these issues and give traders an exchange where they aren’t robbed with excessive fees, where they can trade intelligently, and where the customer support staff is actually helpful.

The low-cost, enjoyable cryptocurrency exchange for Australians. Image via Twitter

In fact, traders don’t just get a sophisticated trading platform at Swyftx, they also have access to complete brokerage services. This is like the best of both worlds, and makes Swyftx a suitable exchange for both new and experienced traders. Swyftx is really providing Australian crypto traders with an amazing experience that includes some of the best spreads available, and an SMSF savings account that’s ground-breaking for a crypto exchange.

Taken all together it isn’t too surprising to learn that Swyftx has been able to attract over 30,000 Australian cryptocurrency traders to the exchange.

Trading Features

Look at these unique features that Australian crypto traders can take advantage of when they join Swyftx:

Customizable Dashboard to show the most frequently and preferred technical indicators.
Powerful TradingView charting interface.
Advanced order types.
Recurring deposits that automates your cryptocurrency investments.
Downloadable tax reports for stress-free accounting.
Demo trading to fine-tune any trading strategies.
Referral and affiliate programs.
Access to Self-managed Super Fund for savings.

Is Swyftx Safe to Use?

We believe it is based first and foremost on the fact that this crypto exchange is licensed and regulated. Swyftx is registered with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), an Australian government financial intelligence agency set up to monitor financial transactions to identify money laundering, organized crime, tax evasion, welfare fraud and terrorism financing.

As a registered digital currency exchange provider or DCEP they maintain strict KYC policies and transaction monitoring programs to assist in reducing money laundering and counter terrorism. Basically that means they take the time to verify the identity of every customer, and that there is a third-party regulator watching to make sure they do so.

Quick, secure registration. Image via Swyftx.com.au

The good news for you is that the KYC process at Swyftx is quite swift. In most cases you can be registered with the exchange/broker in just a couple minutes by entering your email address, phone number, and ID document number. Because Swyftx is focused on Australian clients they are able to provide this speedy KYC service.

For added security Swyftx offers two-factor authentication (2-FA) in addition to the usual password login. This helps to secure your account and avoid hacks and thefts. On the backend of the service you’ll find that the exchange is constantly monitoring its data and traffic to detect any potential breaches.

They also use encryption protocols on all sensitive data, and perform regular external penetration testing. All of these together allow Swyftx to immediately identify any suspicious activity on their system. When they do find anything suspicious they time-lock the account in question until the password can be reset by the owner.

Swyftx has advanced database security procedures. Image via Shutterstock

Of all the security features we were particularly impressed by Swyftx’s monitoring for data breaches. The exchange accomplishes this by keeping close watch on other exchanges, and on other sites that are connected to cryptocurrency trading activity. This allows them to swiftly lock down accounts that appear to be compromised, keeping your funds safe from potentially malicious actors.

In addition to all the above security measures Swyftx has also partnered with Auth0, a reputable cloud security platform that safely stores users’ login details for the ultimate account security.

Supported Cryptocurrencies

Trading at Swyftx will give you access to over 220 different cryptocurrencies, and the list is growing all the time. In addition to the most popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP), it’s also possible to trade on more obscure coins like Civic (CVC), Filecoin (FIL), or Mithril (MITH). There are also the extremely popular DeFi coins like Curve (CRV) and yearn.finance (YFI).

Here is a sample from the list of over 220 different altcoins

All of these assets can be traded using the TradingView platform interface, and against AUD, BTC, or USD. Swyftx promises the best cryptocurrency liquidity of any Australian crypto exchange. It does this by scanning a number of other exchanges to find the best spreads, liquidity and pricing for the target crypto / currency pairing.

Does Swyftx offer Leverage Trading?

Currently Swyftx does not offer leveraged trading, however they do say that their development team is investigating ways to implement it in the future. Note that most cryptocurrency exchanges that offer leverage will only accept deposits in cryptocurrencies. Because there is no leverage on trading offered at Swyftx they are able to offer deposits in AUD. This is far easier for most traders, particularly those who are fairly new to cryptocurrencies.

Those who insist on trading with leverage can always purchase Bitcoin at Swyftx using AUD, and then transfer that Bitcoin to a reputable exchange that does offer leveraged trading. Swyftx even offers their assistance in selecting a reputable and trustworthy exchange for trading with leverage.

Swyftx Trading Fees

The flat fee for trades at Swyftx is 0.6%, which seems high at first when you look at many other exchanges who offer fees of 0.2% or less. However there are more important things than the fees charged by your exchange, and those things are the spreads on your trades. At Swyftx those spreads are kept as low as possible. In fact they advertise spreads as low as 0.41%.

Incredibly low spreads. Image via Swyftx.com.au

They can offer such low spreads because of the proprietary algorithm that finds the lowest possible spread every time for every trade. And when you put together the fee and spread, which can be as low as 1.01% at Swyftx, you soon see that they have the best cost structure out there.

In fact, when you add up the fees and spreads at other cryptocurrency exchanges you soon see that you might be paying double, triple, or even more. Some exchanges charge more than 5% when you add up the fees and spreads.

The team at Swyftx knows very well that higher spreads simply eat into your profits. When looking around at Australian crypto exchanges you’ll see high spreads across the board, and that’s simply because of a lack of liquidity.

Swyftx solves this liquidity issue in a couple ways. We’ve already discussed how they look among a number of other exchanges to find the best liquidity and spreads. In addition to that they convert all AUD deposits to USD and vice versa when funds are withdrawn. That’s why the fee looks so high at 0.6%. It’s actually a forex conversion fee. However by doing this they are able to keep their spreads far lower than other exchanges.

Just look at how Swyftx compares with other exchanges and brokers. Image via Swyftx.com.au

Aside from the trading fee and spread Swyftx charges nothing more than the mining fee on deposits and withdrawals. And if you are using fiat (AUD) for your deposits and withdrawals there’s no fee at all as long as your deposits and withdrawals are greater than $200. Under that $200 threshold there is a flat $2 fee. Those are some of the lowest fees on deposits and withdrawals that you’ll find anywhere too.

As far as limits are concerned, Swyftx has a daily deposit and withdrawal limit of $20,000 Australian Dollars that can be increased to 100,000 AUD with additional documentation. There’s no trading limit.

Creating an Account at Swyftx

Creating an account at Swyftx is very simple. It begins by clicking the large, blue “Signup” button in the upper right corner of the website. This will open the Swyftx registration page where you’ll enter your name, email address, phone number, county of residence, and a password of your own choosing.

Then check the box to agree to terms and conditions, and the box to prove you aren’t a robot by completing the captcha. Finally, click the “Create my Account” button.

Swyftx Verification

The Australian KYC regulations require Swyftx to verify all their clients’ identities before allowing them to deposit and trade, but this process is very quick. Most people will be able to complete it within 2 minutes or less.

To get started with the KYC identity verification process log into the account you just created and click the “Profile” link in the left sidebar and under that the “Verification” link. Click it and you’ll be presented with an online form asking for the following information (note each is verified separately):

Email address
Mobile phone number
ID document number

Three easy verification steps. Image via Swyftx Help

Verifying your email is as simple as clicking that button. An email will be sent to you with a link to click and that verification will be done.

Verifying your phone number isn’t much more difficult. Click the “Verify Now” button under phone and a 6 digit PIN will be sent to your phone via SMS. Enter that PIN in the popup box and click “Verify Now” and that’s sorted.

A 6 digit SMS code easily verifies your mobile phone. Image via Swyftx Help.

Once the email and phone verification are out of the way you’ll be ready to verify your ID documents. Unlike other services there’s no need to scan and upload these documents, which makes the process far faster and simpler. You’ll need your ID documents handy and enter your information exactly as it appears on the documents.

The third and final step in verifying your account at Swyftx. Image via Swyftx Help.

Once that’s verified you’re all set. It’s very likely the entire process took you less than 2 minutes.

Demo Account

One very unique feature you’ll find at Swyftx that you won’t find at most other cryptocurrency exchanges is a demo account. In fact, among the Australian cryptocurrency exchanges Swyftx is the only one to offer demo accounts.

The only Australian exchange/broker to offer a demo trading account. Image via Apple App Store

A demo account is an account that is funded with “play” money where you can trade to get used to the platform and trading conditions of the exchange. It’s an extremely useful feature, even for more advanced traders, who will use the demo account to test out new trading strategies before risking real money on them. At Swyftx they even simulate real-life liquidity and trading conditions to make the experience as true to life as possible.

Deposit Methods

For deposits in AUD Swyftx offers several options:

PayID (instant deposit method)
POLi (instant deposit method)
OSKO (deposit within same business day)

Quick and easy deposits and withdrawals. Image via Regional Australia Bank

As of early January 2021 Swyftx has announced they will soon add credit/debit card payments, becoming the first Australian platform to offer this service. Also, those who wish to use a bank account to make a deposit can do so using the OSKO network.

Standard transfers using the OSKO network typically take 2-6 hours to process, although it isn’t uncommon for the bank to hold up a large first deposit for up to 24 hours. Swyftx checks for transfers at approximately 9:00am, 12:00pm, 3:00pm, 6:00pm, 8:00pm, and 10:00 pm AEDT on every business day.

When using fiat currency (Australian dollars) there is a daily limit of $20,000 on deposits and withdrawals. If greater deposits and withdrawals are required this can be increased to $100,000 with enhanced verification procedures.

Some of the best fees and trading conditions in the Australian crypto inductry. Image via Swyftx.com.au

All deposits are then converted into U.S. dollars based on the daily forex conversion rate. Swyftx does this so they are able to find deeper liquidity by using USD pairs in trades. This allows for lower spreads and ultimately to cheaper trading costs.

Advanced Trading Platform

Having a useful and hopefully powerful trading platform is one of the very important considerations when choosing a cryptocurrency exchange or broker, and Swyftx doesn’t disappoint on this point. Users will have access to a huge array of trading indicators and tools through the TradingView interface.

If you’re familiar with this web-based charting and trading platform you likely already know how powerful it is. With its array of trading tools it makes it easier to analyze price action and make successful trades.

Powerful TradingView charts. Image via Swyftx Help.

TradingView also allows for the easy use of stop, limit, or market orders, making your trading more laser-focused. You’ll have easy access to all of the cryptocurrency assets offered by Swyftx, including detailed price charts where it’s possible to perform detailed technical analysis. You’ll also see separate bid and ask pricing and order book depth for the most detailed trading experience.

Swyftx also automatically optimizes your crypto orders across multiple exchanges and order books to deliver the best prices and liquidity using a single platform. This means the liquidity on Swyftx is significantly higher compared to other crypto exchanges in Australia such as Coinspot and CoinJar.

Swyftx Mobile App

Naturally Swyftx does have a mobile app available for both Android devices and iOS devices. These give you the convenience of trading on the go, while still remaining completely secure thanks to the biometric security included in the apps. Choose between fingerprint of face scan ID recognition to secure the app on your mobile device.

Enjoy mobile trading on the go. Image via Swyftx.com.au

When using the mobile app you have access to all the same features as the online app, including charting and analysis, buy/sell orders, monitor open positions, and make deposits/withdrawals.

Swyftx Cryptocurrency Wallet

You will get a custodial wallet when trading at Swyftx and they will support all the coins that are being traded on the platform. Coins can be stored in either a hot or cold wallet and are secured with state-of-the-art security protocols. Swyftx does acknowledge that online wallets aren’t a good choice for long-term storage since they are attractive targets for hackers. Swyftx recommends to their clients that they purchase and use a hardware wallet such as a Ledger or Trezor device.

Customer Support

The customer support staff at Swyftx is acknowledged to be quite excellent, and it’s their hardwork in part that has earned Swyftx over 900 ‘Excellent’ reviews on TrustPilot. As one of the most trusted and used consumer review sites the feedback found on TrustPilot is quite valuable in recommending Swyftx as a cryptocurrency exchange. Just look what reviewers are saying:

Nearly 1,000 Excellent reviews can’t be wrong. Image via Swyftx.com.au

Users are able to contact the support team via live chat, phone and of course email. The online chat feature was actually a bit difficult to find since it doesn’t appear until you’re on the registration page, or once you’ve actually registered and logged in. Swyftx is also on Telegram at https://t.me/swyftx.

Support is available via all the channels from 9am to 9pm AEST and the average response time is listed as 2-3 minutes. In addition there is an extensive Help section that should answer most of the questions people have.

Telephone: (07) 3088 7633
Email: hello@swyftx.com.au

Is There An Affiliate Program?

There is an affiliate program and Swyftx rewards its affiliates with 30% of the fees collected on all trades for the lifetime of the referred account. Casual users also get a referral code that they can use to refer their friends and receive the same generous 30% lifetime payout.

Get paid for life for referring your friends and family. Image via Swyftx.com.au

They feature payouts on the 1^st of every month, and real-time reporting in the affiliate tracking system so you’ll always know as soon as someone joins under you. Unfortunately there’s no marketing materials to help out with promotions.

Self Managed Super Fund

One feature that should be mentioned before we end this review is the ability to create a Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF), a type of retirement savings vehicle that also provides tax benefits. Swyftx is able to offer this service through a partnership with New Brighton Capital.

In order to set up the SMSF on Swyftx you’ll need the following information: registered trust name and address, trust ABN, copy of the trust deed, and trust beneficiary details. Your major beneficiaries, i.e. those holding stakes over 25%, should all have verified Swyftx accounts.

Start saving for your retirement and save on your taxes too. Image via Swyftx.com.au

According to the Australia Tax Office (ATO), SMSFs are a type of retirement savings fund. Compared to other types of funds, SMSF members also serve as its trustees. As such, SMSF trust members maintain compliance with all ATO regulations like tax regulations and super laws. SMSF tax benefits make the investment vehicle a popular choice for cryptocurrency holders. Under current SMSF regulation, benefits are taxable at a rate of only 15%.

Areas for improvement

Obviously there’s always room for improvement with any business. That’s also true for Swyftx, although to be honest our recommendations for improvements are fairly minor as we found the exchange/broker to be extremely well set-up and competitive when compared with other Australian and international cryptocurrency exchanges.

Most areas such as fees, customer service, trading conditions and platforms, regulation and safety are all excellent.

It would also be nice to have some degree of leverage available, although we can give the exchange a bit of a pass here since they’ve already announced they are working on making this a thing on their platform.

Finally we really would like to see some form of education and/or news added to the exchange. This would be particularly helpful for new traders who might not even have a good grasp of how to do basic technical analysis.

In Conclusion

As we already mentioned above, Swyftx really is a standout among Australian and even international cryptocurrency exchanges and brokers.

They deliver at a very high level in almost every area of service that might be important to a trader. And the way the platform is set up makes them ideal for both beginning and experienced cryptocurrency traders.

In fact, we could make Swyftx our top pick for Australian traders based solely on their low fees and the excellent liquidity found on the platform. It also helps that they are offering over 220 altcoins at the time of writing, and have made both banking and KYC compliance so simple.

Adding to the list of benefits from trading with Swyftx is the access to a demo account for testing out trading strategies, the ability to set up recurring deposits, and the access to retirement savings through an SMSF scheme that can save significantly on the tax bill.

Overall there’s just so much to recommend Swyftx as an excellent exchange/broker for Australians. The only shame is that everyone outside Australia doesn’t have access to such an excellent broker.

Featured Image via Swyftx