Along with the strong growth of most of the financial markets in general, the crypto-currency investment activity has also become active when receiving large cash flows, the prices of these cryptocurrencies have increased continuously. This creates a need for crypto-saving accounts to accept and hold crypto deposits. But those accounts neither are recognized by law nor offer the same security as a bank or credit union savings account can provide. That’s why, before you decide to invest, it’s important to understand how crypto savings accounts work and the associated risks.
Why do People Set up Crypto Savings Account?
The most frequent strategy to profit from cryptocurrency is to purchase cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other alternative coins, store them in crypto wallets in the hopes that their market value will rise, and then sell them at a higher price.
In addition to buying and selling cryptocurrencies, several cryptocurrency exchanges provide specialized crypto savings accounts that are similar to regular bank savings accounts but offer greater annual percentage rates (APYs).
The annual percentage yield coins (APY Coin) on typical savings accounts range from 0.1 percent to 0.6 percent. This is the case when you want to make a lot of money via traditional savings, you’ll have to put down a lot of money. Traditional savings accounts pay APYs of less than 0.6 percent, but crypto savings pay APYs of more than 0.6 percent.
Lack of FDIC Insurance
The fact that crypto-assets are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is an obvious danger to consider. Customers are safeguarded in the unusual case of a bank failure with traditional savings accounts, but crypto-assets do not provide this protection. This implies that if the firm that provides the savings account does not also supply the private keys for your wallet where the savings are kept, the user’s cash may be lost if the company goes out of business.
Having Little Control
Another significant disadvantage is that you relinquish complete control over your bitcoin holdings.
Opening a crypto savings account necessitates handing over one’s account “keys” to the lending institution. The possibility of shenanigans is rather significant because the entire cryptosystem is decentralized. Having that said, you should know that it is possible to lose all or part of your funds with no recourse if the administrator of your crypto savings account loans money to third parties and is never paid back. Giving away your keys, according to cryptocurrency specialist and consultant Viputheshwar Sitaraman, is a major problem regardless.
The money in a traditional savings account is yours. However, if you lose your keys to Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency, there is no specialized corporation or group to assist you to retrieve your wallet.
Complex Set of Withdrawal Regulations
You can withdraw your money and end your account at any moment if you have a typical savings account. This may not be the case with your crypto savings account.
Some cryptocurrency savings accounts, for example, have withdrawal limitations that limit the amount you may withdraw from your account in a given period of time. These withdrawal restrictions might prohibit you from getting your money when you need it most, such as in an emergency. Learn about how to protect your bitcoins against theft and hacks to gain more knowledge on it.
In addition, you may be charged fees to withdraw your funds. So, if you’re a frequent crypto trader who makes a lot of transactions in and out of your account, these fees can pile up quickly.
Price Unpredictability
Price fluctuation, on the other hand, is something that clients should be aware of. It’s simple to account for interest when the balance and interest are paid in a dollar-backed stable currency. If, on the other hand, the balance and interest are paid in Bitcoin, the overall balance and payments will change with market circumstances.
This implies that the interest you earn on any one day might be worth more or less. That makes it difficult to plan and determine whether your account is genuinely assisting you in “getting ahead.”
It’s vital to know that cryptocurrencies are completely speculative. They have no underlying intrinsic value and have several flaws as a savings instrument. They can sometimes see big price swings in a single day, making them an unusual and dangerous asset to grow in a savings account.
Risk of a Counter-Party
You should keep in mind that these “savings” accounts may offer you such high profits because they lend out the crypto you deposit at significantly greater rates. This raises several problems, such as who is borrowing at 15% or 20% or higher to justify a platform paying you 12% on their assets?
The posing threat to you as a depositor is that the platform or exchange you’re using experiences a wave of loan defaults that it can’t cover. The consequences of a platform failure might be severe for people who have funds deposited.
Bottom Line
If you invest in bitcoin to generate wealth or diversify your portfolio, you may already be aware that cryptocurrency-based savings accounts can help you increase your investment income even more. Although crypto staking is a generally secure technique to make a passive income from crypto assets you own, there are a few hazards to be aware of to avoid unnecessary losses and optimize your performance. Before signing up for these accounts and surrendering up management of your digital assets, think about the following points. First and foremost, make certain that you thoroughly examine the platform or program you’ll be utilizing to ensure that the supplier is trustworthy, respectable, and safe. Consider how long the platform or software has been in use. Also, conduct research and study customer evaluations, as well as perform due diligence on the firm, its leadership team, and its investors. Finally, be sure you’re not placing all your whole retirement plan or life-saving in one bitcoin investment or savings account return.