With over 14 million registered users, Gate.io is a prominent and globally recognized crypto exchange. This veteran platform has various institutional services, ecosystem products, and security measures, although its safety record is not incident-free. Here are the key things to know.

Gate.io overview

Established in 2013, Gate.io has operated globally since 2017. It was founded by Dr. Han, an early advocate of Bitcoin and blockchain with prior experience in tech and product development. 

Gate.io is one of the first exchanges to guarantee 100% proof of reserves based on a Merkle-tree solution, third-party audits, and zero-knowledge tech. In 2021, it was selected as the world's best exchange by Forbes Advisor. 

The company is headquartered in George Town, Cayman Islands. Gate.io's vibrant ecosystem encompasses:

• Gate.io trading platform with 1,700+ cryptocurrencies 
• Gate Startup, allowing users to fund early blockchain projects
• Gate NFT, a pioneering centralized NFT trading platform
• Gate Pay, a payment technology connecting merchants to users via a crypto gateway
• Gate MiniApp, which lets users interact with Web3 apps, order, and pay via Gate Wallet

The company has obtained licenses in multiple jurisdictions. It holds a VFA Class 4 license in Malta, a TCSP license in Hong Kong, and a DMCC license in Dubai. Furthermore, in 2023, Gate Group completed Italian VASP registration to expand in the EU.

Countries of operation

Gate.io is available in 200+ countries, but its services are limited in some of them. "Restricted locations" include the USA, the UK, Singapore, mainland China, Hong Kong, Canada, and others — the complete list is provided in the User Agreement.  

Cryptocurrencies available

Gate.io boasts an impressive 1,700+ cryptocurrencies for safe, quick, and easy trading. According to the company's website, it supports over 2400 trading pairs. On CoinGecko, the numbers are larger: 1,994 assets and 3,294 pairs.

Products and services for institutions

Gate.io's institutional and VIP services let organizations access the spot and derivatives market, trade via API, and create sub-accounts.

• Liquidity Program. Market makers in spot and futures markets receive rebates or fee discounts for contributing liquidity.
• Broker Program. Institutions copy the referral link to their site (portal brokers), refer clients via API (API brokers), or create up to 100,000 sub-accounts (exchange brokers) to earn rewards.
• Lending. Organizations may borrow stablecoins and other cryptos for trading activities, using digital assets as collateral.
• OTC and execution service. Gate.io deepens the liquidity to fill large orders for businesses and high-net-worth individuals. 
• Custody and asset management. Gate.io is a licensed and regulated platform for storing and managing institutional crypto holdings.
• Structured products. Investments with predefined risk and reward are customizable to institutional goals like capital protection, leverage, and enhanced yield.
• Portfolio margin accounts. Institutions may consolidate balances across multiple trading accounts as joint collateral defining margin balance.

Trading fees

Gate.io users are divided into 16 categories, from VIP 0 to VIP 16. The tiers are assigned based on the trading volume, GateToken (GT) positions, or account asset value. GT is the native token of the GateChain ecosystem.

As of March 2024, maker fees range from 0.2% to 0.055%, while taker fees range from 0.2% to 0.065%. Users can debit trading fees from their GT balance to save. 

Gate Points also cover trading fees in USDT 1:1. Users can buy points in their accounts, paying in USDT or GT. 

Security measures

Platform security involves three pillars: system security, internal control, and development management. Account security encompasses multiple safeguards:

• Two-factor authentication using SMS, Google OTP, and Gate Ukey/Yubikey
• IP address monitoring and security log
• Anti-phishing codes
• Fund password
• Withdrawal whitelist

Gate.io uses an in-house trading system, with each module iterated independently and audited by professionals. It takes multiple anti-DDoS measures, implements DNS security against hijacking, and more.

The Gate.io wallet combines multi-signature with a remote backup, bank custody, and completely offline options. Furthermore, withdrawals are halted for 24 hours after the user changes their password or other security settings.

In 2018, North Korean hackers stole over $234 million from Gate.io, exploiting a hot wallet vulnerability. The company initially tried to keep the incident under wraps. In 2023, hackers also hijacked the company's Twitter account to launch a phishing scam.

Opening an account

Users can verify an enterprise account after creating an account using their email or phone number. Alternatively, they may use a Google account, Metamask wallet, Apple ID, or Telegram.

• Click the “Sign Up” button on the official website.
• Enter your email address or phone number and create a password, specifying the country of residence and accepting User Agreement and Privacy Policy.
• Enter the verification code sent to your email address or phone number.
• Click the “Verify Now” and “Entity Verification” buttons to initiate the KYC procedure.
• Provide the specified details and documents.

Corporate verification requires a certificate of incorporation and letter of authorization, ownership structure details, shareholder information, IDs of directors, representatives and beneficiaries, and optional documents. The review process takes up to 2 days.

Customer service

Like other popular exchanges, Gate.io gives users multiple ways to resolve issues:

• Self-service section and FAQ on the official website 
• Chatbot on the official website
• Ticket submission form in the user's Gate.io account
• Email to [email protected]

After submitting a ticket, the resolution progress is reflected in the My Tickets section of their account.

Key takeaways

Gate.io is a seasoned crypto platform with a wide range of institutional offerings. Its selection of cryptocurrencies is among the widest, with attractive fees and diverse discounts. Following security incidents, the company has implemented additional protection layers and now provides 100% proof of reserves.