As of late, there has been much discussion in the Bitcoin community regarding the safety of keeping coins on Coinbase. While Coinbase is one of the most popular and well-known exchanges in operation today, there have been a number of hacks and thefts from exchanges in the past, leading many to question whether or not it is safe to store coins on Coinbase.
In this article, we will examine the risks of keeping coins on Coinbase and whether or not it is a good idea to do so.
Coinbase is a Centralized Exchange
One of the biggest risks of keeping coins on Coinbase is that it is a centralized exchange. This means that Coinbase holds the private keys to all of the coins stored on their platform. This is in contrast to decentralized exchanges (DEXs), which do not hold private keys and instead allow users to trade directly from their own wallets.
Because Coinbase holds private keys, they are able to prevent users from withdrawing their coins unless they go through KYC/AML procedures. This adds an extra layer of security for users, but also means that Coinbase has control over your funds.
In the event of a hack or theft, it is possible that Coinbase could lose your coins. We have seen this happen before with other exchanges, such as Mt. Gox and Bitfinex.
In these cases, the exchanges were either hacked or went bankrupt, and users lost all of their funds stored on the platform. While Coinbase has insurance for these types of events, it does not cover all losses and you may still end up losing some or all of your funds.
Another risk associated with centralized exchanges is that they are subject to government regulation. This means that Coinbase could be forced to shut down or freeze user accounts if they are ordered to do so by a government agency.
We have seen this happen before with other exchanges, such as when the US government shut down BTC-e in 2017. If you store your coins on Coinbase, you may not be able to access them if the exchange is shut down by the government.
Coinbase is a Hot Wallet
Another risk of storing coins on Coinbase is that it is a hot wallet. This means that your coins are stored on servers that are connected to the internet. Hot wallets are more vulnerable to hacks than cold wallets, which are offline and not connected to the internet.
If hackers were able to gain access to Coinbase’s servers, they could steal your coins. While Coinbase has implemented multiple layers of security to try and prevent this from happening, nothing is 100% secure and there is always a possibility that your funds could be stolen if hackers are able to gain access to Coinbase’s servers.
Is It Safe To Keep My Coins On Coinbase?
Ultimately, whether or not you store your coins on Coinbase is up to you. There are risks associated with keeping your coins on any exchange, but those risks are especially pronounced with centralized exchanges like Coinbase.
If you decide to keep your coins on Coinbase, make sure that you understand these risks and take steps to mitigate them (such as storing only a small amount of funds on the exchange).