Edge
Edge swaps through providers with different rates and settlement rules
Edge swaps let you compare integrated providers before exchanging cryptocurrency inside the wallet. Provider choice affects the receiving amount, quote certainty, and route used for settlement. Edge searches available offers for your chosen assets and amount, and its quote picker presents alternatives. Comparing the expected payout with the sending cost helps you judge an offer before committing funds.
Fixed and variable describe payout certainty; centralized and decentralized describe the execution mechanism. The wallet organizes the request, while the selected provider or protocol determines how the swap executes.
Provider choice changes the quoted payout and settlement conditions, so comparing offers also requires compatible assets and sufficient funds for the selected route.
Compare eligible offers before committing funds
Comparing provider offers before approval keeps the choice reversible and shows how the selected trade amount affects the expected payout.
Keep the exchange request consistent
For the exchange you are considering, select the source and receiving wallets in Exchange, then enter the intended amount. Keep the assets, networks, and amount unchanged while comparing providers. A quote for another network or a different amount answers a different pricing question. The receiving wallet must support the chosen asset, and the source wallet needs sufficient spendable funds for the route.
Choose terms before authorizing the exchange
Where both types are available, a fixed offer specifies a payout under its terms, while a variable offer estimates it. A higher estimated payout may therefore come with less certainty. Provider choice also changes the execution mechanism. These conditions belong in the comparison before the first outgoing transaction.
- Confirm the source asset and receiving network match the intended exchange.
- Check the sending amount and any separately charged network fee.
- Identify the provider shown on the confirmation screen.
- Read whether the payout is fixed or estimated, including any displayed minimum.
- Accept the provider’s applicable terms and any partial-refund conditions before approval.
If an offer requires unavailable fee funds or unacceptable terms, leave the review screen without sliding to confirm. An unfunded quote leaves the asset balance unchanged.
For an acceptable offer, Slide to Confirm authorizes the exchange. The resulting outgoing transaction records submission; the receiving wallet’s transaction record and actual asset receipt establish delivery. A quote or submission message alone does not establish the final payout.
Provider preferences change which offers compete
Exchange Settings lets you enable or disable providers and prioritize an exchange preference, changing the offers that Edge can consider for an eligible trade. Best-rate selection compares returned quotes within those settings. Prefer Decentralized gives decentralized offers priority; a preference alone should not be treated as a strict exclusion of centralized providers. The provider shown on the confirmation screen identifies the selected offer. Disabling a provider can remove a route even when both assets remain available in the wallet.
Asset support and liquidity determine whether a quote exists
A swap requires compatible asset support in both Edge and the exchange integration, plus enough available liquidity to serve the request. Liquidity means the assets available to meet trades. Holding a token in a wallet does not establish that an enabled provider can exchange it. The provider may lack the pair, temporarily lack the receiving asset, or reject the requested amount.
Minimum and maximum trade amounts depend on the provider and assets. Market conditions can change a minimum, so a previous successful amount does not establish permanent eligibility. Network costs can also make a small trade uneconomic or unavailable. A missing quote can reflect disabled providers as well as liquidity or compatibility. The wallet can continue holding an asset when no enabled provider returns a swap offer.
Exchange charges and network fees affect different amounts
The selected assets, trade size, liquidity, and network conditions determine exchange costs, so one quoted percentage cannot describe every route.
Provider charges and the offered rate
Providers can reflect exchange charges in the offered rate or payout. A spread is a difference between the offered rate and a comparison market rate. Volatility or an uncommon trading pair can widen that difference. Comparing the same sending amount and receiving asset shows the payout difference between offers. Rate differences can include pricing effects beyond a displayed charge.
The outgoing transaction fee
Sending-network fees are separate from exchange fees. A network fee pays for processing the outgoing blockchain transaction. Its amount depends on the network and transaction, rather than solely on the amount exchanged. Edge and its exchange partner do not earn that network fee.
For routes that require a separately funded network fee, the source wallet must cover that cost alongside the exchange amount. Token trades can require a fee balance in the network’s native asset. Relayed routes handle gas funding differently, so the selected quote determines which balance is needed. Bitcoin fee settings affect the outgoing payment’s network cost; they do not set a provider’s exchange rate.
Protocol costs inside the expected payout
THORChain quotes account for liquidity-related costs, outbound fees, and any applicable affiliate fee. The outbound fee covers sending the destination asset from the protocol. These deductions differ from the source transaction’s network fee. Comparing the expected receiving amount avoids subtracting an included charge again, while separately funded sending costs still matter to the total outlay.
Fixed and variable quotes carry different payout conditions
Edge’s quote picker distinguishes fixed offers from variable estimates, allowing a rate comparison to include how firmly each provider specifies the receiving amount. A fixed offer holds its quoted terms only within the provider’s applicable conditions. Its label does not promise instant settlement or waive funding requirements. A variable quote states an estimate that can change during execution.
Some decentralized quotes are estimated because execution occurs against on-chain liquidity. Slippage is the difference between the quoted and executed rate. A trade can also change pool pricing as it draws on the available reserves. Those mechanisms can reduce the final output. A minimum receiving amount, where the route supplies one, sets an execution constraint rather than guaranteeing that the swap will complete.
Quote expiry triggers a new pricing decision
When a selected quote includes an expiry time, Edge displays a timer and refreshes the quote search when that time runs out. The replacement offer can have different amounts or terms, even with the same requested trade. An old screenshot therefore cannot establish the terms available for approval now. The timer concerns quote validity; it does not measure how long destination settlement will take after a funded swap begins.
The selected route determines who executes the swap
Edge connects the wallet request to an exchange integration; that integration may use a centralized partner, a liquidity protocol, or aggregated decentralized routes.
Centralized partners process a deposit
With a centralized swap, the partner receives the source deposit and sends the exchanged asset to the payout address. The wallet retains control of its private keys, while the partner processes the deposited funds. Calling the wallet self-custody does not turn that processing arrangement into a decentralized exchange. The provider’s terms govern its part of the trade.
Native cross-chain protocols use liquidity pools
THORChain and Maya Protocol support swaps across their supported blockchains without a centralized exchange acting as the trading intermediary. THORChain uses pools paired with RUNE, its native asset. Supported swaps through Edge do not require a separate RUNE holding merely to access that mechanism. Protocol vaults and network participants handle the movement between chains.
Aggregators combine supported execution paths
LiFi aggregates decentralized exchanges and bridges, allowing supported routes to combine asset conversion with movement between networks. A bridge transfers value between blockchain environments. An aggregator’s broader routing scope does not make every asset or network compatible. Edge also integrates same-chain options, including 0x Gasless Swap. Their settlement and funding requirements differ from a native cross-chain liquidity swap.
Streaming swaps change how a trade uses pool liquidity
THORChain streaming divides a trade into smaller internal swaps, which can reduce liquidity-related costs compared with executing the entire amount at once. A liquidity pool holds reserves that supply the exchange. Smaller portions disturb those reserves less at each execution, and spaced portions allow market participants to rebalance the pool between swaps. Rapid streaming can execute multiple portions within a block.
Streaming does not mean that Edge sends a new source-chain payment for every internal portion. The protocol manages that execution. Where partial fulfillment applies, successfully exchanged value can arrive in the destination asset while unexchanged value returns in the source asset. A streaming market swap can also end in a refund of the input minus applicable fees if the first internal swap fails. Trade limits and the selected execution parameters govern fulfillment. The quote’s partial-fulfillment warning is therefore relevant alongside its estimated rate.
Outgoing confirmation and destination settlement show different progress
A confirmed outgoing transaction establishes progress on the sending network; its meaning for completion depends on the provider and route that handled the exchange. For a same-chain router swap, that confirmation usually accompanies the completed conversion. Cross-chain execution can require further processing before the destination payout appears. A centralized provider may also need to process the confirmed deposit before sending the receiving asset.
Exchange Details records the Exchange Service and Order ID, where supplied, so the swap remains identifiable after submission. A destination payout and the receiving wallet’s synchronized balance establish a different state from an outgoing confirmation. Network congestion, available liquidity, and protocol processing can extend the wait. A completed provider status alongside a missing wallet balance can indicate a synchronization issue rather than another unfinished conversion.
Reversing a conversion requires another exchange
After funding, a swap follows its provider or protocol rules; leaving the app does not cancel an outgoing blockchain payment. A protocol refund is a separate return payment under the route’s failure or partial-execution rules. It does not erase the original transaction or establish that every cost returns. Password recovery concerns account access and does not undo a funded exchange.
Exchanging the received asset back requires another eligible quote, with the rates and costs available for that new trade. Price movement, spreads, and network charges can prevent restoration of the original amount.
Trading through a separately funded exchange adds its own access and transfer requirements to the comparison. An external centralized venue may require both a deposit and a withdrawal back to the wallet. Edge’s integrated offers keep the wallet selection and provider comparison together, while the chosen route still determines execution costs and settlement.
Quick answers about Edge swaps
How are offers compared when I specify the amount I want to receive?
For quotes based on a specified receiving amount, compare the source amount that each offer requires. The quote picker can show exchange cost for that direction of request, rather than payout for a fixed sending amount. Include any separately funded network fee, and retain the distinction between a fixed offer and an estimated one.
Is the fiat value beside a swap amount a guaranteed provider rate?
The fiat value converts a crypto amount into a cash-denominated display; it does not establish a fixed swap quote. Edge calculates those displays using exchange-rate data. The selected offer’s crypto amounts and quote type describe the trade terms. A change in the displayed cash equivalent alone does not prove that the provider changed the asset payout.
Could a centralized swap provider request identity verification?
A centralized provider may require identity verification under its compliance rules. KYC means Know Your Customer, and its requirements depend on the provider and circumstances of the trade. Edge’s wallet login does not determine those requirements. An acceptable quoted payout does not waive the provider’s applicable checks or trading limits.
Will a gasless offer eliminate all costs from my Edge swap?
A gasless offer can change how gas is funded without removing every trading cost. In 0x Gasless execution, a relayer pays gas upfront and the trade can cover that cost through the traded token. Some tokens still need an initial approval that requires native currency. Edge rejects a quote if token approval is required and gasless approval is unavailable.
Which network’s fee applies when THORChain refunds an unsuccessful swap?
A THORChain refund uses the source-chain outbound fee because it returns the original asset. A completed cross-chain swap would instead pay the destination-chain outbound fee for its payout. A refund can therefore return less than the deposited amount after applicable charges; it does not cancel the network cost of the original sending transaction.