Bitcoin to Monero Swaps: A Guide to Private Crypto Transfers

Swapping between Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero is a common operation that allows users to move from a transparent ledger to one that conceals sender, receiver, and amount by default. While Bitcoin publishes every transaction permanently, Monero uses ring signatures, stealth addresses, and confidential transactions to break the link between activity and identity.

Custodial exchanges take possession of your Bitcoin, credit an internal account, execute the trade on their own books, and let you withdraw. Non-custodial swaps, on the other hand, do not hold a balance for you. You send Bitcoin to a one-time deposit address, the service routes the trade through its liquidity, and Monero is delivered to the address you specified.

A non-custodial swap has five inputs and takes around eight minutes once your deposit confirms. The mechanics involve selecting the pair, choosing a floating or fixed rate, entering the Monero address that will receive the funds, setting a refund address, and sending your Bitcoin to the deposit address and waiting for confirmation.

The costs of swapping between Bitcoin and Monero include service fees, which are typically a small percentage of the trade, and network fees charged by the Bitcoin and Monero networks themselves. These fees can vary with congestion, and it is essential to read the total quote rather than just the headline percentage.