How and Where to Buy renBTC (RENBTC) – Detailed Guide
- What is RENBTC?
- Step 1: Register on Fiat-to-Crypto Exchange
- Step 2: Buy BTC with fiat money
- Step 3: Transfer BTC to an Altcoin Exchange
- Step 4: Deposit BTC to exchange
- Step 5: Trade RENBTC
- Last Step: Store RENBTC securely in hardware wallets
- Other useful tools for trading RENBTC
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Latest News for RENBTC
- RENBTC Price Prediction and Price Movement
What is RENBTC?
What Is RenBTC (RENBTC)?
RenBTC is an ERC-20 token built on the Ethereum network, pegged to Bitcoin. This means that each RENBTC can be always redeemed for one Bitcoin, and hence tends to maintain its value at close to the Bitcoin market rate.
RenBTC is minted on the Ren platform, which is an open protocol that provides everyone with access to the inter-blockchain liquidity, helping to bring assets from other blockchains to Ethereum decentralized applications (DApps). The main cryptocurrencies supported are Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Zcash (ZEC).
The renBTC token is a direct competitor of Wrapped Bitcoin (wBTC). Minting the token is a fairly straightforward process, which sees users simply send their BTC to RenVM, which then secures the asset and mints an equivalent number of renBTC tokens on Ethereum.
Unlike other Bitcoin-backed tokens, renBTC is not a synthetic token, and doesn’t rely on any liquidation mechanisms to ensure it remains pegged to the value of BTC — instead, it’s a direct supply peg, meaning there are always enough BTC in reserve to cover the circulating renBTC supply.
Redeeming renBTC is just as simple as minting it. The user only needs to send their renBTC back to RenVM (paying a small gas fee to do so) which releases the native Bitcoin to the user’s address. The renBTC tokens are destroyed, reducing the supply to match the reduced reserves.
Who Are the Founders of RenBTC (RENBTC)?
Ren (formerly Republic Protocol) — the development firm behind the Ren ecosystem was founded by Taiyang Zhang, who is also its current CEO.
Zhang was also a founding member of KeeperDAO and is one of the co-founders of Virgil Capital — a multi-strategy quantitative cryptocurrency trading firm. He is a skilled developer and early cryptocurrency adopter.
The Ren team also includes Loong Wang, the current CTO of Ren. Wang was the lead software developer for Neucode, and also holds the position of academic tutor at the Australian National University.
The rest of the team includes three more software developers, one blockchain developer, a researcher, and currently comprises more than 30 individuals.
What Makes RenBTC Unique?
The main difference between renBTC and other wrapped Bitcoin tokens is the fluid value exchange of the token. RenVM does not store any Bitcoin inside a centralized custodial platform but instead uses a decentralized network of nodes called Darknodes. Users can mint and burn tokens back and forth whenever they want, without needing to complete KYC to do so. The protocol can handle hundreds of transactions per minute, and has never been overloaded.
Additionally, RenVM can be directly integrated into numerous decentralized applications through the use of specialized adapters provided by Ren. This means that a user can directly utilize Bitcoin (via RENBTC) on a decentralized exchange (DEX) or lending platform without needing to jump through any hoops first.
It’s also important to note that the ECDSA private keys of RenVM are secret which creates a trustless, decentralized, and permissionless BTC token on the Ethereum network.
Related Pages:
Check out Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) — another Bitcoin-backed ERC-20 token.
Take a look at WETH (WETH) — an ERC-20 compliant version of Ethereum (ETH).
Learn how to use Uniswap with CoinMarketCap Alexandria.
For the latest news, market updates, tricks, and tips, check out the CoinMarketCap blog.
How Many RenBTC (RENBTC) Coins Are There in Circulation?
The total supply and circulating supply of RenBTC are the same and fluctuate as ERC-20 renBTC tokens are minted and burned. The token did not have a token sale, and there is no team allocation of RENBTC.
As of December 2020, there are just north of 14,000 BTC wrapped as RENBTC, bringing its market capitalization to $321.9 million. Note that this is likely to change considerably over time, as the market capitalization of renBTC depends both on the underlying value of Bitcoin (BTC), and the number of BTC held in the renBTC reserve.
How Is the RenBTC protocol Secured?
RenBTC operates on top of the Ethereum network — one of the most secure blockchains in current usage. The ERC-20 RenBTC tokens are secured by the collective efforts of thousands of Ethereum miners, who act to maintain the integrity of the Ethereum blockchain and the tokens transferred on it.
Additionally, the RenVM protocol utilizes a secure multiparty computation system that allows untrusted Darknodes to run scripts without revealing the input or output to others. Darknodes must stake 100,000 REN tokens as collateral and earn fees for helping to power the renBTC network.
The ECDSA private keys are hidden, even from the nodes, which means that RenVM generates and signs data in a secure manner. No attacker can prevent other users from minting their renBTC or redeeming their BTC back whenever they choose.
The protocol claims to be Byzantine Fault Tolerant which means that even if the Darknodes become unavailable or act fraudulently, the scripts will continue running to keep the secrets hidden.
Where Can You Buy RenBTC (RENBTC)?
Users can always obtain RenBTC by minting it on the RenVM protocol using any Bitcoin they already have. However, the ERC-20 renBTC token can be purchased directly on several popular exchanges including Binance and Huobi Global, in addition to various decentralized exchanges — including Uniswap and 1inch Exchange.
As of December 2020, the most popular renBTC trading pairs are renBTC/BTC, renBTC/WETH, and renBTC/USDT. There are currently no direct fiat on-ramps to renBTC, but you can buy Bitcoin with fiat (as explained here), and then convert it to renBTC via the RenVM platform.
RENBTC was first tradable on 28th Jun, 2020. It has a total supply of 304.49,913,669. As of right now RENBTC has a market capitalization of USD $162,609,692.42. The current price of RENBTC is $11871.05 and is ranked 1038 on Coinmarketcap and has recently surged 48.38 percent at the time of writing.
RENBTC has been listed on a number of crypto exchanges, unlike other main cryptocurrencies, it cannot be directly purchased with fiats money. However, You can still easily buy this coin by first buying Bitcoin from any fiat-to-crypto exchanges and then transfer to the exchange that offers to trade this coin, in this guide article we will walk you through in detail the steps to buy RENBTC.
Step 1: Register on Fiat-to-Crypto Exchange
You will have to first buy one of the major cryptocurrencies, in this case, Bitcoin (BTC). In this article we will walk you through in details two of the most commonly-used fiat-to-crypto exchanges, Uphold.com and Coinbase. Both exchanges have their own fee policies and other features that we will go through in detail. It is recommended that you try both of them and figure out the one that suits you best.
Select Fiat-to-Crypto Exchange for details:
- UpHold
Being one of the most popular and convenient fiat-to-crypto exchanges, UpHold has the following advantages:
- Easy to buy and trade among multiple assets, more than 50 and still adding
- Currently more than 7M users worldwide
- You can apply for UpHold Debit card where you can spend the crypto assets on your account like a normal debit card! (US only but will be in the UK later)
- Easy to use mobile app where you can withdraw fund to a bank or any other altcoin exchanges easily
- No hidden fees and any other account fees
- There are limited buy/sell orders for more advanced users
- You can easily set up recurring deposits for Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA) if you intend to hold cryptos long term
- USDT, which is one of the most popular USD-backed stablecoins (basically a crypto that is backed by real fiat money so they are less volatile and can be treated almost as the fiat money it's pegged with) is available, this is more convenient if the altcoin you intend to buy has only USDT trading pairs on the altcoin exchange so you don't have to go through another currency conversion while you buy the altcoin.
Type your email and click 'Next'. Make sure you provide your real name as UpHold will need it for account and identity verification. Choose a strong password so that your account isn't vulnerable to hackers.
You will receive a confirmation email. Open it and click on the link within. You will then be required to provide a valid mobile number to set up two-factor authentication (2FA), it is an extra layer to the security of your account and it is highly recommended that you keep this feature turned on.
Follow the next step to finish your identity verification. These steps are a bit daunting especially when you are waiting to buy an asset but just like any other financial institutions, UpHold is regulated in most countries such as the US, the UK and the EU. You can take this as a trade-off to using a trusted platform to make your first crypto purchase. Good news is that the whole so-called Know-Your-Customers (KYC) process is now fully automated and it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes to finish.
Step 2: Buy BTC with fiat money
Once you finished the KYC process. You will be asked to add a payment method. Here you can either choose to provide a credit/debit card or use a bank transfer. You may be charged higher fees depending on your credit card company and the volatile prices when using cards but you will also make an instant purchase. While a bank transfer will be cheaper but slower, depending on the country of your residence, some countries will offer instant cash deposit with low fees.
Now you are all set, on the 'Transact' screen under the 'From' field, select your fiat currency, and then on the 'To' field choose Bitcoin, click preview to review your transaction and the click confirm if everything looks good... and congrats! You've just made your first crypto purchase.
Step 3: Transfer BTC to an Altcoin Exchange
But we are not done yet, since RENBTC is an altcoin we need to transfer our BTC to an exchange that RENBTC can be traded. Below is a list of exchanges that offers to trade RENBTC in various market pairs, head to their websites and register for an account.
Once finished you will then need to deposit BTC to the exchange from UpHold. After the deposit is confirmed you may then purchase RENBTC from the exchange view.
Last Step: Store RENBTC securely in hardware wallets
Ledger Nano S
- Easy to set up and friendly interface
- Can be used on desktops and laptops
- Lightweight and Portable
- Support most blockchains and wide range of (ERC-20/BEP-20) tokens
- Multiple languages available
- Built by a well-established company found in 2014 with great chip security
- Affordable price
Ledger Nano X
- More powerful secure element chip (ST33) than Ledger Nano S
- Can be used on desktop or laptop, or even smartphone and tablet through Bluetooth integration
- Lightweight and Portable with built-in rechargeable battery
- Larger screen
- More storage space than Ledger Nano S
- Support most blockchains and wide range of (ERC-20/BEP-20) tokens
- Multiple languages available
- Built by a well-established company found in 2014 with great chip security
- Affordable price
If you are planning to keep("hodl" as some may say, basically misspelt "hold" which get popularised over time) your RENBTC for a considerable long time, you may want to explore ways of keeping it safe, although Binance is one of the safest cryptocurrency exchange there had been hacking incidents and funds were lost. Because of the very nature of the wallets in exchanges, they will be always online("Hot Wallets" as we call them), therefore exposing certain aspects of vulnerabilities. The safest way of storing your coins to date is always putting them into a type of "Cold Wallets", where the wallet will only have access to the blockchain(or simply "go online") when you send out funds, reducing the chances of hacking incidents. A paper wallet is a type of free cold wallet, it's basically an offline-generated pair of public and private address and you will have it written somewhere, and keep it safe. However, it is not durable and is susceptible to various hazards.
Hardware wallet here is definitely a better option of cold wallets. They are usually USB-enabled devices that store the key information of your wallet in a more durable way. They are built with military-level security and their firmware are constantly maintained by their manufacturers and thus extremely safe. Ledger Nano S and Ledger Nano X and are the most popular options in this category, these wallets cost around $50 to $100 depending on the features they are offering. If you are holding your assets these wallets are a good investment in our opinion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I buy RENBTC with cash?
There is no direct way to buy RENBTC with cash. However, you can use marketplaces such as LocalBitcoins to first purchase BTC, and finish the rest of the steps by transferring your BTC to respective AltCoin exchanges.
LocalBitcoins is a peer-to-peer Bitcoin exchange. It is a marketplace where users can buy and sell Bitcoins to and from each other. Users, called traders, create advertisements with the price and the payment method they want to offer. You can choose to buy from sellers from a certain nearby region on the platform. is after all a good place to go to buy Bitcoins when you can't find your desired payment methods anywhere else. But prices are usually higher on this platform and you have to do your due diligence to avoid getting scammed.
Are there any quick ways to buy RENBTC in Europe?
Yes, in fact, Europe is one of the easiest places to buy cryptos in general. There are even online banks which you can simply open an account and transfer money to exchanges such as Coinbase and Uphold.
Are there any alternative platforms to buy RENBTC or Bitcoin with credit cards?
Yes. is also a very easy to use platform for buying Bitcoin with credit cards. It is an instant cryptocurrency exchange that allows you to exchange crypto fast and buy it with a bank card. Its user interface is very easy to use and the buying steps are pretty self-explanatory.