Home / Markets / Cryptocurrency / Bitcoin appears to crash 87% in a flash on Binance’s US venue Bitcoin appears to crash 87% in a flash on Binance’s US venue Premium Volume on the exchange in that minute was 592.8 Bitcoins, which are worth just shy of $40 million at current prevailing prices. (REUTERS) 1 min read . Updated: 21 Oct 2021, 09:54 PM IST Bloomberg The price of Bitcoin appeared to rapidly — and only temporarily — plunge about 87% on Binance’s U.S. exchange Thursday morning, sinking to as low as $8,200 from around $65,000. The price did nothing like that on other venues, and on Binance the level almost immediately snapped back to where it had been. The plunge occurred at 7:34 a.m. New York time, according to Binance’s website. Volume on the exchange in that minute was 592.8 Bitcoins, which are worth just shy of $40 million at current prevailing prices. Mistakes like this happen throughout finance when, for instance, traders mess up details of their intended trades, entering the wrong price or order size. An erroneously large trade, as one example, can overwhelm an exchange’s order book, leading to a quick and massive decline. The entire U.S. stock market famously flash crashed back in May 2010, though equities have mostly avoided trouble since that era. This is the latest in a string of recent high-profile trading problems in crypto. Synthetify, a new decentralized exchange, was forced to shut down for a while earlier this month shortly after its debut because of bad data provided by the Pyth Network, a price feed backed by some of the world’s most well-known trading and exchange firms. Pyth malfunctioned another time in September, erroneously making it appear that Bitcoin had crashed 90%.
The two ways of adding funds achieve the same result. Which you choose depends on your preference between centralized exchanges and decentralized finance (Defi). Many people prefer increased control over the transaction that is possible with Defi. You may prefer the customer service of a centralized exchange.

Virtual currencies. Like fiat currency, virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ether are intended as a medium of exchange that enables two parties to transact business. But there are important differences: No physical coins or bills. Virtual currencies exist only in computer code. Except for visual representation of Bitcoin and altcoins in advertising and displays, and coin-like tokens that may be produced for marketing purposes, there are no actual coins or bills. Not legal tender. Virtual currencies are not legal tender and are not issued or backed by a government. However, many virtual currencies, which are called convertible virtual currencies, can be redeemed for fiat currency on a number of exchanges. No regulation. Virtual currencies are not regulated by any government agency or authority. However, regulation is being considered, especially where virtual currencies function as securities when they’re used to raise capital and when traded on exchanges.
But that doesn’t mean it’s completely secure in the same way most people consider the U.S. dollar or other established currencies to be secure. Since cryptocurrency isn’t backed by any governmental authority, it doesn’t have the same protections as many standard currencies throughout the world.