VALR alternative for USDT swaps with no exchange wallet
On Unigox, a VALR alternative, there is no exchange wallet to fund or withdraw from: money moves between your bank and whoever fills your USDT or USDC trade. Stay with VALR for other coins, futures, VALR Pay or order-book prices.
When to stay with VALR
You trade coins, xStocks or futures
VALR's Simple Buy/Sell covers over 50 cryptocurrencies, and its fee schedule also lists xStocks, futures and crypto Bundles. Unigox only swaps stablecoins with local money.
You use VALR's USDT/ZAR order book
Under 50,000 USDT of 30-day volume, a VALR order on a rand pair costs 0.18% as maker and 0.35% as taker. EFT deposits are free, and 30 normal rand withdrawals a month cost nothing. That can come to less than the fee inside a Unigox rate, so price both for your amount.
You spend rand or crypto at the till
VALR Pay is free between VALR accounts and works at South African shops that take Zapper, Scan to Pay, Ozow or Peach Payments, such as Pick n Pay, Clicks and Engen.
VALR fees and steps next to one Unigox trade
VALR's trading fees are for its first tier, under 50,000 USDT of 30-day volume.
| Topic | VALR | Unigox |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A South African exchange with USDT/ZAR and USDC/ZAR order books, Simple Buy/Sell for over 50 coins, futures, xStocks and VALR Pay. | A platform for swapping USDT or another stablecoin with rand or other local money; a P2P merchant or a payment business fills each trade. |
| Buying USDT | Fund your VALR rand wallet first: EFT is free, a card deposit costs 3.9%. Then buy with Simple Buy or on the USDT/ZAR order book. | No deposit first: you pay the rand from your bank to the P2P merchant or payment business selling the USDT. |
| Selling USDT | Sell with Simple Sell or an order on the USDT/ZAR book. The rand lands in your VALR wallet until you withdraw it. | Confirm one rate for your amount; the buyer of your USDT pays the rand into your bank account. |
| Fees | Simple Buy/Sell: 1.6%. Order book on rand pairs: 0.18% maker, 0.35% taker. Rand deposits by EFT are free. | Inside the rate Unigox shows for your amount, before you confirm. |
| Rand to your bank | A separate withdrawal, only to a South African bank account in your own name. 30 normal ones a month are free, then R8.50. A fast one costs R30 and is near-instant at real-time clearing banks, except on Sundays and public holidays. A normal one sent on a weekday before 16:10 arrives the next business day. | No withdrawal step: the rand for a sale reaches your account during the trade. |
| Sending USDT out | On Solana, Tron or Ethereum, for a network fee quoted before you confirm, free only to another VALR account. Every send outside VALR needs Travel Rule details. | Send USDT out to an outside wallet, or in from VALR or another wallet, before or after a trade. |
| Regulation | VALR (Pty) Ltd is authorised by the FSCA as FSP 53308 and registered as an accountable institution with the Financial Intelligence Centre. Hacken ran a one-time proof-of-reserves audit of it. | Unigox works through two companies: UNIGOX NETWORK CORP. in Canada handles the local-money side and is registered with FINTRAC as a money services business and with the Bank of Canada as a payment service provider; UNIGOX NETWORK CORP. in Panama handles the crypto side, including wallets and escrow. |
UnigoxFrom a VALR withdrawal to your first Unigox trade
Pass the Unigox identity check
Unigox verifies you before your first trade, at any amount. Your VALR verification does not carry over.
Send in the USDT you will sell
Withdraw it from VALR to your Unigox deposit address on Tron, Solana or Ethereum. VALR quotes the network fee and asks for Travel Rule details unless the address is in its Address Book; if Unigox is not in its list of platforms, pick Other and type the name. A Fully-verified VALR account sends up to 0.2 BTC worth a day, or 100 BTC with authenticator 2FA. Buying needs no transfer.
Confirm one rate
Pick buy or sell, enter the amount and your bank account, and accept the rate. When a P2P merchant buys your USDT, check the rand has reached your bank before you release it.
Questions about VALR alternatives
What is a VALR alternative for swapping stablecoins?
Unigox, if stablecoins and rand are all you swap: you confirm one rate and the rand moves between your bank and whoever fills the trade, with no VALR wallet to fund or empty. For other coins, futures or VALR Pay, VALR does more.
What are VALR's fees to buy and sell USDT?
Simple Buy/Sell and Simple Swap cost 1.6%. On the order book, rand pairs cost 0.18% maker and 0.35% taker under 50,000 USDT of 30-day volume, falling at higher tiers. EFT deposits are free and card deposits 3.9%. The first 30 normal rand withdrawals each month are free, then R8.50 each, and a fast withdrawal is R30.
Is VALR safe to use?
VALR (Pty) Ltd is authorised by the FSCA as FSP 53308 and registered with South Africa's Financial Intelligence Centre. A one-time Proof of Reserves audit by Hacken found it held crypto covering 100% or more of customer balances.
Which network do I use to send USDT from VALR to Unigox?
Tron, Solana or Ethereum: VALR sends USDT on those three and Unigox takes deposits on all of them. Make it a crypto withdrawal to your Unigox deposit address on the same network. VALR quotes the network fee before you confirm and asks for Travel Rule details on every send outside VALR, unless the address is saved with them in its Address Book.
See your rand rate on Unigox
A VALR Simple Buy or Sell costs 1.6%; an order adds its withdrawal. Set either beside the Unigox rate for your amount.
VALR and other names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners. Unigox is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by them. Information about other companies comes from public sources, mainly the companies' own websites, and each company can change its products and fees at any time.