Introducing AgoraDesk

We've been working on this one for quite some time now, but we're very excited to present you guys with AgoraDesk, which, in addition to being essentially an alternative LocalMonero front-end which adds Bitcoin to the platform, also happens to be the world's first P2P OTC cryptocurrency options exchange. With physical settlement, no less. And straight out of the gate we support both XMR- and BTC-based contracts.

Features

AgoraDesk's features include everything you expect from LocalMonero and more:

• No KYC/AML or verification (though some traders on the platform might ask you for verification themselves);
• Any currency, any payment method, anywhere;
• Cash and online Monero trading (just like LocalMonero);
• Cash and online Bitcoin trading (just like the other Local* sites);
• Monero options trading (calls & puts);
• Bitcoin options trading (calls & puts);
• Options are settled physically (i.e. with the underlying BTC or XMR);
• Call options support both gross settlement and net settlement;
• Accounts, reputation and XMR ads/trades are completely shared with LocalMonero;
• Onion portal;
• I2P portal;
• No-JavaScript version of the site (loads by default when accessing from Tor or I2P);
• Fully functional when Google is blocked by your browser;
• Affiliate program - earn commission for inviting trading users;
• Multilingual: we support English, Russian, Chinese (both simplified and traditional), Italian, Portuguese and Spanish;
• Mobile notifications through telegram, so that you won't have to install yet another app on your phone just to get push notifications about your trades;
• Beautiful ads through the use of Markdown;
• 2FA (with TOTP apps like Google Authenticator or andOTP);
• Withdrawal transaction priority for Monero withdrawals;
• Deposit and withdraw currencies other than BTC and XMR through MorphToken integration;
• Complicated pricing mechanisms through the use of price/premium formulas, not just for spot trading but also for options and their premiums;

As can be noticed from our feature set, since we come from a Monero background, AgoraDesk inherits the same privacy bent as LocalMonero.

Why P2P OTC options?

Because until today one could only have access to these sorts of instruments if they went through tedious verification processes of the centralized exchanges. In addition, many countries/regions (even the US in some instances) are simply banned from accessing these instruments on most popular centralized exchanges. Since our platform is completely P2P and OTC (no standardized instruments), we can afford not to impose any such restrictions.

Leveraged Trading for All

Call options (i.e. the right to buy), for instance, can serve as an alternative to a leveraged long position upon the underlying asset. If you buy a call option for an underlying of $100 worth of BTC for a premium of $1 then you're in a position similar to a x100 leveraged long position. Initially, you only pay the $1 premium to the call option seller, and if the price increases x2 then you profit $99. Pay $1, get 100$. If the price drops, you simply let your call option expire, and your losses are limited to the premium you payed - $1.

Put options (i.e. the right to sell), likewise, can serve as alternatives to a leveraged short position.

Risk Hedging for All

In addition to "leveraged trading", calls and puts can be used to hedge yourself against price fluctuation risks if you happen to receive or make payments in BTC and/or XMR.

For example, you sell beautiful Monero-inspired art and receive payment in XMR. Every month you pay expenses in USD: rent, electricity, internet bills, food, and so on. Assume your monthly USD expenses are $1000. Under the current XMR price, you make enough per month to cover your expenses, but you are worried that a sudden drop in the price might affect your ability to pay at the end of the month. To guard against this, you simply buy a put option with an underlying of $1000 worth of XMR that expires at the end of the month. If the price goes up - you let the option expire, sell your XMR on the spot market and reap the profit. If the price goes down - you exercise the option and are able to cover your expenses despite the price going down.

These and many more advantages to be reaped from being able to trade options in a P2P OTC manner are now, for the first time in the cryptocurrency industry, available to the you.

What if the seller or buyer runs off? How does AgoraDesk guards against counterparty risk in option trades?

Through a special escrow and trade process. You can read more about it here.

What is the relationship between AgoraDesk and LocalMonero?

We've made a Venn diagram to illustrate the overlap in functionality.

So, what does this mean for LocalMonero, what if I don't care about trading Bitcoins or options?

Everything on LocalMonero will stay exactly as it is. If you don't care about BTC and/or options then you can keep using the platform exactly as you used it before. There will be no new complex extra buttons or other interface changes that shoehorn BTC and options into the LocalMonero experience.

How does my LocalMonero account relate to my AgoraDesk account? Is the XMR balance shared?

LocalMonero and AgoraDesk accounts are completely shared. You don't need to register on AgoraDesk if you have a LocalMonero account, just use the same login/pass on AgoraDesk to login and you'll see your balance, reputation, ads, trades and everything else will be visible within AgoraDesk.

The same is also true for any account that gets registered on AgoraDesk - the XMR balance, XMR ads, XMR trades and everything XMR related will be visible when you login to LocalMonero using the AgoraDesk login/pass.

If I create an ad on LocalMonero, will it be visibile to people searching for XMR ads on AgoraDesk?

Yes! Anyone browsing AgoraDesk searching for XMR ads will be able to see your ad and open a trade with you, and you will be able to undertake the trade exactly as you did before. For all intents and purposes it's as if the counterparty was replying to your ad on LocalMonero.

If I create a BTC or option ad on AgoraDesk, will it be visible on LocalMonero?

No. We wanted to keep the LocalMonero core functionality exactly as it is so as to not force unnecessary extra complexity on the people who just want to deal with Monero.

If I create an XMR ad on AgoraDesk, will it be visible on LocalMonero?

Yes! And any LocalMonero user would be able to open a trade with you, just like they would on AgoraDesk.

Find us:

Site: https://agoradesk.com

Onion portal

I2P portal

Reddit: /r/AgoraDesk

Telegram: @AgoraDesk