The state of XMR P2P trading in 2026 — where are people actually trading now?

submitted by arnoldnakamura to monero 5 points | 0 comments

With LocalMonero and AgoraDesk both gone, the landscape has fragmented significantly. Thought it would be useful to do a quick rundown of where EUR/XMR P2P trading actually happens in 2026.

Haveno-based (on-chain escrow, trustless)

• RetosSwap — largest volume (~$2M/month), 15% security deposits, 0.6% fees, RoundTheRoses arbitration (24-48h). Battle-tested.
• DawnSwap — newer, 5% deposits (lower locked capital), ~2% fees, 24/7 arbitration. Less liquidity but growing.
• Both require both parties to lock funds in 2-of-3 multisig. No counterparty risk.

Classifieds / escrow-optional

• XMRBazaar — 7,000+ users, 11,000+ listings, zero fees. Manual negotiation, multisig escrow available but optional.
• OpenMonero — clearnet + .onion, 0% fees, CBM/F2F/bank transfer supported. Smaller but active.

Atomic swaps (non-custodial, no human arbitrator)

• BasicSwapDEX — BTC/LTC⟷XMR, zero fees, 30-60 min settlements. Technical audience.
• Farcaster — BTC⟷XMR via Lightning, 10-15 min settlements.

For EUR specifically, Cash by Mail across the EU and Face-to-Face in Germany/France remain the most common payment methods I see. The 89% of darknet markets now being XMR-only (Bloomberg Feb 2026) has driven steady demand.

Anyone here actively trading? Curious what platforms people are using in practice for EUR specifically.