Bamboo Relay is a decentralized crypto exchange offering margin trading and credit card deposits via Carbon. But in 2025, its low liquidity and lack of updates make it a niche tool for experienced DeFi users-not beginners.
0x Protocol: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It Matters in Crypto
When you trade crypto without a central exchange, you're often using something like 0x Protocol, an open-source blockchain infrastructure that lets users trade tokens directly with each other. Also known as ZRX, it’s the backbone behind many decentralized exchanges that don’t hold your funds or control your trades. Unlike centralized platforms like Binance or Coinbase, 0x doesn’t act as a middleman. Instead, it provides the rules and tools for wallets and apps to connect and swap tokens safely—using smart contracts on Ethereum and other chains.
This isn’t just theory. Real projects use 0x every day to let users trade tokens with lower fees and more control. For example, if you’re using a DeFi app that lets you swap ETH for DAI without leaving the site, there’s a good chance it’s built on 0x. The protocol handles the matching, signing, and settlement of trades behind the scenes. Its native token, ZRX, the governance token that lets holders vote on protocol upgrades and fee structures, gives users a say in how the system evolves. Without ZRX, there’s no voting—just a fixed set of rules that no one can change.
0x also connects to other key pieces of crypto infrastructure. It works with decentralized exchanges, platforms like Matcha or Dharma that rely on 0x’s liquidity pools and order relay system, and it supports blockchain liquidity, the ability for tokens to move quickly and cheaply between wallets and apps without slippage or delays. This is why even small DeFi projects choose 0x—it helps them offer better trade prices without building their own matching engine from scratch.
You won’t find 0x on a billboard or a TikTok ad. It’s not flashy. But if you’ve ever swapped tokens on a wallet like MetaMask and saw a low fee and fast execution, you were probably using 0x. It’s the quiet engine behind dozens of apps that make crypto trading feel smooth. And while many new protocols come and go, 0x has been around since 2017—surviving bear markets, chain upgrades, and regulatory shifts because it solves a real problem: trustless, efficient trading.
Below, you’ll find real-world breakdowns of projects that use 0x, how ZRX holders actually vote on changes, and why some token swaps still fail even when the protocol works perfectly. Some posts cover failed airdrops tied to 0x-based apps. Others explain how traders use 0x to avoid centralized exchange risks. No fluff. Just what’s working, what’s not, and what you need to know to use it safely.