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Gemini
Gemini
The Gemini crypto wallet stores cryptocurrencies issued by various networks. As you’ll learn in our Gemini wallet review, this one is powered by the Gemini platform created by an American agency. The Gemini team started with twin brothers Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.
Together, they’ve also launched the social network ConnectU, which inspired Facebook.
According to the Winklevoss twins, Mark Zuckerberg stole their social network idea and design that now occupies the number-one SM spot worldwide. In pursuit of justice, the twins won a case in 2004 that awarded them $65 million in total damages.
Inevitably, the Winklevoss twins also won some fame. They then launched the company Gemini in 2016, specializing in the exchange of crypto, and the American crypto community quickly took an interest in it. In 2013, the twins had already invested $11 million in Bitcoin alone.
As the grandfather of all crypto gained trust in public markets, their investment quickly became a fortune. This likely convinced the twins to start their own crypto business.
With its headquarters in New York City, Gemini became the first Ethereum exchange to register a BitLicense in 2016. BitLicense is a commercial license issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS) for companies dealing with virtual currencies.
Though initially offering its services and wallet to the United States, Gemini quickly expanded to an international market. This Gemini wallet review will cover the details.
In short, Gemini is a hot wallet.
This means that it hosts the essential functions of a virtual wallet that’s accessible via the web. Gemini’s hot wallet is accessible through the web, which makes it a web wallet, but you can also access it as a mobile application, making it a mobile wallet as well. Hot wallets are known for transacting at ideal speeds, with reliable ease and global accessibility.
You can access and store crypto within the wallet at any time and from any web connection. Given the web connection they have, hot wallets, unlike cold ones, are exposed to attacks.
Gemini
Gemini
Currently, there’s no Gemini hardware wallet.
Security is central to Gemini’s success, being that the company does protect user assets. One of its provisions is in combining an institutional cold wallet with a hot one.
The crypto stored on a cold wallet is only accessible physically.
A cold wallet, therefore, refers to a physical medium such as a USB key, computer or paper sheet. Cold wallets, however, aren’t practical for everyday use. Only a hot wallet can transact via the Internet and is generally necessary before you can use crypto deposited on a Gemini cold wallet.
Just keep in mind that the Gemini cold wallet is more of a service than it is available hardware.
If a cold wallet is in the physical form, it’s often referred to as a hardware wallet. Institutional cold wallets, however, offer physical backups of your crypto. These backups get stored on sophisticated equipment with advanced security features in highly secured locations.
Only those authorized with clearance passes can enter such places. Institutional cold wallets, Gemini being one, have several levels of surveillance so that no single person can expose one.
Depending on the cryptocurrencies in which you wish to invest, a wallet may be more or less adapted to your needs. There are wallets on the market that only support certain types of cryptocurrencies or that are dedicated exclusively to crypto hosted on a specific blockchain.
As for Gemini wallet, its storage platform has evolved to meet the needs of a growing market. Gemini stores roughly 133 different crypto assets.
As to be expected, you’ll first find Bitcoin, Ethereum and other crypto with native blockchains.
A blockchain is an autonomous network, operating according to a particular system of execution and verification of peer-to-peer operations, including crypto transactions.
While Bitcoin (BTC) was the first successful crypto, the eponymous blockchain is the first tech of this kind in the world. Shortly after BTC’s arrival, the Ethereum blockchain took the second spot for peer-to-peer operations, hosting Ether (ETH) as its native-crypto token.
Gemini crypto wallet receives and stores Bitcoin and Ethereum along with other crypto native to other blockchains. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of native assets supported by Gemini wallet:
Once they are put into service, blockchains achieve a number of practical applications. They create crypto to operate on their own networks while the actual network is programmed for a certain use. Non-native coins, which power a third-party network, are often called tokens.
Gemini supports a multitude of tokens, consisting of those on Ethereum and Solana (SPL).
Here’s a more extensive look:
Among the crypto tokens offered by Gemini, you’ll have access to stablecoins, which are often linked to NFTs, metaverses and virtual gaming.
When Gemini first entered the cryptocurrency market, its services were only available in the United States. Unsurprisingly, the company quickly broadened its horizons by making its services available in other countries, starting with Great Britain and Canada.
The wallet’s expansion has been a result of its diplomatic and business relations with the United States. Since its birth, Gemini has continued to expand into different countries.
To date, Gemini Wallet’s services are accessible from roughly 60 countries over all continents. However, countries like France and Germany have not been included.
Here’s a list of the various nations that can access Gemini’s crypto wallet:
Gemini
Gemini
Hardware wallets or hard wallets are considered cold wallets. These accessories, like a USB key or hard-drive, are used as wallets for your crypto. At the moment, Gemini Wallet is not compatible with the hardware of third-party companies such as Ledger or ZenGo.
The New York company, instead, offers its own solutions for cold storage through the partnerships it has with various companies. Gemini provides an institutional storage solution that’s combined with several mechanisms for securing your assets.
Gemini manages your crypto holdings via its “terms of custody” under Gemini Custody. For flexibility, however, Gemini is compatible with Samsung Blockchain, allowing you to synchronize crypto between Gemini and Samsung wallets. Gemini integrates with Brave browser also.
Before exploring Gemini’s security systems, let’s analyze its basic features and services.
Here is where we start.
The Gemini platform is, at its core, designed to store cryptocurrencies in an electronic wallet. The wallet accommodates more than 100 cryptos and is compatible with roughly 12 blockchains. You can either solely use its hot storage or opt for institutional-level crypto storage.
In conjunction with storage, you can always transfer your crypto as needed. Gemini will access keys for the specific crypto you store, which includes popular tokens. As long as another wallet exists, the crypto in your Gemini wallet can be sent to an external address. The platform supports crypto transactions through networks that include Bitcoin, ERC-20, SPL or FIL.
By officially registering your Gemini wallet app, you’ll be able to purchase crypto from the start. Gemini’s exchange features offer you the freedom of managing your own crypto assets. Since cryptocurrencies can be freely bought or sold, you need total control of your holdings.
Freedom is reinforced by the Gemini wallet. Flexibility is too. Through the wallet, you can buy crypto with fiat currencies be they Euros, Dollars or Pounds. You can purchase via fiat by linking your Gemini wallet directly to your bank account or debit card.
Through its ActiveTrader tool, Gemini can execute trading orders with precision. The platform even offers you charts to analyze crypto currencies, price patterns and histories. Your order options range from limit orders to market orders respectively.
In principle, for crypto trading, all transactions are carried out via a public ledger called the market journal. It’s also possible to carry out trades outside the market journal. With “Gemini Clearing,” the platform provides a space to carry out such transactions.
It then plays the role of a third party by confirming the effectiveness of each transaction.
You can access your Gemini wallet from a smartphone by installing the Gemini mobile app. Free on both iOS and Android, the Gemini wallet app offers basic features AND web services.
Through Gemini, you can also earn interest from crypto staking. This option will be powered by Solana, Ethereum or Polygon blockchains, being networks with proof-of-stake consensus.
Validators all get rewarded within PoS consensus. Through Gemini, simply determine the quantity of crypto to stake, and you’re good to go. According to the rules of your chosen network, the staking duration dictates how much interest is paid and at what intervals.
Gemini also provides a credit card, which its users can apply to.
The Gemini credit card is a program where you can receive crypto cashbacks, following your everyday purchases. The card is linked to your Gemini wallet and can be used like any credit card during your purchases. It’s good in supermarkets, general stores and restaurants.
Each time you use it, Gemini immediately puts crypto rewards directly into your account. When you purchase a dinner in a restaurant, the platform will return at least 3% of your cost.
Gemini charges different fees depending on the transactions you carry out. To fully track these fees, you must pay attention to each transaction through your wallet.
Wire transfers and ACH deposits are free through Gemini. However, your bank may charge its own fee. Deposits via PayPal are charged 2.5% of the total amount deposited.
When purchasing crypto, only purchases via ACH transfers are free. Through PayPal, you incur a fee of 2.5% of the purchase amount. For a debit card purchase, you pay 3.49%.
Again, ACH transfers are free on Gemini. The same goes for bank transfers that are not made in USD (US Dollar). For USD bank transfers, the fee is a flat rate of $25.
Gemini does not charge you for receiving crypto. Only shipping is chargeable.
When sending coins from Gemini wallet to an external one, the fees depend on the crypto and the receiving network. When sending ETH and ERC-20 tokens, you’ll pay dynamic fees. These are calculated as “gas fees” from the Ethereum network and vary based on network activity.
The more congested the network, the higher the fees are.
For transactions on Ethereum, you pay fixed fees specific to each network. Only sending Gemini dollar (GUSD), Gemini’s native stablecoin, incurs no fees. The table below summarizes the shipping costs, excluding ERC-20 shipments, for each blockchain supported by Gemini.
Gemini
Gemini
| Active (network) | Fees per shipment |
| Bitcoin | 0.0001 BTC |
| Bitcoin Cash | 0.001 BCH |
| Bonfida | 0.5 FIDA |
| Dogecoin | 4 DOGE |
| Filecoin | 0.001 FIL |
| Gemini Dollar | Free |
| Litecoin | 0.001 LTC |
| Orca | 0.3 ORCA |
| Polkadot | 0.05 DOT |
| Raydium | 0.1 RAY |
| Saber | 1 SBR |
| Samoyedcoin | 60 SAMO |
| Solana | 0.005 SOL |
| Stepn | 0.7 GMT |
| Tezos | 0.4 XTZ |
| ZCash | 0.001 ZEC |
| Zebec | 1 ZBC |
On the issue of security, Gemini has various levels of verifications, ensuring the protection of user data and their assets. Though zero risk does not exist, as long as its IT systems are active, Gemini does offer one of the best security protocols in the crypto industry.
This is evidenced by the fact that the platform has successfully passed the SOC1 type 1 test and the SOC2 type 2 test, being two major tests for compliance with security standards.
Gemini requires its users to activate two-factor authentication to be able to connect and use the platform’s services. Your two-security factors can be a password-fingerprint combination or password-facial recognition combo. You can also use multi-factor authentication or a PIN.
The latter is necessary to access the Gemini mobile wallet—even if the user already uses connections or benefits from other services. Gemini also accepts physical security keys. You can configure access to your Gemini wallet with a USB key or an NFC device.
In anticipation of risks, Gemini relies on insurance to protect user funds against certain forms of loss and computer attacks.
Gemini’s security protocols make it reliable for anyone investing in crypto. Furthermore, considering the platform as a whole, a Gemini user can access multiple features.
However, at times, Gemini’s security might not be complete enough to satisfy expert users.
Overall, Gemini wallet is ideal for beginners and intermediate users.
For example, not being compatible with any hardware wallet poses a problem for advanced users even if it partners with Brave and Samsung Wallet.
In addition, the platform does not offer the autonomy experts often seek. In terms of staking, among other things, Gemini only serves as an intermediary and receives user commissions.
Also in terms of fees, which are somewhat higher than the average fees applied by other players, an experienced user won’t hesitate to look for cheaper options. Whether experts, intermediates or beginners, users should be able to keep an eye on their assets.
Gemini Wallet does its best to protect user assets and to transmit all the information they need.
Through the Cryptopedia editorial service, numerous informative articles are published to help investors understand the crypto universe. A comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section is also available to address the most common concerns.
However, when it comes to customer service, the provisions are insufficient. It’s inconceivable that a platform offering services related to the crypto universe wouldn’t offer live support.
However, this is the case with Gemini Wallet. No one is reachable by live chat or telephone. There’s simply a bot available via chat with automated responses. In terms of security, the platform has some options, but customer service has a multitude of gaps to be filled.
To reach customer service, you must open a ticket via the platform’s “Support” tab. You’ll then receive an email within 24 hours to 48 hours. Unfortunately, even by email, there’s no customer support department that specifically deals with requests related to your wallet.
Overall, we assess that Gemini wallet works hard when it comes to security.
From fund insurance to authentication methods, multiple mechanisms are in place to keep user accounts secure. Its regulation from the NYSDFS and through various SOC security standards establish a high level of security that the company values.
Its security protocols, nevertheless, pose a problem. Chiefly, Gemini Wallet collects a lot of data from users. For users who are suspicious about their confidentiality, Gemini could be intrusive.
This, after the Winklevoss brothers’ ties to the FTX scandal, deals a blow to its credibility.
On the other hand, difficulty in contacting customer support limits the hopes of a quick response to any problem that you might encounter.
That being said, Gemini is still advantageous. The software supports more than a hundred cryptocurrencies and makes purchasing crypto easy. It also accepts several payment methods.
You can even access your crypto portfolio in a number of ways.
Gemini
Gemini
Gemini’s services can be suitable for different investor profiles, depending on the criteria that are important to each. For the time being, however, Gemini wallet is not available in France.
