ERC-20 Trading

Definition ∞ ERC-20 trading involves the exchange of tokens built on the Ethereum blockchain that adhere to the ERC-20 technical standard. This activity represents a significant portion of the digital asset market, as ERC-20 is a widely adopted standard for fungible tokens, including stablecoins, utility tokens, and governance tokens. Trading occurs on both centralized exchanges and decentralized exchanges, facilitating liquidity and price discovery for a vast array of digital assets. The standard ensures compatibility and interoperability across various Ethereum-based applications and wallets.
Context ∞ The current discussion around ERC-20 trading often highlights its dominance in the altcoin market and its role in the decentralized finance ecosystem. A key debate concerns the network congestion and high transaction fees sometimes associated with trading on the Ethereum mainnet, prompting interest in layer-2 solutions. Future developments will likely involve the migration of significant ERC-20 trading volume to more scalable blockchain networks and the continued evolution of cross-chain trading protocols.