There is a dark side of course.
Exchanges can "just vanish" without warning—368 have closed since 2014, 161 abruptly.
Cyberattacks are rampant—$3.1B+ was stolen in 2025 alone, with centralized exchanges being prime targets (71% of breaches). The Bybit hack in February 2025 wiped $1.46B due to a private key leak.
This is the nightmare scenario. Exchanges can "just vanish" without warning—368 have closed since 2014, 161 abruptly.
That is crypto's wild side. decentralized promise meets centralized pitfalls.