Atomic swap

Atomic swaps allow two parties to exchange cryptocurrencies trustlessly — Alice's BTC for Bob's XMR, for example — using cryptographic protocols (typically hashed timelock contracts, HTLCs) that guarantee either both transfers complete or neither does. The exchange happens directly between the two wallets, with no intermediary holding funds. Modern atomic-swap services like Side Shift, FixedFloat, Trocador, and Cake Wallet's swap function automate the protocol behind a familiar exchange UI.

For offshore hosting customers, atomic swaps are the primary path to acquire Monero (which is largely delisted from KYC exchanges) without leaving a fiat trail. Workflow: buy BTC on a KYC exchange or P2P, send to a self-custodial wallet, swap to XMR via atomic swap, pay invoice from XMR. The swap providers themselves don't custody funds and typically don't perform KYC.