So, after a pretty long wait, the first beta version (2.0.1) of Bisq 2 dropped yesterday. Bisq 2 is the new and improved version of the original Bisq (v1). They built it from scratch to support multiple trading protocols all in one decentralized exchange.
There’s a 10-minute video showcasing the new beta version available here: https://bisq.network/blog/bisq-2-now-in-beta/
You can find the official GitHub link here: https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq2/releases/tag/v2.0.1
And if you wanna download it, just head over to this link: https://bisq.network/downloads/#bisq2
The big upgrade is Bisq Easy, for the time being. The next upgrades will be a new optimized Bisq multi-sig protocol, submarine swaps (BTC<->LN), LN to fiat, liquid to fiat, and finally my favorite, BTC/XMR atomic swaps! Unfortunately, the atomic swaps appear to be on a low priority in development (their release is scheduled in Q3/2025).
I installed the client. I like that it is more lightweight than before. What's also better in v2, is that it contains an internal discussion forum, plus some educational content in "Learn". That minimizes the activity outside the client (i.e., in forums etc).
Bisq2 came with the concept of reputation, which means that there is an emphasis on having fewer sellers compared to buyers, and sellers will try to build their trust profile over time, that also means that the price premium will be much higher, which is something that I did not like.
Atomic swap and submarine Swaps are the things I would like to try the most, especially since a wallet like Electrum has started implementing the idea. Therefore, I expect greater growth for the Lightning Network in the coming years, especially solutions like LBTC-LUSDT.
This will actually equate Bisq exchanger to a mixer and allow transactions to disappear in an unknown direction. No matter how the service gets into trouble with government agencies.
This is something I dont really approve of, when an application becomes overgrown with many different functions, turning the client into a bulky and clumsy combine (multi tool).
Bisq was already considered a mixer. It allows you to trade BTC for XMR in a non-custodial, decentralized fashion. And there is no entity the governments can address to. That's why I believe this is far more beyond their control than traditional mixers they can take down.
Hmm, I can partly agree. However, it needs to be said that it would be better to do all your Bisq activity via Tor, and not resort on Internet boards, for maximum privacy. It is basically their goal to make it as much easy for the public as possible.
IMO "mixer" is wrong term to use for bisq which is just a platform for p2p trading. A mixer by definition requires some kind of centralization, where as with bisq it is just regular trades from one person to other. Even if btc/xmr atomic swaps got implemented, assuming that it stays entirely p2p, I think it is very hard to make the legal argument against it without actually outlawing XMR altogether.
Bisq is a great project and I am looking forward to bisq2 getting developed further. The easy protocol in bisq2 seems good for people with no existing btc but for a seller the lower cost barrier of entry seems less favorable especially for payment platforms with high chargeback risk.
I havent followed bisq2 that closely, I just hope they are planning for protocols similar to bisq1 as well.
Having a discussion section in the program sounds actually really good and I see great potential in regular users being able to discuss various trading related things and to keep up with the development.
Bisq is not a mixer. A mixer takes currency and returns obfuscated currency but it's the same currency.
The correct term would be "private exchange".
Anyway, it seems that the beta version has serious stability problems. I cannot even get past the initialization phase:
And since it couldn't create the log file, there is no log to get messages from.
Here's wiki page for those who prefer reading, https://bisq.wiki/Bisq_2. Although there are some information only stated on either wiki or video. There are many interesting point, although no longer require to run full node could boost Bisq usage.
I consider coinjoin and payjoin "mixing", therefore there are decentralized mixers like Joinmarket. We could argue the strict definition, but to me, the fact that there is no central point of failure in coinjoin makes it decentralized enough.
A mixer is an entity / entities which allow the obfuscation of coins. If you send BTC for XMR, and then XMR for BTC that should be considered mixing.
today you can download the new Bisq v2.0.4 version from the link below.
you can also find out about the new features and bug fixes under the github link: https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq2/releases/tag/v2.0.4
yesterday the new 2.1.0 version was released
in addition to various bug fixes, it also has the following new features:
option to settle trades over the Lightning Networkrefined chat experience including emoji reactionsknow who's online with peer liveness indicators
you can find the complete changelog here: https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq2/releases/tag/v2.1.0
Well, Monero is explicitly listed by Theymos as "not a mixer", when it comes to signatures. And also this point:
As long as BTC/XMR swaps are decentralized, and as long as Bisq is decentralized, it can be freely advertized here.
Which means, that it can be a mixer in your eyes, but it is not a mixer, when it comes to the rules of this forum.
today the new 2.1.2 version has been released, which brings some optimizations and a few bugfixes with it
you can find the complete changelog here: https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq2/releases/tag/v2.1.2
That's a very good market for those freelancers who earn in Bitcoin that want their Bitcoin transactions to be anonymous enough. LN could give that feature without the use of mixers/tumblers/centralized coordinators.
Another very good feature for those users who want to avoid anything CENTRALIZED, including centralized CoinJoins which I noticed that a group of people have truly started to "dislike". Hahaha.
today the new 2.1.7 version was released
it is recommended to install the new version asap!
because this update brings important improvements for more reliable messaging and bug fixes in the trading process.
you can find the complete changelog here: https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq2/releases/tag/v2.1.7
It would be nice to see the market share between Bisq and Bisq 2.
Out of curiousity, which one do you prefer? I am mostly using the original Bisq. Haven't used it for a while though.
It's true that it would be nice to have the ability to see the trading volume on Bisq 2 like in Bisq 1 (but I get that it's not the most important feature to implement first). That being said, Bisq 2 certainly has a pretty low volume, since only Bisq Easy is available at the moment. It won't get much traction as long as Bisq MuSig (a trade protocol similar to Bisq 1) isn't available.
No, in fact what I meant was, I would like to see what percentage of people use which of the 2 implementations.
By "market share" I meant for example 80% of people use Bisq 1 and 20% of people use Bisq 2. It's impossible to tell, since a person could use both and nobody would know. But I was just curious.
I don't like Bisq Easy system. It's hard or almost impossible to become a reputable seller because why would someone risk trading with someone with low rating? Even Bisq suggests people in their Wiki to only trade with reputable sellers, with higher rating higher than 30,000. So, Bisq Easy is heavily dependent on rating and not on security deposits, which means that in the end, you'll be forced to trade with big guys for your own safety and these big guys will collect the information of the rest of Bisq users.