Trading (orders)

Once you're verified and have a wallet, you can trade. The core building block is an order: your standing intent to swap one asset for another. You choose what you're selling and what you want in return; the platform holds the asset you're selling in escrow until the trade completes or you take it back.

Placing an order

When you place an order you choose:

• the asset (and amount) you're selling,
• the asset (and amount) you want to buy,
• optionally, an expiry, after which the order lapses (or no expiry, in which case it stands until filled or cancelled).

The moment you place it, the asset you're selling is escrowed: moved into the exchange and reserved for the trade. Your order is now open and visible to be filled.

The order lifecycle

Fills: partial vs full

Someone taking the other side of your order doesn't have to take all of it at once:

• A partial fill takes part of your order. It stays open with a smaller remaining amount, ready for more takers.
• A full fill takes the rest. Your order is now filled and complete.

Either way, the escrowed assets move to the right parties automatically as fills happen.

Settlement

Settlement is when the trade is finalized on both sides and each party receives what they're owed. For a filled order this is the natural end state; the assets have changed hands and the order is done.

Cancelling

Changed your mind? You can cancel your own open order and get your escrowed asset back. You always retain the right to reclaim what you put up as long as the order hasn't been filled.

Expiry

If you set an expiry and the order isn't filled in time, it expires. An expired order's escrow is returned to you. Automated return of expired escrow is part of the tooling being finalized, so if you don't see it back immediately, it's on its way.

What about gas?

You don't pay network gas directly to trade. Assetera uses meta-transactions: the platform relays your signed instructions on-chain on your behalf, so you don't need to hold the chain's native token just to place or fill an order. You approve the action; the gas plumbing is handled for you.