Intro | Buy Sats | Extra Features | FAQ | Links

Introduction

If you are new to Bitcoin, the most common way to acquire it is through a regulated exchange. However, the process involves providing a significant amount of personal information such as your name, address, banking details, and even a scan of your face or voice recording. You will also need to undergo background checks before being approved to make a purchase.

After all of that, you don’t own any Bitcoin yet. You receive an IOU and still need to transfer the funds into a wallet where you control the private keys. This experience is not ideal and goes against the Ethos of Bitcoin.

Additionally, your personal information is now stored on the exchange’s server, making it vulnerable to potential breaches. Unfortunately, such incidents are not uncommon in the Bitcoin world. Companies like ‘Mt Gox’, ‘Binance’, and ‘Ledger’ have all experienced data breaches in the past.

So what’s the alternative?

Buying Bitcoin noKYConly!

There are many ways to obtain Bitcoin without providing all of your details to a company that may or may not know how to secure data properly. I have guides on using peer-to-peer markets like Bisq, HodlHodl and Robosats, but one of the new kids on the European noKYC block is Peach Bitcoin.

What is Peach Bitcoin?

Peach Bitcoin is a novel mobile application that facilitates peer-to-peer transactions, allowing users to buy and sell Bitcoin directly without intermediaries. With its focus on user privacy and security, Peach stands out from major KYC exchanges such as Coinbase or Binance as it does not require to Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance.

The need for a platform like Peach Bitcoin stems from a growing demand for privacy in Bitcoin. Traditional exchanges often require extensive KYC procedures, which deter individuals who value their privacy. Furthermore, the process can be time-consuming and complex, creating a barrier to entry for many newcomers. By eliminating the need for KYC, Peach Bitcoin offers a more accessible and user-friendly alternative.

Learn more about the dangers of KYC here.

How Peach Bitcoin works

Here is an overview of how Peach operates:

  1. Buying and Selling Bitcoin: Users can list their Bitcoin for sale or browse listings to buy Bitcoin directly from other users. Once they agree on a price, the transaction begins without delay.

  2. Escrow System: Peach employs a secure 2 of 2 multi-signature escrow transaction system that assures the safety of all transactions for all parties. When making a sell offer, the seller sends the bitcoin to an address controlled by them and Peach: the bitcoin can only be moved from here if they and Peach both sign off on it.

  3. Payment and Release of Bitcoin: The buyer sends the agreed fiat currency payment directly to the seller through the agreed-upon payment method. Once the seller confirms receipt of the payment, sats are released and moved to the buyer’s wallet in self-custody.

  4. Dispute Resolution: Peach can step in as a mediator if a dispute arises between the buyer and seller. If the parties cannot resolve the dispute, Peach’s staff will intervene and try settling the issue. The process involves asking for proof of payment on the buyer side to ensure that everyone has done their part of the agreement.

At the time of writing this, 23rd May 2023, Peach Bitcoin is still in beta testing.

Create your account

Once installed, it takes less than 10 seconds to create your Peach account; it is THAT easy. Note that, unlike other services, your Peach account is a file stored on your phone, which means your personal information is not accessible to Peach. However, in addition you might want to consider using a VPN service on your mobile phone, to further enhance the privacy of your connection.

  1. Download Peach Bitcoin for your operating system:
  2. Launch Peach Bitcoin.
  3. Agree or disagree with sharing usage data.
  4. Press “Next”.
  5. Insert an optional referral code.

  1. Press “New User”.
  2. Welcome!

After creating your account on Peach, a new wallet will be automatically generated. This wallet is the default one and will be used for buying. We suggest that newcomers use the Peach wallet.

Buying Bitcoin

  1. Press “Buy” on the bottom left corner of your screen.
  2. Select the range of Satoshis you would like to buy.
  3. Add your preferred currency & payment method(s).

  1. Review your buy offer summary and press “Publish Offer”.

  1. Peach will notify you of available matches. Navigate to the “Trades” window to see them.
  2. Browse offers and match with your favourites. Be sure to take note of the premium.
    • You can match as many offers as you want.
    • A trade will be created with the first seller that matches you back.
    • You can unmatch an offer before the seller accepts.
    • You can check the seller’s reputation by clicking on their PeachID.
    • You can look at the escrow and see that the sats are ready to be released.
  3. If someone matches you back, you will land on the trade page.
  4. Copy the payment details of your counterparty. Make the payment on your end. Come back to Peach and scroll right “I made the payment”.

Important note: you can initiate an encrypted chat with your trading partner that Peach cannot read or access unless you invite Peach’s staff to resolve a dispute, in which case they will have access to the history of the chat.

  1. As soon as the seller presses “Payment Received” on their end, you will receive your sats. You can rate your counterparty for the trade and see the breakdown of the fees.

  1. You have successfully stacked non-KYC sats. Congratulations!

Selling Bitcoin

  1. Press “Sell” on the bottom left corner of your screen.
  2. Select how many Satoshis you would like to sell.
  3. Set your premium/discount.
  4. Press “Next”.

  1. Select the payment methods you would like to be paid with.
  2. Review your sell offer summary and press “Publish Offer”.
  3. Fund the escrow with the amount noted at the top.

  1. The “transaction pending” screen means that the network is validating your transaction.
  2. Peach will notify you when you have a match. Browse the various matches and accept your favourite.

  1. Wait for the counterparty to send the fiat payment.
  2. Once the payment is made, press “Go to trade”.

  1. Confirm payment and rate your counterparty for the trade.

Create backups

Account backup

Peach will prompt you to create a backup on your device. Backups enable you to restore your account in case you delete the app from your device or would like to switch devices and keep your reputation and settings.

Peach’s backups will create a .json file on your device. It is recommended to keep this saved in another device, such as an SD card, on your pc or external hard drive. If your backup file is only on your phone and you lose it, your account is lost.

To create a backup:

  • Navigate to “Settings”.
  • Press “Backups”.
  • Press “File Backup”.
  • Press “Create new backup”.
  • Enter a secure password - KEEP THIS PASSWORD SAFE. YOU MUST ENTER THIS PASSWORD TO RESTORE YOUR ACCOUNT.

If you forgot your password but are still logged in to Peach, no need to panic. You can simply create a new backup with a new password with the same process.

Wallet backup

Peach automatically creates a new wallet, and you only own the associated keys. It is vital to take note of the 12 words related to your wallet in case you still have funds in it but don’t use Peach anymore. You can restore this wallet on Sparrow Wallet or your favourite Bitcoin wallet software.

To see your seed phrase:

  • Navigate to “Settings”.
  • Press “Backups”.
  • At the top of your screen, press “seed phrase”.
  • Tick “Read & Understood”.
  • Take note of your seed phrase and keep it secure and offline.

Restore account from backups

If you deleted the Peach app or want to switch to another device, you will need the .json file and the password from the previous steps to decrypt it.

  • Re-download Peach or transfer the file to your new device.
  • Open Peach.
  • Press “Next”.
  • Instead of “New user”, press “Restore”.
  • Select the .json file and enter your password.
  • Welcome back!

Peach’s Regulations

Peach is a Swiss-based company that adheres to Swiss regulations. To comply with the law, trades without KYC are limited to CHF 1000 per day and CHF 100,000 per year.

Your payment information is kept on your phone, preventing Peach from accessing it. Peach only sees a hashed version of your phone’s ID and payment details to prevent any trades exceeding the personal limit mentioned earlier. However, Peach is currently closed source, which means that you must trust them on how the info is stored, shared and secured.

Per Swiss regulations, you must sign a message that you’re in control of the wallet you use when trading sats with sellers. More on that in the FAQ section.

Peach Score

Each user has a Peach score associated with their profile. It is a reflection of their reputation on the platform. It considers the rating given to them by other users and their actions, such as resolving disputes and prompt payment.

Peach users can see how many trades their matches have done and their reputation. Finally, Peach has three badges that incentivise users to be good actors! When browsing for matches, press the small i to learn more about your match’s reputation. You can check your own rating in your settings > profile.

The current badges are:

  • Supertrader: user with at least 20 trades
  • Fast Trader: user who accepts matches and makes or confirms payments almost instantly
  • Early Adopter: user who has tried the Alpha/Beta version of Peach

Peach Team

Peach was born from the minds of Bitcoin Maximalists who have likely had their lives transformed by the open protocol. Peach’s mission is to be the fastest way to acquire non-kyc Bitcoin and establish peer-to-peer as the standard.

Peach has escaped the FIAT standard by fully operating on a Bitcoin Standard. The company does not have a bank account, and its reserve is in Bitcoin and only generates revenue in Bitcoin.

Conclusion

Peach Bitcoin is a promising P2P exchange in the Bitcoin space. Its peer-to-peer transaction model and commitment to privacy and security set it apart from other centralised platforms. By facilitating Bitcoin transactions without the need for intermediaries or KYC compliance, Peach is democratizing access to Bitcoin.

The user-friendly mobile app, range of payment options, and emphasis on the self-custody of Bitcoin make it an attractive choice for individuals interested in buying or selling Bitcoin.

Despite being relatively new, Peach Bitcoin has received very positive reviews for its user experience and privacy prioritization. As the platform matures, it will be interesting to see how its business model evolves and how it continues to serve the needs of the Bitcoin community.

FAQ Section

Is Peach Open Source?

Many Bitcoiners prioritise Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) when selecting their tools. During a recent interview, co-founders Steph and Czino shared their intention to make their source code of the app verifiable but not FOSS.

Will Peach integrate Tor?

At the moment, Tor integration is parked in their pipeline but not a priority.

Because of that, a user is well advised to be on a VPN connection while interacting with the Peach app. Using a VPN service like Mullvad is generally good practice on mobile phones and desktop devices. If you want to learn more about VPN providers, check out this podcast: Journey to Sovereignty, EP #8: Let’s make (good) VPNs the standard.

Can I adjust the network fees?

You have control over the fees you pay to the network when transferring your sats from the in-app wallet.

  1. Navigate to “Settings”.
  2. Press “Network Fees”.
  3. Adjust the fee to your preference.

Increasing network fees in Peach wallet using RBF

If you’re using Peach wallet and your transaction is taking longer than expected to confirm, it’s likely stuck in the Bitcoin network’s mempool due to low fees. Starting from version 0.2.10, Peach wallet offers a solution to this using the Replace-By-Fee (RBF) feature.

To increase the fee for a faster confirmation:

  1. Open your Peach wallet.
  2. Tap on the three horizontal lines icon.
  3. Select the transaction that is stuck in the mempool.
  4. Press “Increase Network Fee”.
  5. Adjust the fee based on the current mempool fees or your desired confirmation time.

Can my offers have multiple payment methods?

You can add as many currencies and payment methods for your trades as you wish. You can modify these before publishing offers or in your settings in “Payment Methods”. If your payment method is not available, you can let Peach know at hello@peachbitcoin.com

Can I pay by cash?

Peach includes anonymous cash trades where people can trade cash for sats. Peach partners with meetups organisers across the world to facilitate the safe & secure trading of Bitcoin with cash.

You can browse the various meetups during the payment selection of your trade offer.

If you are an organiser of a meetup and would like to add your location to Peach, contact them on the following page: Peach x Meetups

Can I avoid sending sats to the in-app wallet?

You can send sats directly to your wallet, such as Samourai Wallet or Sparrow Wallet. However, it will add complexity as you must sign each transaction. The benefit is that you don’t need to pay twice the network fees if you plan on sending sats to your wallet anyway.

  1. Navigate to “Settings”.
  2. Toggle off “Payout to peach wallet”.
  3. Press “Payout address”.
  4. Label your wallet and paste/scan your bitcoin receive address.
  5. Next time you create a new offer, on the summary page, press the wallet icon in the top right corner.
  6. Select your wallet.
  7. Copy the message and paste the signature from your wallet.

Why do I need to sign each transaction?

Per Swiss regulations, signing a message is mandatory to confirm wallet ownership when engaging in a trade. This measure ensures that the user has complete control over the transaction and is in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Signing a message does NOT link your personal identity to the trade.

What does the referral code do?

You will receive a referral code when you sign up for a Peach account. If others use this code when they sign up, you will earn one Peach point for every 10,000 sats they trade on the platform. Currently the rewards offer:

  • A custom referral code (for 100 points)
  • Five transactions without any Peach fees (for 200 points)
  • Conversion of your points into satoshis (beginning at 300 points, at a rate of 25 sats per point)

How does Peach make money?

When trading with Peach, a buyer will be charged a nominal 2% of the trading volume in fees. It’s good to remember that transaction fees will also be included when transacting on the Bitcoin blockchain.

What data does Peach collect?

As Peach’s co-founder, Steph, said in a recent interview with Foundation Devices, “Not much!”. Peach collects the following:

  • A hash of your phone’s ID.
  • A hash of your payment data.
  • Your encrypted chats (If you have a dispute and invite a mediator from Peach, they will have access to the chat history).
  • The data of your trades (which type of payment method you’re using, how much you’re buying, etc.).
  • Usage data, if you agree to this (Settings > Toggle “Diagnostics” On/Off)

Podcast appearances:

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Get in touch with Peach:

About the writer

Hi, I’m Bitlevi! I crystallise what I learn on my journey to sovereignty by writing about Bitcoin and FOSS tools. Feel free to message me on Twitter. If you enjoyed this guide and would like to donate, here is my PayNym!