Wallet or exchange: which should I choose?
For each asset on a request, you choose how to prove you hold it. Pick the method that matches where that crypto is kept right now.
When you click Start Verification, Scrya asks How would you like to verify your [asset]? and offers two options: Private wallet and Centralised exchange.
Quick guide
| If the crypto is… | Choose |
|---|---|
| in a wallet you control, such as a browser, desktop or hardware wallet | Private wallet |
| held in your account at an exchange | Centralised exchange |
You can use a different method for each asset on the same request.
Private wallet
You sign a short message with the wallet that holds the address. This proves you control it. Scrya then reads the balance from the public blockchain. No funds move and there’s no network (gas) fee.
You’ll need:
- the wallet that controls the address, unlocked and ready
- the address itself, on the network the request asks for (see Choosing the right network)
Scrya shows signing steps for the wallet you pick, and only lists wallets that can sign on that network:
- Bitcoin: Ledger, Electrum, Sparrow, Trezor, Blockstream Jade
- Ethereum, Polygon, Base: MetaMask, Phantom, Brave Wallet, Ledger
- BNB Smart Chain, Arbitrum One: MetaMask, Brave Wallet, Ledger
- Solana: Phantom, Brave Wallet
- Tron: TronLink
MetaMask, Phantom and Brave Wallet can sign in one click from your browser. With the other wallets, you copy the message into the wallet and paste its signature back into Scrya.
How long it takes: the message to sign expires 15 minutes after it appears, so sign it and submit straight away. Scrya checks the signature the moment you submit, and tells you then if it doesn’t match. It then reads the balance in the background, usually within 15 minutes. If it can’t read the balance within 24 hours, the verification expires and you can start again.
More detail: How wallet verification works.
Centralised exchange
You create a read-only API key in your exchange account and paste it into Scrya. An API key is a pair of codes, a key and a secret, that lets an app read your account without your password. Scrya uses it only to read your balance.
You’ll need:
- an account at a supported exchange: Binance, Bybit, Coinbase, Kraken, BTC Markets, CoinSpot, Independent Reserve, Swyftx or OKX
- the ability to create an API key there with read-only permissions
- for OKX, the passphrase you set when you created the key
For USDC and USDT, an exchange holds one balance per account, not one per network. The exchange method verifies that balance, whichever network you deposited on.
How long it takes: Scrya checks your balance as soon as you click Connect exchange, and shows the result straight away.
More detail: How exchange verification works.
Changing your mind
Before you submit, click Back to return to the choice of method. After you submit, see What happens next.