AwesomO: Created page with "= Swapping HIVE / HBD to SWAP.BTC (and back again) = ''A complete noobs walk-through to converting your Hive tokens into pegged Bitcoin (SWAP.BTC) on Hive-Engine, and then converting them back to HIVE or HBD.'' This guide assumes you already have: * A working Hive account * Hive Keychain browser extension installed and unlocked * Either '''~$10 of HBD''' OR '''~1000 HIVE''' in your wallet * A basic understanding of what HIVE and HBD are If any of the above is not tru..."

2026-05-04T18:02:17Z

Created page with "= Swapping HIVE / HBD to SWAP.BTC (and back again) = ''A complete noobs walk-through to converting your Hive tokens into pegged Bitcoin (SWAP.BTC) on Hive-Engine, and then converting them back to HIVE or HBD.'' This guide assumes you already have: * A working Hive account * Hive Keychain browser extension installed and unlocked * Either '''~$10 of HBD''' OR '''~1000 HIVE''' in your wallet * A basic understanding of what HIVE and HBD are If any of the above is not tru..."

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= Swapping HIVE / HBD to SWAP.BTC (and back again) =

''A complete noobs walk-through to converting your Hive tokens into pegged Bitcoin (SWAP.BTC) on Hive-Engine, and then converting them back to HIVE or HBD.''

This guide assumes you already have:

* A working Hive account
* Hive Keychain browser extension installed and unlocked
* Either '''~$10 of HBD''' OR '''~1000 HIVE''' in your wallet
* A basic understanding of what HIVE and HBD are

If any of the above is not true, stop here and read [[Hive Blockchain Basics]] and [[Setting up Hive Keychain]] first.

== TL;DR ==

You cannot swap HBD directly to SWAP.BTC in one click. You have to do it in stages:

# Convert '''HBD → HIVE''' (using @swap.app)
# Move '''HIVE → SWAP.HIVE''' (deposit onto the Hive-Engine sidechain)
# Trade '''SWAP.HIVE → SWAP.BTC''' (on the Hive-Engine market)

To go back, you reverse the whole thing.

Each step costs a small fee. Read the whole guide before you start so you understand what is happening at each stage.

== What is SWAP.BTC anyway? ==

SWAP.BTC is '''not real Bitcoin'''. It is a "pegged" token that lives on Hive-Engine (a smart-contract sidechain of Hive). For every 1 SWAP.BTC that exists, there is supposed to be 1 real BTC held by the gateway operator (@honey-swap) on the actual Bitcoin blockchain. You can withdraw SWAP.BTC out to a real Bitcoin wallet at any time (subject to a minimum withdrawal amount — see below), and it becomes real BTC again.

The same idea applies to '''SWAP.ETH''', '''SWAP.DOGE''', '''SWAP.LTC''', '''SWAP.BNB''', '''SWAP.USDT''' and others.

'''Important:''' Pegged tokens rely on a single gateway operator. If that operator vanishes, your SWAP.BTC may not be redeemable for real BTC. Do '''not''' park large sums in pegged tokens long-term. Treat them as a tool for moving value, not a place to store it.

== Step 0: Vocabulary you will need ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Term !! What it means
|-
| HIVE || The native liquid token of the Hive blockchain.
|-
| HBD || Hive Backed Dollar. A stablecoin loosely pegged to $1 USD.
|-
| Hive Power (HP) || Staked HIVE. Not relevant to this guide. Ignore it.
|-
| SWAP.HIVE || A 1:1 wrapped version of HIVE that lives on Hive-Engine. You '''must''' have SWAP.HIVE before you can buy SWAP.BTC.
|-
| Hive-Engine || A sidechain that hosts custom tokens, including all the SWAP.* pegged tokens. Accessed at hive-engine.com.
|-
| @honey-swap || The gateway account that holds the real BTC, ETH, DOGE etc. backing the SWAP tokens.
|-
| Active key || The Hive Keychain key needed to authorise transfers and trades. Keychain handles this for you, but it will pop up asking you to confirm.
|}

== Part 1: Going from HBD or HIVE to SWAP.BTC ==

=== Step 1: (HBD holders only) Convert HBD to HIVE ===

If you already have HIVE and not HBD, '''skip to Step 2'''.

Hive-Engine deposits use HIVE, not HBD. So your $10 of HBD needs to become HIVE first. The easiest way is to use @swap.app:

# Go to your wallet at wallet.hive.blog (or the wallet tab in PeakD / Ecency).
# Click the dropdown next to your '''HBD''' balance and choose '''Transfer'''.
# In the recipient field, type: <code>swap.app</code>
# In the amount field, type the amount of HBD you want to swap (e.g. <code>10.000 HBD</code>).
# Leave the memo '''blank'''. (Sending HBD with no memo means "convert to HIVE".)
# Click '''Send''' and approve in Keychain.
# Within about 30 seconds, an equivalent amount of HIVE (minus a 0.1% fee) will appear in your wallet.

'''Do not''' use the blockchain's built-in HBD → HIVE "convert" button. It takes 3.5 days and uses an averaged price that may give you less HIVE than you expect.

=== Step 2: Move HIVE onto Hive-Engine (HIVE → SWAP.HIVE) ===

Tested and working at the time of writing. This is the algorithm we are sticking with — keep it simple, one site, one route:

# Go to '''hive-engine.com'''.
# Click '''Login''' (top right) and sign in with Hive Keychain. Approve in Keychain.
# Click '''Wallet''' (top menu).
# Find '''SWAP.HIVE''' in the token list. Click '''Deposit'''.
# Select '''HIVE''' as the currency to deposit.
# Enter the amount of HIVE you want to deposit (e.g. <code>10</code>).
# '''There is a 0.75% fee on deposits.''' For 10 HIVE you will receive '''9.925 SWAP.HIVE'''.
# Click '''Deposit'''. Keychain will pop up asking you to confirm a transfer of HIVE to <code>@honey-swap</code> with a memo. '''Do not edit the memo''' — it tells the gateway who to credit. Click '''Confirm'''.
# Wait 30 seconds and refresh. SWAP.HIVE will appear in your Hive-Engine wallet.

'''Common mistake:''' If you edit the memo, the gateway will not know which Hive-Engine account to credit, and your funds may be lost. Just leave the memo alone.

=== Step 3: Trade SWAP.HIVE for SWAP.BTC ===

Now you finally get to buy your pegged Bitcoin.

# While still logged into hive-engine.com, click '''Market''' (top menu).
# Search for and select '''SWAP.BTC'''. The trading pair shown will be '''SWAP.BTC / SWAP.HIVE'''.
# You will see two columns of orders:
#* '''Sell orders''' — people offering to sell SWAP.BTC, sorted by lowest price first.
#* '''Buy orders''' — people bidding to buy SWAP.BTC.
# To buy SWAP.BTC instantly, click on the '''lowest sell order''' price. This auto-fills the price field in the '''Buy SWAP.BTC''' box.
# Enter how much SWAP.HIVE you want to spend in the '''Total''' field. The '''Quantity''' (amount of SWAP.BTC you will receive) auto-calculates.
# Double-check the numbers. Click '''Buy'''. Keychain pops up. Approve.
# Refresh your wallet. You should now see SWAP.BTC.

'''Sanity check:''' Compare the SWAP.BTC price on Hive-Engine with the real BTC/USD price on a major exchange. They should be close. If SWAP.BTC is trading at a noticeable premium or discount, that reflects market trust in the gateway — be cautious if the gap is large.

== Part 2: Going back (SWAP.BTC → HIVE / HBD) ==

You reverse the chain. Same site, same wallet.

=== Step 4: Trade SWAP.BTC back to SWAP.HIVE ===

# hive-engine.com → '''Market''' → SWAP.BTC.
# This time use the '''Sell SWAP.BTC''' box.
# Click on the highest '''buy order''' to auto-fill the price.
# Enter the SWAP.BTC quantity you want to sell. Click '''Sell'''. Approve in Keychain.
# Your SWAP.HIVE balance increases.

=== Step 5: Move SWAP.HIVE back to HIVE ===

# hive-engine.com → '''Wallet'''.
# Find SWAP.HIVE and click '''Withdraw'''.
# Select '''HIVE''' as the destination.
# Enter the amount. The destination is automatically your own Hive account.
# '''There is a 0.75% fee on withdrawals.''' For 10 SWAP.HIVE you will receive 9.925 HIVE.
# Approve in Keychain.
# Within ~30 seconds, the HIVE appears in your normal Hive wallet.

=== Step 6: (Optional) Convert HIVE back to HBD ===

If you want to end up holding HBD again rather than HIVE:

# Wallet → '''Transfer''' HIVE → recipient: <code>swap.app</code> → memo: <code>hbd</code> → Send.
# A few seconds later, equivalent HBD lands in your wallet.

The memo <code>hbd</code> is what tells @swap.app to convert in this direction. If you forget the memo, it will assume you want HIVE and bounce your tokens back unchanged (or convert HBD to HIVE if that's what you sent).

== Important: getting actual BTC out ==

If your goal is to eventually get '''real Bitcoin''' on the Bitcoin blockchain (rather than just holding SWAP.BTC inside Hive-Engine), be aware:

* '''Minimum withdrawal: 0.01 SWAP.BTC.''' At current BTC prices that is roughly several hundred US dollars. You cannot withdraw less than this directly. Small amounts of SWAP.BTC are essentially trapped on Hive-Engine until you accumulate enough or trade them back.
* The withdrawal also pays the Bitcoin network mining fee plus a gateway fee, which can be significant for small amounts.

'''Workaround for small amounts:''' If you have less than 0.01 SWAP.BTC and want it as real BTC, the practical route is:

# Sell SWAP.BTC → SWAP.HIVE on the Hive-Engine market (Step 4 above).
# Withdraw SWAP.HIVE → HIVE (Step 5 above).
# Send HIVE to a centralised exchange that lists HIVE (e.g. Binance, MEXC, etc. — check current listings).
# Trade HIVE for BTC on that exchange.
# Withdraw BTC from the exchange to your own Bitcoin wallet.

This adds extra trading fees and exchange withdrawal fees, but it is the only viable path when your SWAP.BTC balance is below the 0.01 minimum.

For our $10 / 1000-HIVE example amounts, '''you will not have anywhere near 0.01 SWAP.BTC.''' Treat the SWAP.BTC purchase as an exercise / way to gain BTC price exposure inside Hive-Engine, not as a way to actually move BTC onto the Bitcoin network.

== Fee summary for the full round trip ==

For the simple hive-engine.com path described above:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Stage !! Approximate fee
|-
| HBD → HIVE (swap.app) || 0.1%
|-
| HIVE → SWAP.HIVE (hive-engine.com deposit) || 0.75%
|-
| SWAP.HIVE → SWAP.BTC (market trade) || 1%
|-
| SWAP.BTC → SWAP.HIVE (market trade) || 1%
|-
| SWAP.HIVE → HIVE (hive-engine.com withdrawal) || 0.75%
|-
| HIVE → HBD (swap.app) || 0.1%
|-
| '''Total round trip''' || '''~3.7%''' (plus market spread)
|}

Plus you are exposed to BTC price movement the whole time SWAP.BTC sits in your wallet. Don't expect to round-trip $10 and come out ahead — the fees alone will eat about 37 cents.

== Things that go wrong ==

; "I deposited HIVE and nothing showed up in Hive-Engine."
: Wait 2–3 minutes and refresh. If still nothing, check that the memo on the original transfer was the one Hive-Engine generated. Look up your transaction on hiveblocks.com to verify it sent successfully. Contact @honey-swap on Hive Discord if it has been more than an hour.

; "My SWAP.BTC trade is sitting as an open order, not filling."
: You set your buy price too low (or sell price too high). Either wait, or cancel the order and re-place it at a price that matches an existing counter-order.

; "The withdraw button is rejecting my SWAP.BTC withdrawal."
: You are likely below the 0.01 SWAP.BTC minimum. See the "Important: getting actual BTC out" section above for the workaround.

; "Keychain didn't pop up."
: Make sure the extension is installed, unlocked, and that you allowed the site permission. Refresh the page and try again.

== Security reminders ==

* '''Never''' paste your master password or any private key into Hive-Engine, swap.app or any other website. Keychain handles signing for you. If a site asks you to type a key directly, it is either old/janky or a phishing site.
* Pegged SWAP tokens are only as trustworthy as their gateway operator. @honey-swap has been reliable for years, but reliable is not the same as risk-free.
* Always test with a small amount first. Move $1 before you move $1000.
* Bookmark the official URL (hive-engine.com). Do not click "Hive-Engine" links from random comments — phishing clones exist.

== References ==

* neopch (2025) — VIDEO TUTORIAL: How to Exchange Hive to SWAP.HIVE using Hive-Engine and PeakD. Confirms 0.75% deposit/withdrawal fee. ''hive.blog/hive-167922/@neopch/tdkoabkc''

== See also ==

* [[Hive Blockchain Basics]]
* [[Setting up Hive Keychain]]
* [[How to keep your Hive keys safe]]
* [[Glossary of Hive terms]]

[[Category:Hive]]
[[Category:Cryptocurrency]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]

Hive Blockchain -How to buy SWAP.BTC - Revision history