Your ecosystem guide / Monero

Monero: private XMR payments, wallets and mining

Monero is a payments network whose native coin is XMR. Its protocol conceals which funds were spent, who received them and how much was transferred. Wallets find incoming payments by scanning the blockchain. People use XMR to pay and accept payments; network participants run nodes and mine with computing power.

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Network coin: XMR · payments and fees; Verified on 23.10.2026
Payment privacy: Ring signatures · one-time outputs · RingCT; Verified on 23.10.2026
Block confirmation: Proof of Work · RandomX; Verified on 23.10.2026

Three parts of a private payment

A recipient shares an address with the payer. Received funds are recorded on the blockchain as transaction outputs. Each payment creates a separate output; cryptographic proofs let the network verify the transfer while keeping its details private.

INPUT

Which output was spent

A ring signature places the real spent output among other possible outputs from the blockchain. The signature proves that the sender can spend one of them while concealing which one.

RECIPIENT

A new destination for each payment

Stealth addresses create a one-time output for the recipient. The wallet recognizes its own incoming payments using its view key. A published receiving address is separate from these blockchain outputs.

AMOUNT

Amounts concealed by RingCT

Ring Confidential Transactions hide transfer amounts while allowing the network to verify transaction validity. The payer and recipient can read the amount of their payment in their wallets.

Address → private output → selected disclosure

Receive XMR, send it or prove a payment

Share an address to receive XMR; synchronize your wallet to see the incoming payment. Spending uses the spend key. A separate transaction key can show a third party how much a particular payment sent to an address.

Receive XMR

01Share a receiving address
02A one-time output enters the blockchain
03Your wallet recognizes the payment

Create a subaddress for the payment and share it or its QR code. The payer creates an output for that destination; your wallet scans blocks with its view key to find it. A regular incoming transfer becomes spendable after ten confirmations.

Operation details ↗

Send XMR

01Enter an address and amount
02Sign with the spend key
03Miners include the transfer

The wallet builds the private transaction and shows the fee in XMR. Your spend key authorizes the operation. Ring signatures, one-time outputs and RingCT protect different parts of its blockchain record.

Operation details ↗

Prove a payment

01Open the outgoing payment
02Share its ID, recipient address and transaction key
03Verify the amount paid to that address

The wallet can check a payment using the transaction ID, recipient address and key created for that transaction. This reveals the selected payment to the person checking it. The private spend key remains with the owner.

Operation details ↗

Where blocks are checked and payments are found

A node supplies blockchain data. A wallet scans that data to recognize incoming outputs. Local scanning and a server holding a view key give the server different information.

OWN NODE

Verify the chain yourself

Your node downloads and verifies blocks. The wallet uses this data to find its payments. Running a node needs storage and synchronization; a pruned node keeps less blockchain data.

REMOTE NODE

Scan locally using a remote node

The node sends blockchain data while the wallet scans on your device and keeps its keys there. An open node operator can observe network requests and associate submitted transactions with an IP address.

LIGHT WALLET

Let a server scan incoming payments

Remote scanning shares the private view key with a server so it can find incoming payments continuously. The spend key controls sending. A view-only wallet requires separate information to account for outgoing spending accurately.

Wallets, payment software and community projects

These projects serve different tasks: using XMR, accepting customer payments, mining and funding development.

Community wallet and node

Monero GUI / CLI

Monero GUI provides a graphical wallet, merchant view and local or remote node modes. CLI adds command-line control and Wallet RPC for applications.

Open ↗ How it works ↗

Desktop XMR wallet

Feather

Feather is open-source software for Linux, Tails, Windows and macOS.

Open ↗ How it works ↗

Wallet with built-in swaps

Cake Wallet

Cake Wallet keeps keys with the owner. Its Monero features include accounts, subaddresses and background synchronization; swaps use the terms offered by the selected provider.

Open ↗ How it works ↗

Accept payments in an application

MoneroPay

MoneroPay is a backend service for receiving, sending and tracking XMR. It provides an HTTP API and payment-status callbacks for merchants and other applications.

Open ↗ How it works ↗

Decentralized pooled mining

P2Pool

P2Pool connects miners through a separate share chain. Eligible participants receive payouts directly from Monero blocks, without a pool operator holding the shared balance.

Open ↗ How it works ↗

Fund community work

Monero CCS

The Community Crowdfunding System takes proposals from discussion to fundraising and work. Milestones provide a way to track completion and pay contributors.

Open ↗ How it works ↗

Receive XMR on its native network

A Monero wallet receives XMR and pays network fees in the same coin. Exchange withdrawal fees and minimums belong to the selected venue and route.

Create a wallet and receiving address

Keep the wallet recovery information and select the account for the incoming payment. A subaddress helps separate payments from different people or purposes.

Choose Monero / XMR for the withdrawal

Select the native Monero network at the exchange and enter the wallet address. The withdrawal route shows the venue’s fee, minimum and availability.

Synchronize and wait for confirmations

The wallet must scan up to the payment’s block before displaying it. A regular incoming transfer needs ten confirmations before it can be spent; the wallet shows the available balance.

Exchange withdrawals on the Monero network

Withdrawal fees to Monero
Coin	Exchange	Network on the exchange	Fee	Minimum	Withdrawals	Action
XMR	Binance	XMR	0	0.0002	Closed	Withdraw
XMR	Gate.io	XMR	0.00087	0.00001667	Closed	Withdraw
XMR	HTX	XMR	0.002	0.02	Open	Withdraw
XMR	KuCoin	XMR	0.0025	0.005	Open	Withdraw
XMR	Kraken	MONERO	0.0027	0.01	Open	Withdraw

Exchange data as of 23.10.2026 02:07

Fees, new XMR and voluntary funding

Miners receive transaction fees and newly issued XMR for securing the network. Development proposals can receive separate community donations.

Sender

Network fee in XMR

Transaction inclusion

Block miner

Receives the transaction fee

Newly issued XMR

Protocol block reward

Mining reward

Block miner

Computational work secures the network

Voluntary donors

Choose a proposal to support

Funded milestones

Proposal contributors

Payment for completed work

Solo mining, a pool or P2Pool

RandomX proof of work favors general-purpose CPUs. Payouts depend on finding blocks and the selected distribution method.

SOLO

Find a block independently

The miner uses a node and receives the block reward when it finds a valid block. Finding one can take a long time with a small share of network computing power.

POOL

Use an operator’s pool

Miners combine work and the operator accounts for their shares. Pool fees, payout thresholds and distribution rules are set by that pool.

P2POOL

Receive a share directly from blocks

P2Pool tracks work on a share chain and distributes block payouts to miners whose shares fall within its window for counting recent work (PPLNS). It has no pool fee or custodial pool wallet.

Documentation and Monero communities

One-time outputs and wallet keys ↗Ring signatures ↗RingCT and hidden amounts ↗Prove and check a payment ↗Remote nodes ↗Wallet downloads and scanning modes ↗Tail emission ↗Mining and P2Pool ↗Community Crowdfunding System ↗

2 Telegram communities about Monero

Checked on 22.10.2026

Monero XMR @monero Independent Monero community discussing XMR payments, exchanges and network developments. Community About the ecosystem Monero Bulletin @monerobulletin Independent Monero news and market reports from a channel focused on XMR. News About the ecosystem

Full list on telegram-crypto.com →

3 Discord communities on Monero

Checked on 22.10.2026

Monero Community focused on Monero, XMR payments and transaction privacy. Community About the ecosystem Cake Wallet Community around a self-custody wallet for Monero and other cryptocurrencies. Community About the ecosystem Stack Wallet Community around an open-source multicurrency wallet with Monero support. Community About the ecosystem

Full list on discordcatalog.com →

4 sources about Monero

Project updates, wallet development, privacy infrastructure and interviews, selected from the sources’ own Monero publications.

Checked on 22.10.2026

Monero monero Project updates on Monero wallet releases, privacy research and network testing. Official Affiliation confirmed Monero Talk MoneroTalk Interviews with Monero developers, wallet builders and people using XMR. News About the ecosystem Cake Wallet cakewallet Wallet updates for XMR users: self-custody, Tor connectivity and changes to Cake Wallet. Builders About the ecosystem Seth For Privacy sethforprivacy Privacy educator and wallet builder: Monero node guides, self-custody and Tor infrastructure in Cake Wallet. Builders About the ecosystem

Full list on xfollowlist.com →

Information checked: 23 October 2026

Practical questions

1What is XMR used for?

XMR pays for transfers, purchases and the Monero network fee. People can accept it directly, mine it with computing power, or use it to fund community proposals.

2Why does the wallet need to synchronize?

The wallet scans blockchain data with its view key to recognize incoming payments. It needs to reach the relevant block before showing a newly received payment.

3When can received XMR be spent?

A regular incoming transfer becomes spendable after ten confirmations. The wallet separates available funds from amounts still waiting for confirmations.

4Can someone see my balance from the receiving address?

The public blockchain records one-time outputs and concealed amounts. The address alone does not provide a public account-balance page. Sharing a private view key gives access to incoming payments.

5How can I show that I paid someone?

Use the transaction ID, recipient address and key for that transaction in the wallet’s payment-checking tools. They can verify the amount sent to the selected address.

6Does Monero have native staking?

Monero uses RandomX proof of work. Miners supply computing power to earn block rewards.

7What distinguishes P2Pool from an operator’s pool?

P2Pool tracks eligible work on a share chain and pays miners directly through Monero blocks. There is no shared custodial pool balance or pool fee; participation requires the mining software and nodes. Block rewards become spendable after 60 blocks.

Continue on Yieldo

XMR coin Monero identity, market data and available trading products. Withdraw XMR from exchanges Native Monero routes, fees, minimums and withdrawal availability. Zcash ZEC, shielded pools and wallet payment paths. Bitcoin Base-layer payments, Lightning and network applications.