Decentralized bitcoin exchanges are those that are operated without a central authority. These exchanges allow peer-to-peer trading of digital currencies without the need for an exchange authority to facilitate the transactions.
There are a number of benefits to decentralized exchanges. First, many cryptocurrency users feel that decentralized exchanges better match the decentralized structures of most digital currencies themselves; many decentralized exchanges also require less personal information from their members than other types of exchanges. Second, if users transfer assets directly to other users, that eliminates the need for the transferring of assets to the exchange, thereby reducing the risk of theft from hacks and other fraud. Third, decentralized exchanges may be less susceptible to price manipulation and other fraudulent trading activity.
On the other hand, decentralized exchanges (like all cryptocurrency exchanges) must maintain a fundamental level of user interest in the form of trading volume and liquidity. Not all decentralized exchanges have been able to achieve these important baseline qualities. Further, users of a decentralized exchange may have less recourse if they are the victims of fraud than those who make use of exchanges with centralized authorities.