CEX deserves all the hates it getting now but doesn't mean it has also not been helpful to bitcoin and crypto space.
I know that most issues that affected bitcoin and crypto space as a whole was mainly from Centralise exchange in 2022 but that can't just make us stop using it instead we should be more cautious on the centralise exchange we use and since the whole issues happened , Government are going to strengthen the regulation of centralise and there will be more transparency from the exchange to their customers, especially with regards to custody of customers assets and proof of reserves .
Apart from the from this issues CEX has really helped in increasing bitcoin and crypto investors because most investors are not scared of buying coins from them because they are too many crypto scammers online and I myself got scammed last year,After that I come to the conclusion that if not CEX am not buying any coin.
Though I buy from CEX but I am always careful on the one's I use and I also use binance p2p. Some of the trusted one's are :
Binance
Coinbase
Kucoin
Kraken
Bybit
There are definitely others and they may be better than this I listed but this are the ones I have used
After the whole issues of FTX my advice is though buying from CEX is safer but storing all your funds there should be avoided and for holders just stick with DEX.
Truth be told, I don't even have any problem with any of the exchanges be it CEXs or DEXs because the main issue as you rightly mentioned is not to hold your crypto assets in the exchanges but again this has limits as well cus people have to trade and this means you need to have it in the change for trading and anything can happen while people have those coins/token in the exchange. Crypto investment is Risky and you must agree to that if you want to get involved, people can even lose access to their own private wallets.