Many investors are desperate to find a way to invest in cryptocurrencies. However, the strength class is unlike any other that's ever existed.
You can't buy cryptocurrencies via a regular brokerage account, and your local bank won't accept Bitcoin for a deposit (at least not yet).
While I expect this to change quickly, now's cryptocurrency investors and speculators remain forced to utilize specialized cryptocurrency exchangers to buy and sell.
While there's a new bitcoin futures market tradeable via some conventional futures brokers, the market remains very thinly traded, with higher margin requirements.
This and the relatively heavy vetting required for trading futures makes them only acceptable for very active and professional investors.
And of course the fact that futures are bitcoin only, eliminating access to the large selection of different opportunities in currencies such as Ethereum and Litecoin.
The best approach to mitigate exchange risk is to diversify your holdings across a number of the most reputable exchanges.
Personally, I use three cryptocurrency exchangers, and every one has a different protocol for investing.
This guide will present my five favorite crypto-exchangers, what they provide, and the process for purchasing your first cryptocurrency.
1. Coinbase
Coinbase is the greatest cryptocurrency exchange market, boasting over $20 billion in trading volume and more than 10 million registered users in 32 countries and $6.0B in digital currency exchanged. Coinbase has their own crypto currency wallet with Android and iOS apps as well.
The exchange provides access to ethereum, litecoin, bitcoin, and bitcoin cash. It had been rumored that Ripple will be available on the platform early in 2018, but the company has said that it has no such intentions.
Coinbase also offers an active trader platform called GDAX which has various features and analytics for short-term crypto investors.
It's relatively simple to establish an account and purchase your first cryptocurrency on Coinbase. The exchange is among the very few that permit the purchase of cryptocurrencies through U.S. dollars.
Your account is installed by clicking on the "Sign up" button on the top right-hand corner of the website. Next, you fill in the requested personal information and agree to the user agreement, and then click on the "create account" button.
You'll then have to confirm your email and select your account type. Most of you will select individual account unless you choose to get your crypto in a different thing like an LLC.
You'll be asked to enter your telephone number. This isn't so the market can call you to indicate upgrades or sell it to a phone solicitor, the reason is a lot more important.
Your telephone number is used as a two-step authentication security system to help keep your account safe. When you log in to your account, Coinbase will text a code number to your phone that has to be used to log in to your account.
Your username, password, and text create a powerful barrier against hackers accessing your accounts.
Next, you'll be asked to confirm your identity through uploading a photograph of a passport, driver's license or photo ID.
Finally, connect your financing method, which is a bank account or debit/credit card into your account. Funding methods are confirmed by Coinbase by means of a small, reimbursed fee to your account.
Now you're ready to create your first order!
2. Changelly
Changelly is one of the simplest ways of getting ahold of different cryptocurrencies. Changelly is a product of the mining pool, MinerGate, which has an established history of consistently great products being put out into the crypto-space.
Among the greatest things about Changelly is that you don't have to go through any lengthy confirmation or registration procedure.
You simply log in with your email ID (or some other email ID) and begin exchanging! Currently, it supports over 35 cryptocurrencies together with fiat pairs like USD/EUR. It's one of the very best and easiest to use exchanges on the market.
When you use Changelly to swap cryptocurrency, Changelly bots join in real time into some of the very best and most economical cryptocurrency exchanges in the marketplace to get you the very best price.
Usually, when using Changelly, a crypto-to-crypto exchange takes 5 to thirty minutes. They charge a commission fee of 0.5 percent on every trade, which I presume is minimum in exchange for the volatility and risk they keep on behalf of the users.
Besides this commission, a miner's fee can also be paid by the consumer and is deducted directly from their crypto balance.
But all you need so as to purchase from Changelly is a VISA/MasterCard (credit/debit card) or some other Changelly-supported cryptocurrency and a wallet in which you need to get your new coins.
3. Binance
Binance is a cryptocurrency exchange with a focus on the Chinese market and other Chinese coins. Currently, it supports English and Chinese users. The Binance token (BNB) was made during the ICO occasion to finance the growth of this Binance exchange.
The Cryptocurrency Exchange Trading Platform supports multiple devices, including Web, Android/IOS, Mobile HTML5 and Windows/Mac clients in order to fulfill multi-dimensional trading requirements for all users.
Binance is capable of processing 1.4 mil orders/second, has multi-language support -- Chinese, English, Korean, Japanese and contains all of the significant coins available -- BTC, XRP, XLM, ETH, LTC, BNB etc.. Trading fee is 0.1 percent money
4. Kraken
Kraken is an actual digital currency market offering 17 distinct cryptocurrencies for trading. There's a three-plus level approval process with every degree more onerous than the past.
The first two levels are extremely similar to the measures of the above exchanges. Being approved for level 1 or level 2 permit full use of this exchange, but there isn't any funding via U.S. dollars. You will need to move to cryptocurrency out of your wallet or another exchange to make trades on Kraken.
Reaching the third degree requires all the measures for the first two trades plus a selfie photograph of yourself holding a handwritten sign with the date and "for trading cryptocurrency on Kraken just" on it. Doing so reminded me of most wanted criminal flyers in the local post office.
What I enjoy about Kraken is that if offers the red-hot money payable. There are hardly any exchanges offering ripple that likewise accept USD, making Kraken one of my favorite exchanges.
5. Gate.io
Gate is a promising cryptocurrency exchange that offers all major coins. They also have a mobile app which is functional and let you trade cryptocurrencies on the move. Also, they are running a promo where they are offering 10% discount on trading fees.
Gate.io offers multiple trading pair such as BTC Market, ETH Market, USDT Market, QTUM market. The mobile app is decent for trading on the move. You can also deposit or withdraw funds using mobile app.
Things to consider:
Outsized dangers exist in each cryptocurrency and exchange. Only use money which you can afford to lose when investing in cryptocurrency.
Consider cryptocurrency investing more like speculation than true investing. Together with the high risk, enormous gains can also be made. From the crypto world, risk really does equal benefit.
Action To Take
Get in the game! Open an account with one or more of the above exchanges and purchase your first cryptocurrency.
