A guide to buying digital assets

The continuous growth of digital assets in the market has piqued people’s interest all over the world. Moreover, now that cryptocurrencies have become more mainstream, it is no surprise that many online and physical stores, as well as renowned companies like Tesla, Microsoft and Dell, now accept them as a mode of payment.

With more and more services adopting digital assets, the possibilities are endless. Investing in cryptocurrency can be profitable in the long run. However, before you start trading, it is important to learn the basics first to make the most out of your investments. Find out the most trusted sites where you can buy cryptocurrency below!

Where to purchase cryptocurrency

Investing in cryptocurrency can be tricky and overwhelming if you don’t know where to buy them. For this reason, here are the most popular platforms where you can buy, sell or trade cryptocurrencies to get you started:

Exchange sites

Exchange sites are suitable for advanced traders. With the wide variety of financial services these sites offer, users can trade their digital assets with ease. So, if you’re already familiar with the basics of trading, these are some of the best exchange sites where you can buy crypto:

• Coinbase

Founded in 2012, Coinbase is one of the most credible and trusted exchanges in the market. They offer some of the best coins with competitive market caps, as well as an easy-to-use interface that allows seamless buying, selling and trading.

• Bittrex

Established in 2014, Bittrex offers 319 markets and has a trading volume of over 9 million dollars. So, if you are looking for the best trading prices for coins you want to invest in, this platform is one of the best options.

• Bithumb Global

Bithumb is a global platform established in 2014. Currently, it is accessible to 124 markets and has a trading volume amounting to 55 million dollars.

Peer-to-peer marketplaces

Peer-to-peer marketplaces work similarly to exchange sites but instead of the site automatically matching you with the best possible order, you get the chance to choose which orders meet your requirements.

Here are some of the most popular peer-to-peer marketplaces where you can buy cryptocurrency:

• Binance P2P (Global)

Founded in 2017, Binance P2P is currently one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world. It is a global peer-to-peer cryptocurrency exchange that allows buyers to make deals directly with their preferred sellers. Additionally, Binance P2P offers multiple services including cryptocurrency spot exchange, decentralized exchange, debit cards deposits, and many more.

• LocalCoinSwap (Global)

LocalCoinSwap is a global, non-custodial P2P crypto exchange established in 2018. As of 2021, it currently supports 250+ payment methods across the world. Moreover, it is also the world’s first multi-blockchain P2P exchange where all trades are secured by 100% open-source smart contracts.

• Paxful

Considered one of the largest P2P marketplaces in the world, Paxful is a global P2P Bitcoin marketplace that offers more than 300+ modes of payment. Some of those include bank transfer, cash, online wallets (Skrill, Paypal, Neteller), gift cards (Amazon, iTunes), altcoins (Ripple, Ethereum) and many more.

Broker sites

Compared to other platforms on this list, broker sites are the best for beginners to use since it’s simple. On this platform, you can directly buy cryptocurrencies from brokers without hassle.

All you need to do is place your order and the brokers will provide your preferred coin at a set price. Here are some of the best broker sites in the market today:

• eToro

Established in 2018, eToro is an Israeli social trading brokerage company that focuses on providing financial and copy trading services. This platform is known for providing traders and investors to buy, sell, or trade with 2,000 different financial assets, like stocks, cryptocurrencies and commodities.

• Gemini

Founded in 2014, Gemini is a private, licensed digital asset platform that offers broker services for cryptocurrencies all over Europe and Asia. In the platform, live brokers help traders stay updated on the latest market trends, as well as execute their trading strategy with Gemini’s easy-to-use tools.

Additionally, you can also track asset prices and real-time market prices by setting price alerts so you can act fast on price movements for individual assets.

• TD Ameritrade

Known as one of the oldest broker platforms in the world, TD Ameritrade allows users to trade using common stocks, preferred stocks, forex, options, cryptocurrency, mutual funds, margin lending, and cash management services.

Where to store cryptocurrency

Once you’ve found the platform that suits you and finally purchased your digital assets, here are the different types of wallets where you can safely store your coins:

Hardware wallet

Stored in a hard drive or USB-type device, a hard wallet is one of the most secure ways to keep your assets. Compared to others on this list, this wallet is safe from most online threats such as viruses or hacking since it is stored offline.

Software wallet

A software wallet, on the other hand, are software applications like Exodus and Mycelium that store your digital assets online. If you are an active trader who trades daily, this is the best option for you. All you need is an internet connection and you can buy, sell, and trade right away.

Paper wallet

Paper wallets use QR codes to store and lend assets. Regardless of the type of transactions you want to do, you can simply download the code listed in the platform to generate new addresses offline.

Desktop wallet

Desktop wallets usually include a software program where traders can download a cryptocurrency wallet and install it into a laptop or PC. Compared to other online crypto wallets, desktop wallets offer more protection to your funds since you can disconnect your device anytime.

Mobile wallets

Another type of crypto wallet becoming popular nowadays is the mobile wallet. Compatible with both iOS and Android users, this type of wallet is handy since traders can access their funds anytime and anywhere, allowing them to pay with crypto instead of paper money or cards in physical stores.