Guide on How to Buy Bitcoin [BTC] with CFD Broker or Exchange

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. It would be best to consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

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2022 Guide on How to Buy Bitcoin [BTC]

Today, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and many others became mainstream and popular among individual investors and traders. Cryptocurrencies are part of the forex market, the largest globally with $6 trillion in daily trading volume. The volatility of Bitcoin still presents a huge opportunity to profit from its wild price swings and attract millions of investors. 

As cryptocurrency trading becomes more popular, individual investors now have several options to buy Bitcoin and invest in this digital asset. But for newbie investors, it might not be easy to navigate this space with so many options available.

We have seen the good, bad and ugly of cryptocurrency trading. Some platforms offer highly reliable service and institutional level trading capability. Some other trading platforms try to get by and don’t advance, while others are scammed to rip off people. While investing in Bitcoin can seem complicated initially, it becomes more straightforward once you break it down into stages. Buying Bitcoin is becoming easier by the day, and the trustworthiness of exchanges and wallets is increasing.

Our team at EthereumTrading.pro is on the mission to educate ordinary investors about opportunities presented by the cryptocurrency market. We reviewed different trading platforms and prepared several guides to buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and other altcoins.

? Key Takeaways

✅ Bitcoin’s value stems from its widespread use as a store of value and payment mechanism, as well as its limited supply and low inflation.

✅ Although it is almost impossible to hack Bitcoin itself, your crypto wallet or exchange account can be hacked. This is why proper storage and security procedures are essential.

✅ The only requirement for investing or buying Bitcoin is an account on a cryptocurrency exchange, though additional secure storage practices are suggested.

How to Buy Bitcoin in 4 Steps

Any aspiring Bitcoin investor requires several items. If you’re using a Know Your Customer (KYC) network, you’ll need a cryptocurrency exchange account, personal identity papers, a secure Internet connection, and a payment system. It’s also a good idea to have your wallet separate from your exchange account. Bank accounts, debit cards, and credit cards are all acceptable payment methods on this route. Finally, you can buy Bitcoin via specialised ATMs and peer-to-peer (P2P) exchanges. Be conscious, however, that as of early 2020, Bitcoin ATMs increasingly needed government-issued IDs.

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For Bitcoin investors, privacy and protection are critical concerns. Even if there are no actual Bitcoins, boasting considerable holdings is typically a bad idea. Because anyone who obtains the private key to a Bitcoin public address can approve transactions. Although it is self-evident that the private key should be kept confidential, criminals will try to steal private keys if they discover significant holdings. In addition, keep in mind that everyone can use the balance of a public address system. As a result, it’s a bright idea to hold extensive Bitcoin holdings at public addresses that aren’t linked to the ones used for transactions.

Anyone, including you, has access to the blockchain’s transaction history. However, although transactions are publicly registered on the blockchain, personal information about users is not. Instead, a user’s public key appears next to a transaction on the Bitcoin blockchain, rendering transactions private yet not anonymous. Thus, bitcoin transactions are more straightforward and traceable than cash somehow, but they can also use them anonymously.

This is a crucial difference. International researchers and the FBI claim to monitor Bitcoin blockchain transactions to users’ other online accounts, like digital wallets. For example, when anyone opens a Coinbase account, they must have identification. So when that person buys Bitcoin, it is now associated with their name. One can also trace it back to the Coinbase purchase, linked to the account holder’s name if they send it to another wallet. However, many investors should not be concerned since it is legal to buy Bitcoin in the United States and most other developed countries.

STEP 1 –  Select Trading Platform

You can purchase, sell, and keep cryptocurrency by signing up for a cryptocurrency exchange. It is generally recommended that users use a crypto exchange to withdraw their cryptocurrency to a personal wallet for safekeeping. This is not permitted on particular exchanges and brokerage sites. This function might not be relevant to trade Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies regularly.

Cryptocurrency exchanges come in a variety of forms and setups. For example, due to the decentralisation and individual autonomy ethos of Bitcoin, some exchanges enable users to remain anonymous and do not require them to enter personal details. Exchanges that allow this usually function independently and are decentralised, meaning there is no single point of control. Put another way. There is no CEO and no individual or group for any regulatory body to investigate if it suspects criminal activity.

Although some can use these programmes for malicious purposes, they also offer services to the unbanked. People like this may include refugees or those living in countries with little or no government or banking infrastructure to provide a state identification needed for a bank or investment account. In addition, some argue that the benefits of these programmes outweigh the risk of illegal usage since unbanked people already have a way to save money and use it to get out of poverty.

The most widely used exchanges are currently not decentralised and need KYC. Coinbase, CEX.io, Gemini, and Binance U.S., to name a few, are among these exchanges in the United States. The number of features available on each of these exchanges has increased significantly. Bitcoin and an increasing number of altcoins are available through Coinbase, Kraken, and Gemini. These three are possibly the simplest ways to get started with cryptocurrency in the entire industry. Binance caters to the more experienced trader, with more severe trading functionality and a large selection of altcoins.

While opening a cryptocurrency exchange account, following safe internet practices is crucial. This involves using two-factor authentication and creating a unique and long password with a mix of lowercase, capitalised, unique, and numeric characters.

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 STEP 2 – Open Account and Deposit Funds

Once you’ve decided on an exchange, broker or automated trading platform, you’ll need to collect your records. These could include images of a driver’s licence, your social security number, as well as information about your employer and source of funds, depending on the exchange. The information you’ll need is likely to be determined by the area you reside in and the laws that govern it. The procedure is similar to that of opening a traditional brokerage account.

You can now connect a payment option after the exchange has verified your identity and legitimacy. You can associate your bank account or a debit or credit card directly with the exchanges mentioned above. Although it is possible to buy cryptocurrency with a credit card, it is generally recommended to avoid doing so due to cryptocurrencies’ uncertainty. Although it is legal to buy Bitcoin in the United States, some banks are wary of the concept and may challenge or even refuse to make deposits to cryptocurrency-related websites or exchanges. While most banks accept these deposits, it’s a good idea to double-check that your bank accepts deposits at the exchange you choose to use.

Deposits made with a checking account, debit card, or credit card have different fees. Coinbase, for example, has a 1.49% fee for bank accounts and a 3.99% fee for debit and credit cards, making it a good exchange for beginners. However, it’s crucial to learn about the costs associated with each payment option before deciding on an exchange or which payment option is better for you.

STEP 3 – Placing a Buy Order

You can now buy Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies after selecting an exchange and connecting a payment method. In recent years, cryptocurrency and its exchanges have gradually gained popularity. In terms of liquidity and feature set, exchanges have expanded significantly. As a result, what was once called a fraud or dubious has evolved into something that can be considered reliable and legitimate.

Crypto exchanges have now progressed to the point that they offer almost the same functionality as their stock brokerage equivalents. So you’re ready to go once you’ve found an exchange and linked a payment process. Today’s crypto exchanges have a variety of order forms and investment options. Almost every cryptocurrency exchange accepts market and cap requests, some even accepting stop-loss orders. Kraken has the most order types of the exchanges listed above. Market, cap, stop-loss, stop-limit, and take-profit limit orders are all available on Kraken.

Besides various order forms, exchanges often allow clients to set up recurring investments, allowing them to dollar cost average into their preferred assets. For example, Coinbase allows users to schedule transactions for each day, week, or month. Thus, creating an account on a cryptocurrency exchange is all you need to buy Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Still, there are a few other precautions to take for added safety and protection.

STEP 4: Choose Safe Storage

Wallets for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are safe to store digital assets. Keeping your crypto in your wallet rather than on an exchange means that only you can access the private key to your funds. It also allows you to store funds outside of the trading platform, reducing the chance of your funds being stolen if your exchange is hacked.

While most exchanges provide users with wallets, security is not their primary concern. Therefore, we don’t suggest using an exchange wallet for significant or long-term cryptocurrency holdings. Some wallets have a more substantial number of features than others. For example, some are Bitcoin-only, while others allow you to store a variety of altcoins. Some wallets also allow you to exchange one token for another.

You have a variety of choices when selecting a Bitcoin wallet. However, the definition of hot wallets (online wallets) and cold wallets is the first thing you can learn about crypto wallets (paper or hardware wallets).

How to Buy Bitcoin with CFD? 

Contracts for Difference, usually called CFDs, are financial derivative instruments that day traders widely use to express their views. Unlike in traditional trading, where you need to buy an underlying asset and pay a total price, with CFD, you make a financial bet on the price more and get the Difference between the open and close position in cash but not the physical asset or security. 

When you trade CFD, you can start investing with a small minimum trade amount, usually starting at $10 or less, but you need to cover the margin or the price difference. That is why CFDs are considered risky instruments, as you can potentially lose more than they originally invested when the price goes against you. Investors can also use leverage to boost their trading profits, resulting in magnified losses if traded irresponsibly.

While CFD is considered a complex instrument, it becomes straightforward if you take some time to understand how they work. But what is essential is to manage your risk correctly and not invest more than you are prepared to lose. You have to be extremely careful with leverage, especially if you are making your first steps in trading and always use features such as Stop Loss.

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CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 77% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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So, how can you buy bitcoin with the CFD broker, and what are the main things you need to know?

How to buy Bitcoin with Leverage? 

Leverage is a popular tool in CFD trading and is essentially borrowing money at a low cost for a particular trading transaction. So, for example, say if you want to borrow money with a credit card company, you will pay 20% p.a. or even more. But you can also borrow money with a broker for a brief period at a low cost. Using leverage, say 10:1, means that if you buy $1000 worth of Bitcoin in one transaction, your actual trading position will be x10 or $10,000. If the price of the Bitcoin increases by 10% (which is quite normal given Bitcoin price volatility), your profit on that trade would be $10,000 * 10% = $1,000. 

And while the price of an asset only increased by 10%, as you invested $1,000 and made $1,000, your actual trading profit equals 100%. That is how leverage works, which is why it is so popular among investors. But you also have to remember the risks involved and that if the trade goes against you, the losses can exceed the initially invested amount.

Which CFD Broker to choose from to buy Bitcoin? 

Many CFD brokers can buy Bitcoin, but not all platforms are trustworthy and reliable. Our EthereumTrading.pro team prepared a series of CFD Broker reviews to provide information on several platforms. We covered these brokers’ main features and explained the pros and cons of using each of them. We also want our readers to avoid scam brokers and aim to uncover untrustworthy ones.

But today, we want to highlight two of the most popular CFD brokers that we liked and recommend.

Buy Bitcoin with AvaTrade

AvaTrade has been an award-winning CFD broker operating since 2006 and is currently regulated in 6 jurisdictions. AvaTrade has more than 200,000 active traders who place more than 2 million trades each month. In addition, AvaTrade offers a range of professional trading terminals, including Meta Trader, AvaOptions, AvaTrade Web Trading Terminal, and mobile trading app AvaTradeGO.

AvaTrade Review - How to Buy Bitcoin

AvaTrade also offers automated trading and is one of the leading partners of ZuluTrade, the world’s largest social trading platform. With AvaTrade and ZuluTrade, you can auto-follow experienced and professional traders and copy their trades for a small profit share. That is a great way to start investing with top-performing traders and learn their trading styles. It is also an excellent opportunity to make some passive income as now you don’t have to do all the investment research yourself and trust it to the professional. Furthermore, with ZuluTrade, you can see all the investment strategies and managers on the social trading platform and choose to follow these strategies via AvaTrade.

AvaTrade offers CFD trading capability in the most popular asset classes such as stocks, commodities, forex, indices, cryptocurrencies and ETFs. In addition, AvaTrade offers leverage which, at the moment of writing this article, for Bitcoin was 20:1.

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Buy Bitcoin with the Bitcoin Revolution

Another popular trading platform to buy and invest in Bitcoin is the Bitcoin Revolution. It is an automated trading platform, and it works with several preferred partner broker platforms, most of which are Cyprus-based and CySEC regulated CFD brokers. 

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Bitcoin Revolution has more than 1,8 million active traders from more than 100 countries. It offers CFD trading in stocks, forex, commodities, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies. In addition, you can buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, and ten other most popular cryptos using leverage and ultra-low spreads.

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How to Buy Bitcoin and Trade CFDs in the USA?

While most European CFD brokers are open for business and can take customers from anywhere globally, you will find it difficult to onboard with these brokers if you are a US citizen. This is because US regulations are different, and brokers need to have a  separate license for the US. 

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CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 77% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

So what can you do if you are a US citizen and buy Bitcoin with CFD in the US?

One of the options you have is to join Forex.com, one of the world largest CFD brokers. Gain Capital’s parent company was founded in 1999 and is listed on NASDAQ. If you are interested to learn more about this online broker, you can read our in-depth Forex.com review

With Forex.com, US-based clients can invest in stocks, ETFs, Indices, Forex, Commodities and Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and other altcoins. Forex.com offers competitive spreads and low commissions and has state of the art technology that is also used by some of the largest institutional investors in the world. This online broker is popular among beginner and professional traders and has different trading platforms to suit everyone’s needs.

? Best CFD Brokers to Buy Bitcoin in the US

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Risk Warning
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 77% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
  • Top Rated Broker
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Risk Warning
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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What is Bitcoin Wallets?

Hot Wallets  

“Cold” wallets are another term for online wallets that allow you to buy Bitcoin. Hot wallets are digital wallets that operate on internet-connected devices such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Since these wallets produce the private keys to your coins on these internet-connected devices, this may pose a risk. While a hot wallet can be handy for quickly accessing and transacting with your money, keeping your private key on an internet-connected computer makes it more vulnerable to hacking.

This may seem unlikely, but people who do not use adequate protection while using these hot wallets risk having their funds stolen. Unfortunately, this is a common phenomenon that can occur in various ways. For example, bragging about how much Bitcoin you have on a public forum like Reddit while using little or no protection and storing it in a hot wallet is not a good idea. However, these wallets can be safe with certain precautions. Minimum criteria should include strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and secure internet surfing.

Small quantities of bitcoin or cryptocurrency that you are actively trading on an exchange are better stored in these wallets. A hot crypto wallet is similar to a checking account. According to conventional financial wisdom, you can keep just your spending money in a bank account and put the rest of your money in savings or other investment accounts. Hot wallets fall into the same category. Mobile, laptop, platform, and exchange account custody wallets are all examples of hot wallets.

Exchange wallets, like Binance Trust Wallet, for example, are custodial accounts offered by the exchange. The owner of this wallet form does not hold the private key to the cryptocurrency stored in this wallet. Therefore, your funds would be lost if the exchange is hacked or if your account is compromised. The term “not your key, not your coin” is frequently used inside cryptocurrency forums and groups.

Cold Wallets 

A cold wallet is simply a wallet that is not linked to the internet and poses a significantly lower risk of being hacked. These wallets are also known as hardware wallets or offline wallets.

These wallets store a user’s private key on a device that isn’t connected to the internet, and they can have software that runs in the background so that the user can access their portfolio without risking their private key.

A paper wallet is also the safest place to store cryptocurrency offline. You can print a paper wallet from a variety of websites. It generates both public and private keys, which you can print out on paper. You can only access cryptocurrency in these addresses if you have a piece of paper containing the private key. Many people laminate these paper wallets and keep them in their bank’s safe deposit box or even their home safe. Since you can’t quickly sell or exchange Bitcoin stored in these wallets, they’re best for high security and long-term investments.

A hardware wallet is a more popular form of a cold wallet. A hardware wallet is a USB drive computer that safely stores a user’s private keys off the internet. This has several benefits over hot wallets, including that it is untouched by any viruses present on the user’s device. In addition, private keys never come into contact with your network-connected device or potentially compromised applications with hardware wallets. These devices are also open source, allowing the community to decide their safety through code audits rather than a corporation declaring it safe to use.

Cold wallets are the safest place to keep Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. However, setting them up usually necessitates a little more experience.

An intelligent way to set up your wallets is to have three of them. First, you can buy and sell crypto on the exchange. Then you use a hot wallet to carry small to medium quantities of crypto you want to trade or sell and a cold hardware wallet to store more significant holdings for long periods.

Alternatives to Coinbase and Binance Although exchanges like Coinbase and Binance remain common ways to buy Bitcoin, they are not the only option. Additional procedures used by Bitcoin users are listed below.

Bitcoin ATMs  

Bitcoin ATMs function similarly to Bitcoin exchanges in person. Individuals may put money into the machine to buy Bitcoin, which is then transferred to a safe digital wallet. Bitcoin ATMs have grown in popularity in recent years, and Coin ATM Radar will help you find the nearest ones.

P2P Networks

Unlike decentralised exchanges, which anonymously match buyers and sellers and facilitate all aspects of the transaction, some peer-to-peer (P2P) exchange platforms allow users to communicate directly. An excellent example of this form of exchange is Local Bitcoins. Users can post requests to buy or sell Bitcoin after establishing an account, including payment methods and price details. Users then search through a list of buy and sell deals, selecting trade partners with whom they want to do business.

Some aspects of the trade are made more accessible by using local Bitcoins. For example, although P2P exchanges do not provide the same level of anonymity as decentralised exchanges, they allow users to compare prices. Many of these exchanges also have rating systems, which enable users to assess potential trading partners before making a transaction. 

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Risk Warning
The trading of Bitcoins, alternative cryptocurrencies has potential rewards, and it also has potential risks involved. Trading may not be suitable for all people. Anyone wishing to invest should seek his or her own independent financial or professional advice.