Buy cryptocurrencies South Africa 2021

Digital assets are on the rise

Before 2009, no one had ever heard of cryptocurrencies. But the invention of bitcoin has given rise to thousands of new electronic currencies, making the choice truly enormous. Logically, this new type of currency immediately generated great interest in making cryptocurrencies a powerful trading tool. This is mainly due to its high volatility.

In the very beginning, you could find very different prices for the same cryptocurrency, including bitcoin. And because these new coins existed only in the electronic space, they had no directly assigned value. All this led to large fluctuations in the price of all digital coins in the first years of their existence. It is not yet stable, but in recent years there is a clear trend.

Some currencies proved reliable enough to attract the attention of traders. That's how cryptocurrencies entered the stock market, where they could be freely traded. The process was very simple: traders exchanged one asset for another to hold until its price rose. The popularity of this activity has led to the creation of many new exchanges around the world. And they all operate quickly, reacting to any change in the market.

What is a cryptocurrency exchange?

Before you can compare the best stock markets in the world, you need to understand how they work.

A cryptocurrency exchange is a service that allows you to trade cryptocurrencies. A large number of platforms accept both fiat currency and electronic coins. So you can buy and sell both fiat and cryptocurrencies, in any combination.

There is really nothing special about the way the exchange works. All you have to do is register on the platform of your choice and start trading. These services connect real people who want to trade their digital assets. You just need to enter the amount you want to buy or sell and start trading. You can then hold the funds you receive until they increase in value and then trade them later.

Cryptocurrencies are traded like any other asset. There is a certain market value, which is strongly influenced by many external factors, the most important of which are supply and demand. This can be explained by the fact that cryptocurrencies are completely unique and have no real value.

To fund your account on a crypto-currency exchange, you must have an active virtual wallet. This is a service for storing your crypto-currency capital. You will use the wallet address to send money to the exchange account. Check to see if the exchange in question accepts the coins you plan to sell. Some exchanges offer their own built-in wallets, which are well secured.

After you fund your trading account from your portfolio, you can create a buy or sell order in the system. Once another interested customer sees your offer and is satisfied with the prices and other details, you begin the transaction. Thus, the purpose of the exchange is to help people make mutually beneficial transactions. Always check what the exchange's requirements are for such transactions, as they may vary slightly from site to site.

What influences the value of cryptocurrencies?

Digital assets are always highly volatile and difficult to predict.

Before you start actively trading on reputable cryptocurrency exchanges, you should first learn more about cryptocurrencies, especially what affects their value. It would be impossible to list all the factors, but here are the most important ones you should take into account.

Limited supply. This is one of the top factors that can affect the price of a particular coin. For example, bitcoin has a preset emission. So, in many cases, it is known in advance how many coins can be issued in total. Once the coin has limited supply, it becomes extremely difficult to get more coins when current circulation gets closer to the maximum.

For example, only 21 million bitcoins can be mined. This number represents nothing when it comes to any currency. This is why the value of bitcoin is so high. The currency is already approaching its inventory limit, so fluctuations are inevitable when there are no more coins in circulation. At least that's the view of major Bitcoin holders.

Demand. It is another crucial factor that significantly influences the value of this or that cryptocurrency. The more customers want to purchase a certain coin, the higher the mark is reached if the supply does not grow. In cases when supply is not limited, there is an end limit which also influences the demand.

This is not the only factor that affects demand. It is very important to take into account all the advantages that a particular coin offers, as well as the rules that apply to different coins. Once you know the level of interest in a particular coin, you can predict the approximate impact of demand on its value.

Regulations. There is no generally accepted cryptocurrency regulation in the world financial system. In some countries, there are restrictions at all, while in others, there are still disputes on how to monitor this relatively new type of money. Experts believe that once this question is solved, the value of digital money will substantially rise.

No one can say for sure how regulation will limit the use of cryptocurrencies. Electronic currencies may lose their current value. But the introduction of cryptocurrency is inevitable, and its value will be affected.

Media. All forms of mass media always have influence on the value of cryptocurrencies. Public reaction can seriously change the value of any coin. So any information can lead to unexpected jumps of cryptocurrency. All people follow major events today, and any breaking news immediately becomes an effective tool for price prediction.

This list is not exhaustive, but these are the most important factors.

Overview of Exchanges

There are many exchanges for cryptocurrencies today, and the average user often finds it difficult to decide which one to choose. These services can sometimes offer similar deals, but there are also differences. So it's important to know those nuances and understand how they differ if you plan to start trading cryptocurrencies.

The most important feature is the level of security that a particular exchange offers its customers. This is crucial when you are transacting in an on-line environment. Therefore, if you are looking for a reliable exchange, you should make sure that this criterion is the most important. A crypto currency exchange is your guide in the world of crypto currencies.

Coinbase

It is one of the largest exchanges. It began operations in 2012, shortly after the invention of bitcoin. It is based in the United States and operates according to all the regulations required here. When you join the platform, you can use one of two accounts: standard and pro. This exchange has high commissions for the standard account, while the pro account has many advantages. Pro account holders can benefit from the advanced charting features and powerful indicators that allow you to notice the smallest changes in the market. In addition, the service offers an extensive list of coins to trade. But it's fair to say that some of Coinbase's competitors have an even better variety of cryptocurrencies. The exchange system is very user-friendly, and even a novice will quickly learn to navigate the site. If you plan to use the exchange's wallet for cryptocurrencies, you can rest assured that it is well protected against hacking. Overall, this cryptocurrency exchange offers a truly beneficial trading environment, with all the features that an ordinary user might need in the process. It is especially recommended for those who are new to cryptocurrencies. Get to know its main features:

Available currencies		23 pieces.
Fees and commissions		You pay $0.00 for all transactions up to $10.00; you pay $1.49 for transactions from $10 to $25.00; you pay $1.99 for transactions from $25 to $50.00; you pay $2.99 for transactions from $50 to $200.00. And for larger amounts, a fixed interest rate is applied, depending on the payment method.
Portfolio		A free online portfolio that is compatible with mobile devices.
Payments		All major payment methods - credit card, bank transfer, e-services.
Safety		Two-factor authentication; traffic encryption with SLL protocols; wallet is encrypted with AES-256 protocols; only 2% of customer money is stored online and is insured.
Cell phone applications		For iOS and Android.

Binance

This cryptocurrency platform was founded in 2017. Despite its youthful age, it has managed to attract many traders. This is easily explained by one thing: the exchange offers its customers more than 150 different cryptocurrencies. It is quite difficult to find a service that offers such an impressive selection of crypto assets. Binance doesn't just work with digital currencies - it also accepts fiat currencies, although cryptocurrencies still dominate. It also offers trading on its own token, BNB. Very quickly, the exchange reached a very high trading volume, giving it a place among the most influential crypto platforms on the world stage. And its flexible and affordable pricing system left its competitors far behind. The platform managed to build a huge customer base in record time, with new users joining every day.

By registering on the site, you can make a deposit in crypto or fiat currency. This feature makes the exchange accessible to literally anyone. The only drawback you might find here is the somewhat complicated setup. It can be a bit difficult for a newbie to navigate through the service. Other than that, everything works fine.

Available currencies		740 pairs of fiat and cryptocurrencies.
Fees and commissions		A flexible and competitive commission system. You pay 0.01% per transaction and only 0.075% for transactions involving an NBB token.
Portfolio		The mobile application is Trust Wallet.
Payments		All basic methods are supported - bank transfer, credit cards, electronic payments.
Safety		The exchange has launched its own monitoring system, CryptoSafeAlliance (CSA). It brings together a range of services to enhance the security of the platform.
Cell phone applications		Free application for iOS and Android.

Kraken

This exchange entered the market in 2011. The service has grown at an impressive rate, and in just a few years it has become one of the leading exchanges on the market. It remains very popular with traders because it offers a good selection of altcoins and fiat currencies. Although some other exchanges offer more choices, Kraken has other strengths that encourage customers to stay with it.

Users appreciate this exchange for its many technical features that are essential for successful trading - comprehensive charting tools and margin trading. Advanced traders benefit greatly from these features. Beginners may find it difficult at first, but with a little effort even they can master the interface. Once you have successfully executed your first few trades, things will speed up.

In short, this exchange has everything a trader might need on a daily basis. The only drawback worth mentioning is the inadequate choice of payment methods. So, before you decide to open an account on the site, make sure that you can deposit and withdraw your money freely. If you do not find the option you want, then you may not feel comfortable working with this particular exchange.

Available currencies		8 crypto-valuta's.
Fees and commissions		For all transactions up to 50,000 final coins, the seller is charged 0.16% and the buyer is charged 0.26%. For amounts greater than 50,000 final coins, the charges are increased to 0.14% and 0.24%, respectively.
Portfolio		No wallet for crypto-currency.
Payments		Only direct transactions of cryptocurrencies or bank transfers. Credit cards are not accepted on this platform.
Safety		2-factor authentication; PGP encryption; the exchange also uses a global lock on settings to prevent frequent account changes.
Cell phone applications		Kraken Pro и Kraken Futures.

Bittrex

This exchange started in 2014. This was the time when cryptocurrencies made their appearance on the global financial market and became an interesting tool for trading. The founders took the right approach by offering a truly impressive selection of coins. This allowed traders to easily diversify their trading portfolios for better results. Moreover, the makers of the exchange have also added a virtual wallet to their service, allowing users to safely store their money on the platform. The site is very reliable, as many security technologies are applied for the safety of the customers.

Available currencies		More than 250 trading pairs.
Fees and commissions		The exchange uses a flexible commission system, but there is a different commission for each coin.
Portfolio		Online wallet for crypto currency.
Payments		Cryptocurrencies, credit cards and bank transfers.
Safety		About 80% of all funds are stored in cold storage; 2-factor authentication; verification of the IP address against the email address when a user logs in via a new IP address; whitelisting of IP addresses.
Cell phone applications		Bittrex Global and the Bittrex application.

Bitmex

The fair took on its first customer in 2014. And it only took a few years to attract thousands of traders. This is mainly due to its enticing offers for margin trading. There was no other platform that offered such attractive terms for binary trading. For example, for futures contracts, a trader can use leverage, which is a powerful method to multiply his profits significantly. However, leverage is a tricky mechanism, which always involves high financial risk. Therefore, margin trading is recommended only for traders with sufficient market experience.

Bitmex is a reliable platform. The subscription process is more than simple. It is an excellent compromise between ease of use and many additional features. Traders continue to register with the exchange with the intention of benefiting from margin trading.

Available currencies		55+ exchange pairs.
Fees and commissions		No fees are charged for deposits and withdrawals. Users pay 0.075% of the total transaction amount for all transactions.
Portfolio		BitMex online portemonnee.
Payments		The service only accepts cryptocurrencies.
Safety		Funds stored in cold portfolios; 2-factor authentication; SMS registration; multi-signature portfolios.
Cell phone applications		Application mobile Bitmex.

Bitfinex

This fair has been operating since 2012 and is considered one of the first of its kind. All these years it has managed to grow and remain popular. A winning feature of Bitfinex is margin trading. Many traders have been able to make steady profits with this feature. As already mentioned, you must have some experience to use margin in trading. Otherwise, there is a high risk of losing your investment.

Bitfinex doesn't have the largest selection of trading instruments on the market. But the platform has been accepting crypto and fiat assets since 2015, and this has made it wildly popular with traders. Thanks to this feature, users from all over the world can use the exchange without any problems.

Available currencies		140 crypto-currencies and more than 300 trading pairs.
Fees and commissions		No fees are charged for deposits and withdrawals. All US dollar transactions are charged 0.1%, but not less than $20. Cash transactions are charged at $60. Other transactions are charged 0.1% for the originator and 0.2% for the recipient.
Portfolio		Three different portfolios are available - Margin, Exchange, Financial.
Payments		The service accepts cryptocurrencies, credit cards and bank transfers.
Safety		99.5% of all money is stored in cold wallets; several verification steps are required to access this money, so it is secure.
Cell phone applications		Available.

Localbitcoins

It is another pioneer among cryptocurrency exchanges. Localbitcoins entered the market in 2012. Its main feature is that it originally started as a P2P (peer-to-peer) service, and did not focus much on trading volume.

The platform allows any trader to find a profitable offer and discuss bets with other participants until you reach an agreement. You can open an escrow account to facilitate the trading process. The exchange has managed to create a truly robust trading environment. This is why it is very popular, especially among those who are new to the industry. However, it is important to note that Localbitcoins operates at slightly higher rates than other similar services.

Available currencies		Here, only bitcoin is traded.
Fees and commissions		Buyers pay no commission, while sellers must pay 1% of the amount traded.
Portfolio		Cryptocurrency wallet for btc.
Payments		Bank transfers, bank cards, electronic systems.
Safety		2-factor authentication; system of blocked accounts.
Cell phone applications		Non.

Poloniex

The first transactions on this exchange were registered in 2014. Since then, the platform has grown successfully. It offers more than 100 cryptovalue pairs to trade in a highly secure environment. The service charges very low commissions and offers its customers many benefits. For example, the higher your trading volume, the lower the commission.

Poloniex applies separate commissions for takers and makers. This is designed to encourage traders to open more positions, as makers pay a very small commission for doing so. There is a whole list of other benefits for registered traders on Poloniex, such as chat, analysis tools, news feeds and much more. The website has a very easy to navigate interface.

Available currencies		More than 100 currency pairs.
Fees and commissions		All deposits are free. Withdrawal fees are set for each specific currency. Separate commissions for acceptance and manufacture.
Portfolio		Online wallet for crypto currency.
Payments		Payment methods vary according to the merchant's country of residence.
Safety		2-factor accountauthenticatie.
Cell phone applications		Available.

KuCoin

It is one of the youngest exchanges listed in Singapore in 2017. Despite its age, the platform was created by highly experienced market players. As a result, the service has everything needed for successful cryptocurrency trading. Thanks to its advanced features, it immediately gained popularity and attracted users from almost every country in the world.

One of the winning features is the high-end security system implemented at the exchange. It can be compared to that of the most reputable banks. It uses high-level encryption and multi-stage authentication. So far, there has not been a single case of hacking on this platform. But it is too early to judge the security of this exchange, as it does not yet exist in the market.

Available currencies		200 cards in 450 currency pairs.
Fees and commissions		All deposits are free. Withdrawal fees are set for each specific currency. A flat fee of 0.10% is charged for all transactions.
Portfolio		Available.
Payments		All major payment channels are supported, including electronic systems.
Safety		Google 2-factor authenticatie.
Cell phone applications		Available.

Bitpanda

The exchange was originally known as Coinimal. This Austrian service was launched in 2014. However, some time later it was renamed Bitpanda. The aim of the platform was to make cryptocurrency trading accessible and easy for everyone. To this end, the founders created an easy-to-use website that even a complete beginner could navigate effortlessly. This approach worked well, as the exchange attracted over a million users in just a few years.

In addition to cryptocurrencies, you can also trade other instruments, such as silver and gold. The platform offers automated tools that make trading cryptocurrencies much easier. Once you have enough experience in this sector, you can trade between digital assets and metals. The company has many affiliates around the world that offer additional earning opportunities. You can invest in your own exchange token and use that to minimize transaction costs.

Available currencies		30+ cryptocurrencies.
Fees and commissions		All deposit and withdrawal fees are set for each specific currency. The same approach works for cryptocurrency trading.
Portfolio		Bitpanda wallet for crypto currency.
Payments		Bank transfers, bank cards, electronic systems.
Safety		Two-factor authentication at each login. Cold storage of funds. Confirmation by email address.
Cell phone applications		Available.

Coinmama

Coinmama is another decent source for trading crypto-currencies. It was launched in 2013, when cryptocurrencies made their appearance in the global financial system. You should not treat the platform as an exchange service. Technically, you are buying and selling assets on the exchange itself.

The choice of crypto-currencies on this platform is not that large. When buying bitcoins with a credit card, be prepared that there is a limit to the amount you can buy. And don't forget to check what commission will be charged for the amount you want to trade. The site accepts plenty of payment channels. You can also find decent multilingual support, as the exchange is global in scope. The only drawback is that there is no wallet for cryptocurrencies on this platform. Otherwise, it is a good option for beginners.

Available currencies		10+ cryptocurrencies.
Fees and commissions		Service fees are charged for the use of the bank card. A flat fee is charged for the sale and purchase of cryptocurrencies.
Portfolio		There is no portfolio.
Payments		Bank transfers, credit cards, electronic systems, SEPA and SWIFT payments.
Safety		Trust Guard and Comodo security technology.
Cell phone applications		Available.

Paxful

The exchange began serving traders in 2015 and was registered in the US. From the beginning, the service has targeted a global audience, with customers from Europe and the US. The platform itself is quite simple, with solid security and affordable fees. In other words, you could call Paxful a P2P exchange. When you start here, you need to build your portfolio. You can view other traders' portfolios and assess their reliability before confirming a trade.

One of the biggest drawbacks of this service is that it only allows you to trade in bitcoins. In fact, you can use a whole list of currencies to pay with bitcoins. But when it comes to a sales transaction, you can only sell bitcoins. A 1% commission is applied to all sales, while purchases are free. The exchange supports several payment methods.

Available currencies		Bitcoin.
Fees and commissions		A 1% commission is charged on all sales, while purchases are free. An additional commission may be charged depending on the payment method chosen.
Portfolio		Paxful portfolio application.
Payments		All known payment methods are supported.
Safety		Mandatory authentication procedure; 2-factor authentication.
Cell phone applications		Paxful portfolio application.

HitBTC

This scholarship is based in Denmark. It was launched in 2013. It was established to provide individuals with the widest possible choice of cryptocurrencies. Currently, the exchange offers more than 800 trading pairs. Even the rarest coins can be found on this platform. This approach is an excellent way for users to diversify their investment portfolio. HitBTC offers a demo account, which allows any new client to try the service for free. All client funds are protected by the most secure technology. The exchange allows you to trade large volumes.

The disadvantage of the platform is that it does not accept fiat currency. Only crypto-currencies can be traded here. But to overcome this drawback, the exchange has added a special built-in system where you can buy digital coins and pay with a bank card. But in that case, you will have to pay a higher fee.

Available currencies		800 exchange rates.
Fees and commissions		All deposits are free. Withdrawal fees are set for each specific currency. Multi-level trading system.
Portfolio		No wallet for crypto-currency.
Payments		Only cryptocurrencies are accepted.
Safety		2-factor authentication; high-level encryption technology.
Cell phone applications		Non.

As you can see, the market is full of excellent exchanges. Now you need to analyze your needs and choose the one that best meets your expectations.