Top-10 Bitcoin Trading Platforms for 2019

Valeriya Kolomiychenko
exmo-official
Published in
10 min readJul 16, 2019

Please, share your favorite crypto-platform below:

Let’s discuss the best exchanges to buy cryptocurrencies in 2019. It’s never too late to try something new!

Сrypto is a future outlook! In this article, you will find top cryptocurrencies and top crypto exchanges that are worth to look into.

Many different surveys showed that the global interest in cryptocurrencies has increased at least twice in recent years, a trend is seen throughout the world. People note that cryptocurrency exchanges are often the subject of the discussion. Masses are now more than ever interested in buying cryptocurrency and trading. No one can ignore the power of digital money, as they used to be.

Bitcoin (BTC) is one of the most popular digital currencies on the planet. And it’s not unreasonable, Bitcoin has a lot of such advantages as anonymity, records on the blockchain public ledger, no third parties involved, low transaction fees, real-time transaction execution, no government tax, and so on. Aside from Bitcoin, crypto-world has more than 1500+ crypto coins. Every day numerous crypto platforms perform more than 40+ billion trades per 24h.

Let’s outline the top-10 cryptocurrencies for 2019:

#1 Bitcoin (BTC)
Created in 2008, BTC was the first ever cryptocurrency. Starting from December 2018 up to now, we see that the BTC growth rate is 250%. Noone knows the creator.

#2 Ethereum (ETH)
ETH is the second most valuable cryptocurrency after Bitcoin. Created in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin. Ethereum is actually much more than just a digital currency, it is programmable, which means that developers can use it to build new kinds of applications.

#3 Ripple (XRP)
XPR is a unique coin as it is focused on solving problems related to just one industry — International Payment Transfers. It was founded in 2012 with the aim to make international transactions both fast and cheap.

#4 Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
BCH has been forked from BTC in 2016. The purpose of creating BCH was to solve some of the existing BTC problems, especially scalability and transaction fees.

#5 EOS

EOS token was launched through an ICO in June 2017. EOS aims to build a platform for developers to build decentralized applications and smart contracts, but with a vast improvement in technology.

#6 Cardano (ADA)
ADA was created by Charles Hoskinson, Ethereum’s co-founder, in September 2017. Like ETH, ADA has also been developed as a platform for decentralized apps and smart contracts.

#7 Litecoin (LTC)
LTC was created way back in 2011 by Charlie Lee, an ex-Google employee. It was built on the blockchain of BTC, with the purpose of improving it.

#8 Stellar (XLM)
XLM was founded in 2014 by Jed McCaleb, the founder of XPR. In fact, XPR was hard forked into XML and the “Stellar Development Foundation” was born. Both XPR and XLM are focused on making cross-border payments more efficient.

#9 Tether (USDT)
Tether (USDT) is a cryptocurrency with a value meant to mirror the value of the U.S. dollar. The idea was to create a stable cryptocurrency that can be used like digital dollars.

#10 NEO
NEO is a Chinese cryptocurrency, created in 2014 by Da Hongfei. It is often referred to as the “Chinese ETH” because of the similarities. It also offers a blockchain-based platform for the development of Smart contracts and launching ICOs.

10 Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges for Crypto Trading in 2019

How to choose a safe and convenient crypto platform?

A few important steps before joining an exchange:

  • Reputation — reputation is always the major point, which defines the brand in general.
  • Security — is the second and very important way to identify the right platform, as it’s important to know your money is safe.
  • Fees — some bitcoin exchanges are taking a fee on every transaction like withdrawal, deposit, or trading, some of them are not. Choose the platform according to the kind of trader you are.
  • Payment Methods — every platform has different methods, make your own analysis and find out what fits you more.
  • Verification Requirements and Geographical Restrictions — are also important. Pay attention to this part before completing the registration.
  • Support — best services offer 24/7 support.

BINANCE

  • About: Binance is a China-based cryptocurrency exchange that gives users access to a robust set of trading tools, charts, and security features. Following a successful initial coin offering (ICO), Binance began live trading in July 2017.

By offering both Basic and Advanced exchange interfaces, Binance makes it easy for beginners to use.

  • Claims that: Low fees on transactions and withdrawals, Capable of processing 1.4 million transactions per second. Binance has a Basic and Advanced exchange view.
    Security: 2-FA and Google Authenticator to verify withdrawals. However, only Chinese phone numbers are supported for SMS 2-FA.

OKEx

  • About: founded in 2014 in China, OKEx is the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world by volume. Its Bitcoin future arm alone does nearly $1.5 billion in volume every day. Like it’s competitors OKEx has recently relocated to the crypto-friendly island nation of Malta.
  • Claims that: OKEx offers a comparatively wide range of trading pairs and the ability to trade directly to and from fiat currency. OKE is also taking steps to develop the cryptocurrency derivatives market by offering futures. Access to the exchange is limited, however, by its stringent user guidelines.
  • Security: There isn’t much information on OKEx’s site regarding its internal security mechanisms. Two-factor authorization can be set up during account creation, and OKEx gives detailed instructions for changing administrator passwords, but the details of OKEx’s security scheme are well hidden. This is surprising, given the exchange’s near-constant popups detailing which countries are currently banned from the exchange.

Huobi Global

  • About: Huobi, founded and established by Jun Du in September of 2013, is a digital currency exchange or platform that was founded in China. Their headquarters is based in Singapore today and they have offices in a few other countries or jurisdictions. Huobi cryptocurrency exchange serves millions of users in 130+ countries. They offer 190+ cryptocurrency pairs and access to just short of 400 markets.
  • Claims that: It allows users to exchange crypto for crypto, including the USDT token. Huobi Global features an advanced distributed system architecture built to protect against DDoS and other potential threats. Available for iOS and Android.
  • Security: Huobi was once, at an accumulative turnover in excess of 1.2 trillion dollars (USD), the biggest digital asset exchange in the world with an almost 50% market share. This was before the Chinese government banned Bitcoin exchanges in September 2017, prompting Huobi to halt Bitcoin withdrawals as well as Yuan-to-Bitcoin trading. This negatively impacted Huobi and its customers — leading to substantial losses. This is the reason why Huobi China only exists today as a research and blockchain consulting platform.

Coinbase

  • About: Launched in San Francisco in 2012. Coinbase allows users to trade their cryptocurrency at a set price that is based on their market value, which allows users to purchase their cryptocurrencies faster than other exchanges. Coinbase is also one of the few cryptocurrency exchanges that accept credit cards (in addition to bank transfers).
  • Claims that: Coinbase is one of the most secure platforms currently available. Coinbase is US based and is therefore required to comply with US State and Federal law. Coinbase offers customers a 2-factor authentication method. Quite clear software and support available during US working hours.
    Security: Exchange has proven to be secure, and functional. Had never been hacked.

BITFINEX

  • About: Since 2014, Bitfinex has emerged as one of the world’s leading bitcoin exchanges. Based in Hong Kong, the company first entered the market in 2012 and has enjoyed steady expansion ever since. In addition to bitcoin, it provides access to the world’s leading altcoins as well as full-spec wallet services.
  • Claims that: In addition to being widely recognized as the world’s largest bitcoin exchange, Bitfinex offers a customizable interface that allows you to personalize your workstation. The platform is fully equipped with margin trading and ten different order types that give you the opportunity to trade the market without limitation.
  • Security: Because Bitfinex gets a lot of its liquidity from Tether, many people are concerned that the exchange might not be as financially secure as it claims to be. But it was not any precedents yet.

EXMO

About: Founded in 2013 and based in London, Kyiv, Barcelona, Istanbul, and Moscow, EXMO #1 exchange in Eastern Europe and one of the world’s largest global exchanges in volume and liquidity. There are more than 1.6 mln users, 50 000 active traders, about 315 000 daily visitors, more than 160 trading pairs. The big advantage is 6 fiat currencies (TRY, USD, EUR, RUB, PLN, UAH) on the platform. The average daily trading volume is $20–30 mln.

  • Claims that: Clear interface and fast transactions. EXMO offers customers a 2-factor authentication method — the highest level of investment security. Turkish, English and Russian support available 24/7. Analytical tools for traders, an ability to withdrawal to a bank card, easy to use soft, and lots of explanations for beginners. EXMO offers the opportunity to trade EUR, USD, RUB, PLN, TRY, UAH in pairs with top cryptocurrencies.
  • Security: Exchange has proven to be secure, and functional. EXMO has never been hacked. EXMO have never delisted any coin from the platform.

Kraken

  • About: Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the oldest and most popular cryptocurrency exchanges currently in operation. Kraken retains an international appeal and provides efficient trading opportunities in numerous fiat currencies. Kraken is also the current world leader in terms of Bitcoin to Euro trading volumes.
  • Claims that: It is also a good choice for both traders and institutions across a variety of locations.
  • Security: The exchange has built a reputation as being a secure destination for anyone interested in trading cryptocurrencies.

Bitstamp

  • About: The company was founded as a European-focused alternative to then-dominant bitcoin exchange Mt.Gox. Based in Luxembourg in 2011. In 2013, Bitstamp moved some of its operations to London. While the company trades in US dollars, it accepts fiat money deposits for free only via the European Union’s Single Euro Payments Area, a mechanism for transferring money between European bank accounts. Deposits via credit cards or wires incur a fee.
  • Claims that: Exchange is safe now and 2015 situation will never happen again. Bitstamp offers an API to allow clients to use custom software to access and control their accounts. Bitstamp allows its users to buy cryptocurrencies with fiat currencies. Support available 24/7.
  • Security: In January 2015, Bitstamp was hacked and 19,000 Bitcoins (BTC) were stolen. The stolen Bitcoins were worth about 5 million USD, which made a lot of users wonder if Bitstamp safe.

POLONIEX

  • About: Poloniex launched in 2014 and is based out of Wilmington, Delaware, in the United States. Poloniex is a widely used exchange based in the US. It is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of volume. Users can trade almost every crypto coin. It also presents unrestricted access to previous charts of cryptocurrencies.
  • Claims that: There are many features that experienced traders will appreciate. You can find a range of efficient data-analysis tools, along with very detailed charts that let you make educated decisions regarding trades. The high-volume nature of Poloniex also appeals to traders, particularly the ability to do lending and margin trading.
  • Security: Poloniex takes care of security in multiple ways. To keep hackers out, it stores the majority of customers’ deposits in air-gapped cold storage offline.

KuCoin

  • About: Although it is a relatively new addition to the cryptocurrency exchange world, Kucoin’s team has already proven itself, and the exchange has gone off without a hitch since its launch. To put Kucoin’s youth into perspective, the research and development team was only assembled in May 2017. There was an Angel Investment in August, and V1.0 went live a few days later. Since then, the team has launched the Kucoin Bonus Plan, multiple additional currencies, and mobile apps for both Android and iOS.
  • Claims that: Kucoin always aims to provide users with a safe and straightforward method of converting their currencies on a state-of-the-art platform.
  • Security: Wallets have multiple security levels to fit the storage scale in question. Bank-Level Security for Assets.

Please, share the best exchanges to buy bitcoin in comments below!

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Valeriya Kolomiychenko
exmo-official

PR representative, Content creator, IT-girl blogger, Blockchain & Crypto enthusiast