Best Bitcoin Brokers 2025
Bitcoin (BTC), the world’s first decentralized cryptocurrency, has had a remarkable run since its launch in 2009 from niche investment to mainstream asset. Having gained recognition, and even adoption, by some states and regulators, Bitcoin is no longer only for tech-savvy speculators, and the best brokers and investment firms let any British investor buy and sell BTC or even gain exposure in their ISAs via some stocks and ETFs.
The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has banned crypto derivatives (including Bitcoin futures, options, and CFDs) to retail investors. UK residents can still access Bitcoin derivatives through international brokers that are not FCA-regulated, but doing so means you may not be protected under UK regulations, such as the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
Top Bitcoin Brokers in the UK
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Founded in Australia in 2010, Pepperstone is a highly regarded broker specialising in forex and CFDs. Serving more than 400,000 clients globally, it provides access to over 1,300 financial instruments through popular platforms like MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView. Its fee structure is both low and transparent. With regulation by reputable bodies such as the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC, Pepperstone guarantees a safe trading environment for traders at every level.
Instruments Regulator Platforms CFDs, Forex, Currency Indices, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Crypto (only Pro clients), Spread Betting FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, CMA, BaFin, SCB MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, AutoChartist, DupliTrade, Quantower Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage $0 0.01 Lots 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro) -
Established in Poland in 2002, XTB caters to over a million clients worldwide. This forex and CFD broker offers a robust regulatory framework, a diverse range of assets, and prioritises trader satisfaction. It provides an intuitive proprietary platform equipped with excellent tools to support aspiring traders.
Instruments Regulator Platforms CFDs on shares, Indices, ETFs, Raw Materials, Forex currencies, cryptocurrencies, Real shares, Real ETFs FCA, CySEC, KNF, DFSA, FSC xStation Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage $0 0.01 Lots 1:30 -
FXCC, a well-established brokerage since 2010, offers cost-effective online trading. Registered in Nevis and regulated by CySEC, it is distinguished by its ECN conditions and absence of a minimum deposit requirement. The account opening process is efficient, taking under five minutes.
Instruments Regulator Platforms CFDs, Forex, Indices, Commodities, Crypto CySEC MT4, MT5 Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage $0 0.01 Lots 1:500 -
IC Markets is an internationally acclaimed forex and CFD broker, admired for its competitive pricing, diverse trading instruments, and superior technology. Established in 2007 and based in Australia, the firm is under the regulation of ASIC, CySEC, and FSA. It has successfully drawn over 180,000 clients from more than 200 nations.
Instruments Regulator Platforms CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Bonds, Futures, Crypto ASIC, CySEC, FSA, CMA MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, TradingCentral, DupliTrade, Quantower Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage $200 0.01 Lots 1:30 (ASIC & CySEC), 1:500 (FSA), 1:1000 (Global) -
Interactive Brokers (IBKR), a leading brokerage, offers access to 150 markets across 33 countries and provides extensive investment services. With more than 40 years of experience, this Nasdaq-listed company complies with strict regulations from the SEC, FCA, CIRO, and SFC. It is among the most reliable brokers worldwide for traders.
Instruments Regulator Platforms Stocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Funds, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies FCA, SEC, FINRA, CFTC, CBI, CIRO, SFC, MAS, MNB, FINMA, AFM Trader Workstation (TWS), IBKR Desktop, GlobalTrader, Mobile, Client Portal, AlgoTrader, OmniTrader, TradingView, eSignal, TradingCentral, ProRealTime, Quantower Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage $0 $100 1:50 -
IC Trading belongs to the reputable IC Markets group. Designed for dedicated traders, it offers highly competitive spreads, dependable order execution, and sophisticated trading tools. However, it operates from Mauritius, an offshore financial centre, allowing high leverage but within a less regulated environment.
Instruments Regulator Platforms CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Bonds, Cryptos, Futures FSC MT4, MT5, cTrader, AutoChartist, TradingCentral Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage $200 0.01 Lots 1:500 -
Eightcap, an acclaimed broker regulated by the FCA, offers exceptionally low trading costs. Recognised as the top-rated brand by TradingView's vast user base of 100 million, traders can directly access the platform. UK traders can open a live account with a minimum deposit of just £100.
Instruments Regulator Platforms CFDs, Forex, Stocks, Indices, Commodities ASIC, FCA, CySEC, SCB MT4, MT5, TradingView Min. Deposit Min. Trade Leverage £100 0.01 Lots 1:30
Safety Comparison
Compare how safe the Best Bitcoin Brokers 2025 are and what features they offer to protect traders.
Broker | Trust Rating | FCA Regulated | Negative Balance Protection | Guaranteed Stop Loss | Segregated Accounts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pepperstone | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | |
XTB | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
FXCC | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | |
IC Markets | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | |
Interactive Brokers | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | |
IC Trading | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | |
Eightcap | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ |
Payments Comparison
Compare which popular payment methods the Best Bitcoin Brokers 2025 support and whether they have trading accounts denominated in British Pounds (GBP).
Broker | GBP Account | Debit Card | Credit Card | Neteller | Skrill | Apple Pay |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pepperstone | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
XTB | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
FXCC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
IC Markets | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
Interactive Brokers | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
IC Trading | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
Eightcap | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
Mobile Trading Comparison
How good are the Best Bitcoin Brokers 2025 at mobile trading using apps or other mobile interfaces.
Broker | Mobile Apps | iOS Rating | Android Rating | Smart Watch App |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pepperstone | iOS & Android | ✘ | ||
XTB | iOS & Android | ✔ | ||
FXCC | iOS & Android | ✘ | ||
IC Markets | iOS & Android | ✘ | ||
Interactive Brokers | iOS & Android | ✔ | ||
IC Trading | iOS & Android | ✘ | ||
Eightcap | iOS & Android | ✘ |
Beginners Comparison
Are the Best Bitcoin Brokers 2025 good for beginner traders, that might want an affordable setup to get started, along with good support and educational resources?
Broker | Demo Account | Minimum Deposit | Minimum Trade | Support Rating | Education Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pepperstone | ✔ | $0 | 0.01 Lots | ||
XTB | ✔ | $0 | 0.01 Lots | ||
FXCC | ✔ | $0 | 0.01 Lots | ||
IC Markets | ✔ | $200 | 0.01 Lots | ||
Interactive Brokers | ✔ | $0 | $100 | ||
IC Trading | ✔ | $200 | 0.01 Lots | ||
Eightcap | ✔ | £100 | 0.01 Lots |
Advanced Trading Comparison
Do the Best Bitcoin Brokers 2025 offer features that allow for more advanced trading strategies?
Broker | Automated Trading | Pro Account | Leverage | VPS | AI | Low Latency | Extended Hours |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pepperstone | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader | ✔ | 1:30 (Retail), 1:500 (Pro) | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
XTB | - | ✔ | 1:30 | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
FXCC | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader | ✘ | 1:500 | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
IC Markets | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cBots on cTrader, Myfxbook AutoTrade | ✘ | 1:30 (ASIC & CySEC), 1:500 (FSA), 1:1000 (Global) | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
Interactive Brokers | Capitalise.ai & TWS API | ✘ | 1:50 | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
IC Trading | Expert Advisors (EAs) on MetaTrader, cBots on cTrader | ✘ | 1:500 | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
Eightcap | TradingView Bots | ✘ | 1:30 | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
Detailed Rating Comparison
Use this heatmap to compare our detailed ratings for all of the Best Bitcoin Brokers 2025.
Broker | Trust | Platforms | Mobile | Assets | Fees | Accounts | Support | Research | Education |
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Pepperstone | |||||||||
XTB | |||||||||
FXCC | |||||||||
IC Markets | |||||||||
Interactive Brokers | |||||||||
IC Trading | |||||||||
Eightcap |
Our Take On Pepperstone
"Pepperstone is a premier trading platform, providing tight spreads, swift execution, and sophisticated charting tools for seasoned traders. Beginners benefit from no minimum deposit, comprehensive learning materials, and outstanding 24/7 support."
Pros
- Pepperstone offers rapid execution speeds of approximately 30ms, enabling swift order processing and execution, making it ideal for traders.
- Over the years, Pepperstone has consistently garnered recognition from DayTrading.com’s annual awards. Recently, it was honoured as the 'Best Overall Broker' in 2025 and was the 'Best Forex Broker' runner-up the same year.
- In recent years, Pepperstone has significantly enhanced the deposit and withdrawal process. By 2025, clients can use Apple Pay and Google Pay, while 2024 saw the introduction of PIX and SPEI for customers in Brazil and Mexico.
Cons
- Pepperstone doesn't offer cTrader Copy, a favoured feature for copying trades found in the cTrader platform, which is available on other platforms such as IC Markets. However, Pepperstone has launched its own user-friendly copy trading app.
- Pepperstone's demo accounts expire after 30 days, which may not provide sufficient time to explore various platforms and evaluate trading strategies.
- Although its market range has improved, its crypto offerings remain limited compared to brokers specialising in this sector, lacking real coin investment options.
Our Take On XTB
"XTB emerges as an ideal option for novice traders, offering the impressive xStation platform, zero commission pricing, no required minimum deposit, and outstanding educational resources, many of which are conveniently integrated into the platform."
Pros
- XTB has raised its interest rate on uninvested funds and introduced zero-fee ISAs for UK clients, offering access to 3,000 stocks and 700 ETFs for diverse investment opportunities.
- XTB offers over 10,000 instruments, including CFDs on shares, indices, ETFs, raw materials, forex, crypto, real shares, real ETFs, share dealing, and investment plans. This range serves both short-term traders and long-term investors.
- Top-notch customer support, available 24/5, includes a welcoming live chat with response times under two minutes during tests.
Cons
- The research tools at XTB are commendable but have the potential to excel further. Enhancing them with access to top-tier third-party services like Autochartist, Trading Central, and TipRanks would significantly elevate their offering.
- XTB has stopped supporting MT4, restricting traders to its own platform, xStation. This decision may discourage experienced traders accustomed to using the MetaTrader suite.
- Trading fees are competitive, with average EUR/USD spreads of about 1 pip. However, they are not as low as the most affordable brokers, such as IC Markets. Additionally, an inactivity fee applies after a year.
Our Take On FXCC
"FXCC remains a top choice for forex traders, offering over 70 currency pairs, very tight spreads from 0.0 pips in tests, and high leverage up to 1:500 with the ECN XL account."
Pros
- FXCC has introduced MT5, which in our evaluations, mirrored the trading conditions of MT4 by offering swift execution, improved charting, and market depth tools.
- FXCC is a trusted and licensed broker under the regulation of CySEC, a leading European authority ensuring excellent safeguarding standards.
- There are no deposit fees other than standard cryptocurrency mining charges, which benefits active traders.
Cons
- FXCC's exclusive MetaTrader platform is a limitation, especially when compared to more versatile options like AvaTrade, which offers five different platforms to cater to various trader needs.
- While the MetaTrader suite excels in technical analysis, its outdated design detracts from the overall trading experience, particularly when contrasted with contemporary platforms such as TradingView.
- The range of research tools, such as Trading Central and Autochartist, is quite limited. Leading platforms in this category, like IG, offer more advanced features.
Our Take On IC Markets
"IC Markets provides excellent pricing, swift execution, and easy deposits. With cutting-edge charting tools like TradingView and the Raw Trader Plus account, it continues to be a preferred option for intermediate and advanced traders."
Pros
- As a well-regulated and reputable broker, IC Markets focuses on client safety and transparency to provide a dependable global trading experience.
- Access over 2,250 CFDs across diverse markets like forex, commodities, indices, shares, bonds, and cryptocurrencies. This variety enables traders to employ diversified strategies.
- IC Markets provides some of the industry's narrowest spreads, offering 0.0-pip spreads on major currency pairs. This makes it an extremely cost-effective choice for traders.
Cons
- Although there are four top-tier third-party platforms available, the absence of in-house software or a trading app tailored for novice traders is notable.
- IC Markets provides metals and cryptocurrencies for trading through CFDs, though the selection is narrower compared to brokers such as eToro. This limits opportunities for traders focused on these asset classes.
- The tutorials, webinars, and educational resources require enhancement, lagging behind competitors such as CMC Markets, which diminishes their appeal to novice traders.
Our Take On Interactive Brokers
"Interactive Brokers ranks highly for seasoned traders due to its robust charting platforms, live data, and bespoke layouts via the new IBKR Desktop app. Its competitive pricing and sophisticated order choices appeal to traders, and its wide equity options are industry-leading."
Pros
- IBKR consistently offers unparalleled access to global equities, with thousands of shares available across over 100 market centres in 24 countries, including the recently added Saudi Stock Exchange.
- IBKR offers an economical environment for traders, featuring low commissions, narrow spreads, and a clear fee structure.
- The new IBKR Desktop platform combines the top features of TWS with customised tools such as Option Lattice and MultiSort Screeners, providing an impressive trading experience for traders of all skill levels.
Cons
- You are limited to a single active session per account, meaning you cannot use both your desktop programme and mobile app at the same time. This restriction can occasionally lead to a frustrating experience for traders.
- Support can be sluggish and frustrating. Tests reveal that you may face challenges reaching customer service quickly, which could result in delays in issue resolution.
- The learning curve for TWS is quite steep, making it tough for novice traders to navigate and grasp all its features. In contrast, Plus500's web platform is far more accessible for those new to trading.
Our Take On IC Trading
"IC Trading offers an ideal environment, featuring top-tier execution speeds of around 40 milliseconds, extensive liquidity, and advanced charting tools, perfect for scalpers, traders, and algorithmic traders."
Pros
- IC Trading provides exceptional flexibility, allowing traders to open as many as 10 live accounts and 20 demo accounts. This enables the management of distinct profiles for various activities, including manual and algorithmic trading.
- IC Trading offers top-tier spreads, with some major currency pairs like EUR/USD featuring spreads as low as 0.0 pips, making it an excellent choice for traders.
- Trading Central and Autochartist provide valuable technical analysis and actionable ideas. These tools are readily available within the account area or on the cTrader platform.
Cons
- The educational materials require significant enhancement unless accessed via the IC Markets website. This limitation is particularly disadvantageous for beginners seeking a thorough learning experience, especially when compared to industry leaders such as eToro.
- Although IC Trading operates under the reputable IC Markets group, it is licensed by the FSC in Mauritius, a regulator known for its limited financial transparency and lack of robust safeguards.
- Unlike IC Markets, IC Trading lacks support for social trading via the IC Social app or the ZuluTrade platform.
Our Take On Eightcap
"Eightcap excels for traders, offering diverse charting platforms, educational Labs, and AI tools. With over 120 crypto CFDs, it stands out in crypto trading and has won our 'Best Crypto Broker' award twice consecutively."
Pros
- Eightcap has excelled in all essential trading areas, surpassing all rivals to clinch our 'Best Overall Broker' award for 2024. It also earned the titles of 'Best Crypto Broker' and 'Best TradingView Broker' for 2025.
- With spreads starting at 0 pips, minimal commission charges, and leverage up to 1:500 for select clients, Eightcap delivers affordable and flexible trading opportunities. These conditions suit various strategies, such as trading and scalping.
- Eightcap excels with a suite of advanced trading tools, such as MT4 and MT5, and has recently joined the 100-million-user social trading network, TradingView.
Cons
- Despite a helpful array of educational guides and e-books in Labs, Eightcap lags behind IG's extensive resources for aspiring traders. IG boasts a dedicated Academy app and features 18 diverse course categories.
- The demo account is available for 30 days, after which it requires a request for extension. This is less convenient than XM's offering, which provides an unlimited demo mode.
- Despite the growing range of tools available, Eightcap lacks popular industry resources such as Autochartist and Trading Central. These provide advanced charting analytics, live news, and essential market insights for traders focused on short-term strategies.
How We Choose The Best Bitcoin Brokers & Investment Platforms
Over decades of combined investing experience, our experts have found that the best Bitcoin brokers have these common features in common:
Regulation & Trust
Not long ago, cryptocurrency was the Wild West of investing, but regulators including the FCA have begun to catch up so you should take advantage of the increased oversight.
We have been pleased to see reliable, regulated brokers enter the Bitcoin market, as these offer a more secure way to make crypto investments.
FCA-regulated brokers:
- Need to submit yearly reports and are frequently monitored to ensure they’re in compliance with the UK’s robust regulations, greatly reducing the risk of a broker acting irresponsibly or illegally.
- Are obliged to keep clients’ trading funds separately from business funds in segregated accounts, and to offer protection to traders by limiting their available leverage and closing trades that would leave their balance in the red.
- Are bound by UK laws related to complaints and arbitration, providing a clear framework for dealing with complaints and disputes.
You can check the FCA’s register to find out if a Bitcoin broker is licenced to operate in the UK.
Some well-established crypto brokers and platforms like IG are also publicly traded companies on the London Stock Exchange, providing a further layer of oversight.
For crypto investors, this amounts to a great deal more security than you’d get trading Bitcoin on an unregulated exchange.
But if you want access to Bitcoin derivatives or trade BTC with leverage, you’ll need to look elsewhere as UK regulations prohibit this.
We have traded Bitcoin with reliable exchanges in the UK, and the best of these have built up solid reputations over years in the industry serving thousands of clients.
- Year after year, IG earns its place as our most trusted crypto broker because of its emphasis on client security and excellent track record over decades in the industry. It’s one of a handful of high-quality FCA-regulated brokers that offers direct Bitcoin trading as well as CFDs and spread betting on a huge range of other assets.
Bitcoin Investment Vehicles
You should choose a Bitcoin broker with instruments that suit your investing style and strategy.
Direct Bitcoin purchases are a straightforward way to invest in BTC and are available from many brokers and exchanges, as well as some e-wallets and digital payment providers like PayPal.
Some traders enjoy using derivative instruments like contracts for difference or perpetual swaps, which allow for margin trading Bitcoin without directly buying and selling the tokens; however, note that the FCA has prohibited leveraged crypto trading, so if a broker offers this it is not FCA-regulated.
Bitcoin broke through to the mainstream with the approval of the first ETFs in the US in 2024; the UK’s FCA approved similar products for professionals to trade on the London Stock Exchange the same year, but it has been cautious about approving their sale to retail investors.
You may not be able to trade a pure Bitcoin ETF, but you will find ETFs that are related to Bitcoin like Vaneck’s Crypto and Blockchain Innovators UCITS. However, in my experience this hasn’t always correlated closely with BTC price movements, so it’s not necessarily your best bet.
A closer correlation is found in some company stocks – MicroStrategy (MSTR) and Coinbase (COIN) are the most famous, though many Bitcoin mining companies are also publicly traded. UK traders sometimes use these stocks to make leveraged bets on BTC price movements.

Trading BTC with eToro
- eToro continues to impress our experts with its range of Bitcoin investment vehicles, including direct BTC trading, plus CFDs of stocks including MSTR, COIN and Bitcoin mining company Hut 8 Mining Corp.
Fees
Trade your Bitcoin with a broker or platform that charges competitive fees, or you’ll see a large part of your profits vanish.
The spread – the difference between the price a broker buys and sells an asset at – acts as an in-built fee, and we’ve found this is especially important if you’re an active trader who frequently opens and closes Bitcoin positions.
Spreads may not be as great a concern for longer-term investors. However, if you use a platform to make long-term investments in stocks or ETFs related to Bitcoin, you’ll probably need to pay a service fee, which is usually a percentage of your account value charged annually.

Crypto pricing from IC Markets
- IC Markets‘ pricing is still among the lowest for BTC traders in the UK, with spreads averaging around 0.04%.
Trading Platform & Tools
Bitcoin is a volatile asset that’s known for extreme price swings, and we’d advise any BTC investor to choose a charting platform with the power and tools necessary to analyse its price movements and plan your trades effectively.
Indicators like moving averages and RSI will help you identify prevailing trends as well as momentum and potential reversals; these can help you identify when to enter and exit a position.
Indicators help me plan when to enter a trade, but I find that access to different order types is crucial for implementing my strategy. Limit orders let me enter a position at my preferred price point; a stop loss guards against large losses, and I can use a trailing stop loss to protect my profits – crucial when reversals can be swift and brutal, as with an asset like Bitcoin.
In our experience, classic platforms like MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) are the most widely available and come with all the order types, charting tools and indicators you’ll need to make effective trades.
More modern platforms like TradingView have upped the ante by introducing a host of in-built social trading and research features, allowing you to easily browse professional analysis and check what’s trending before seamlessly transitioning to charts.
- IC Trading‘s platform selection of MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView is still one of the best available for Bitcoin trading in the UK, allowing every stripe of trader from beginner to seasoned auto-trader options they can adapt to their individual styles.
Leverage
Bitcoin traders use leverage – essentially borrowed funds – to increase the size of their positions and to augment profits.
While we see leverage as unnecessary for most Bitcoin investors, if you want to use it in your trades you’ll need to trade with an exchange or an offshore broker due to UK regulatory restrictions.
The amount of leverage available can vary greatly, with some offering 1:100 or more.
However, Bitcoin is a volatile instrument that often experiences wild price swings, so we recommend choosing an exchange or broker with flexible leverage rates and sticking to lower rates.
Leverage augments the size of your position with borrowed funds, and this increases the extent of losses as well as gains. With 1:20 leverage on a long BTC position, a 5% price decrease equates to losses worth 100% of your initial investment.
- FXCC consistently tops our list of brokers for leveraged Bitcoin trading, offering UK investors up to 1:20 leverage and charging no commission on its BTC/USD CFD pair.
Account Options
You may rightfully focus firstly on fees or the charting platform when choosing your Bitcoin broker, but in our experience, you should never overlook the account options on offer.
Some of the best Bitcoin brokers like IG allow you to buy and hold BTC tokens while trading other instruments like CFDs and spread betting on the same account.
I also find it convenient to trade Bitcoin with a broker like eToro that offers clients an ISA account as well as its standard brokerage account. This lets you buy and sell BTC in your standard account while easily investing profits in your tax-efficient ISA account.
Finally, dedicated crypto exchanges and brokers may give you the option to stake your Bitcoin and earn crypto token rewards – this can be a great feature if you plan to hold BTC investments for the long term.
- Kraken‘s account options remain among the best on the market for serious crypto traders seeking an exchange, as it allows you to fund your account in Bitcoins and put these to work by staking them to earn interest. In fact, even if you don’t stake your BTC, it will earn a small amount of interest, and when it comes to trading Kraken provides a good range of BTC derivatives with low fees and an excellent charting platform.
Bitcoin Chart
How to Invest in Bitcoin
Broker, Exchange or Investment Platform?
Like other cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin is primarily bought and sold on online exchanges. However, UK traders can also use brokers and other investment platforms to invest in BTC and these have some advantages over buying directly through an exchange.
Our experts have been following Bitcoin since it’s early days, and we’ve found that unless you’re looking to regularly trade large volumes of BTC or want to trade BTC derivatives with leverage, we’d advise against using an exchange.
Crypto exchanges may have lower fees, but they’re not covered by the same Financial Conduct Authority-mandated regulatory framework as many of the brokers on our toplist. That means they’re not obliged to meet the same stringent financial reporting requirements as FCA-regulated brokers.
Clients of FCA-regulated brokers also benefit from up to £85,000 insurance of their capital per firm in cases of business failure, as well as measures such as negative balance protection, which prevents them from losing more than they hold in their accounts.
We’ve found over the years that, without the clarity provided by a regulatory licence, exchanges have often collapsed due to fraud or poor management – as with FTX in 2022 – or faced legal restrictions, as with Binance in the UK.
Because of this, FCA-regulated brokers usually offer the most secure way to invest in Bitcoin in the UK.
Other options include digital wallets like PayPal and financial platforms like Uphold. The advantage of the latter is that it specialises in crypto, meaning you’ll often get competitive fees on Bitcoin and a wide range of crypto assets, and the platform allows you to send and receive crypto payments.
Finally, investment platforms offered by companies like Vanguard and Fidelity for ISAs and SIPPs won’t usually allow you to invest in Bitcoin, but you might be able to gain exposure to BTC price movements through correlated stocks and/or ETFs.
Which BTC Instrument is Best for Me?
The best way for you to invest in Bitcoin depends on your personal aims and preferences.
- Do you plan to invest in Bitcoin for the long term? Consider buying Bitcoin tokens directly and adding to your position over time. Many investors buy BTC on a dollar-cost average basis, making them less vulnerable to short-term price swings.
- Want to add BTC exposure to your ISA or pension? This has been tricky in the UK due to regulatory rules limiting retail access to crypto investment products, but there are a few ETFs and stocks that correlate with BTC price movements.
- Want to make leveraged trades on BTC? FCA-regulated brokers in the UK shouldn’t offer any leveraged trading on cryptocurrencies, but you can make leveraged trades on stocks that tend to track BTC price movements like MSTR and COIN. To trade BTC derivatives directly, you’ll need to sign up with an exchange or an offshore brokerage.
It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of a Bitcoin bull run, but think twice before trying to capitalise by trading with leverage via an offshore broker. We often come across horror stories of unregulated brokers that load the deck against traders or refuse to pay out, and the lack of proper oversight adds to the risk of Bitcoin investing.