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Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.
What are the key risks?
1. You could lose all the money you invest
- The performance of most cryptoassets can be highly volatile, with their value dropping as quickly as it can rise. You should be prepared to lose all the money you invest in cryptoassets.
- The cryptoasset market is largely unregulated. There is a risk of losing money or any cryptoassets you purchase due to risks such as cyber-attacks, financial crime and firm failure.
2. You should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong
- The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) doesn't protect this type of investment because it's not a 'specified investment' under the UK regulatory regime – in other words, this type of investment isn't recognised as the sort of investment that the FSCS can protect. Learn more by using the FSCS investment protection checker.
- The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) will not be able to consider complaints related to this firm or Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here.
3. You may not be able to sell your investment when you want to
- There is no guarantee that investments in cryptoassets can be easily sold at any given time. The ability to sell a cryptoasset depends on various factors, including the supply and demand in the market at that time.
- Operational failings such as technology outages, cyber-attacks and comingling of funds could cause unwanted delay and you may be unable to sell your cryptoassets at the time you want.
4. Cryptoasset investments can be complex
- Investments in cryptoassets can be complex, making it difficult to understand the risks associated with the investment.
- You should do your own research before investing. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
5. Don't put all your eggs in one basket
- Putting all your money into a single type of investment is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
- A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments.
If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA's website here.
For further information about cryptoassets, visit the FCA's website here.
Key takeaways
- The best and simplest way to buy crypto like Bitcoin in the UK is to use a cryptocurrency exchange.
- You can choose how much Bitcoin to buy as an investment – it could be several Bitcoin down to a fraction (known as a Satoshi).
- To invest, you’ll need to create an account on a crypto exchange, decide how much Bitcoin you want to buy, and then make a purchase.
Bitcoin (BTC) is a cryptoasset that currently ranks as the 1sd largest by market cap (that's the total value of Bitcoin in circulation – $851.4 billion).
Like all cryptoassets, it's highly volatile, and capable of major price swings in a single day. As of 7 December, BTC is trading for $43,513.00 (£34,514.51), a decrease of 1.20% against $44,043.44 a day earlier. Over the past year, Bitcoin's price has seen a barnstorming increase of 158.03%.
How to buy Bitcoin in 4 steps
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Compare crypto exchanges
The easiest way to buy Bitcoin is from a cryptocurrency exchange. Comparing in the table below lets you find one with the features you want such as low fees, ease of use or 24-hour customer support.
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Create an account
To create an account on an exchange, you will need to verify your email address and identity. Have some photo ID and your phone ready.
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Make a deposit
Once verified, you can deposit funds using the payment method that best suits you – cryptocurrency, bank and card payments are widely accepted.
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Buy Bitcoin
You can now exchange your funds for Bitcoin. On easier-to-use exchanges, this is as simple as entering the amount you want to purchase and clicking "Buy". If you like, you can now withdraw your Bitcoin to your personal wallet.
The whole process can take as little as 15 minutes and all you'll need is a smartphone or computer, an internet connection, photo identification and a means of payment.
- Copy trading features
- Well-trusted exchange
- FCA registered
- Large selection of cryptocurrencies
- Low fees for active traders
- Pleasant UI for new traders
- No fiat deposit/withdrawal fees
- Expansive list of digital assets
- Available in 184+ countries
Where to buy Bitcoin
Find an exchange to buy, sell and trade Bitcoin by comparing deposit methods, supported fiat currencies and fees. Select "Go to site" to sign up directly with the exchange.
Is it a good time to buy Bitcoin?
Only you can make the decision about when is the best time to buy Bitcoin. However, here are some things to consider as part of your research.
Take a look at the fundamentals of Bitcoin. What type of coin is it? Utility, payment or governance token etc? How large is its market cap? How many coins are in circulation? All this will help you to understand how Bitcoin works and how much risk is involved.
Also consider how has performed so far. Our charts below show you Bitcoin's performance over time as well as its all time high.
Recent Bitcoin developments
3 October, 2023: The Bitcoin network is facing congestion issues due to the popularity of Ordinals, which are a way of tokenising assets on the Bitcoin network. Bitcoin reached a peak of 700,00 unconfirmed transactions on September 6, and has no dropped to 40,000 a the time of writing.
1 September, 2023: A court ruling in favor of Grayscale allows its Bitcoin Trust to convert into an ETF, creating a new opportunity for a Bitcoin spot ETF in the US.
Where could Bitcoin's price be heading?
Bitcoin's price is expected to rise to US$30,463 by year-end 2023, according to the average prediction from Finder's panel of fintech specialists.
The panellists also predict BTC will hit US$87,125 by 2025 and US$220,708 by 2030.
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Bitcoin to USD and GBP calculator
Our calculator works out how much Bitcoin would be worth in USD and GBP, depending on how much you hold or are looking to purchase.
BTC price last updated 7 December 2023, 03:12 UTC.
*Cryptocurrencies aren't regulated in the UK and there's no protection from the Financial Ombudsman or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Your capital is at risk. Capital gains tax on profits may apply.
Cryptocurrencies are speculative and investing in them involves significant risks - they're highly volatile, vulnerable to hacking and sensitive to secondary activity. The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This content shouldn't be interpreted as a recommendation to invest. Before you invest, you should get advice and decide whether the potential return outweighs the risks. Finder, or the author, may have holdings in the cryptocurrencies discussed.
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