Unless you’ve been living on the Blasket Islands, you will have heard about Bitcoin or, more recently, about NFTs. Most will just dismiss all the hype and call it a bubble. However, if you’re reading this, I assume you’re at the beginning of going down the Crypto rabbit hole and wondering how you can buy Bitcoin in Ireland.
We have put together 6 of the most popular and trusted cryptocurrency exchanges to buy Bitcoin in Ireland. Buying Bitcoin in Ireland in 2023 is a breeze compared to when I tried to buy in 2013. Even during the 2017 bull run, my 80-year-old grandad got in on the action and bought Bitcoin on Coinbase. Unfortunately, the bull run did end, and so did his hopes of becoming Tipperary’s first Bitcoin millionaire.
6 Best Exchanges to Buy Bitcoin in Ireland
I’ve put together a list of trusted cryptocurrency exchanges where you can buy Bitcoin in Ireland and alt-coin (including Ethereum, Cardano, ChainLink, etc.).
If you’re interested in a particular exchange and want to find out more, you’ll find lots of articles and tutorials throughout our site, everybithelps.io and our YouTube channel, Every Bit Helps.
So, don’t let the tech get in the way of you getting started. It can be complicated, but just take one step at a time.
1. Coinbase
Coinbase is one of the most popular and trusted cryptocurrency platforms for buying Bitcoin in Ireland. However, being the most popular exchange does come with its downfalls (i.e. customer support). If something goes wrong or you have questions, you can check out Coinbase FAQs. But if you need to message support, you could wait a while for a response. Unfortunately, this isn’t just limited to Coinbase, as crypto platforms are notorious for having bad customer support.
However, you might be lucky, as Coinbase’s EU headquarters are based in Ireland. So if they don’t respond, I’m sure you could pop in and say, “Hi!”
Coinbase is a US-based exchange and went public on the Nasdaq in March 2021. If you want to buy Bitcoin or the likes of Ethereum, you will be fine using Coinbase or their more advanced platform, Coinbase Pro. But if you want to be more speculative and buy a cryptocurrency with a smaller market cap, you will need to look for alternatives such as Binance Exchange.
When signing up to Coinbase, you’ll receive $10 of free Bitcoin when using this link and by depositing $100 (or the equivalent in euros). They also have a feature called Coinbase Earn, where you will earn free crypto just by learning and answering a few simple questions.
As someone new to crypto, Coinbase is great; just don’t buy with a credit card (where fees are very high) and don’t leave your crypto on the exchange. An exchange is far more likely to be hacked, so keep your Bitcoin offline and in a wallet, ideally with access to your private keys. Coinbase has its own Coinbase Wallet, a free mobile wallet available to download from Apple´s App Store or Google Playstore.
2. Gemini
Watched the film Social Network? Remember the twins that had the Facebook concept before Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea? Well, Tyler & Cameron Winklevoss did okay. After rowing for Team USA at the London 2012 Olympics, they bought some Bitcoin (well, more than “some”) and are now billionaires that then went on to create Gemini Exchange.
Again, Gemini is similar to Coinbase; regulated in the US, has a limited selection of cryptos. Plus, they also have a $10 Sign-up offer by using this link.
One of the main advantages of using Gemini over Coinbase is their fees, as compared to Coinbase, their fees are lower. Gemini’s trading fees start from 0.35%, compared to Coinbase’s 0.5%. It may only be fractional, but those fees really do add up. Plus, to withdraw crypto from Gemini, they give users 10 free withdrawals per month.
3. Binance Exchange
So, Bitcoin and Ethereum returns aren’t good enough, and you want that Lambo money? Well, Binance Exchange has a huge selection of crypto assets to choose from. Plus, their transaction fees are even lower compared to Coinbase and Gemini. However, withdrawal fees can vary depending on the cryptocurrency you want to withdraw.
Binance is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world and was founded in 2017 by Changpeng Zhao. However, Binance is more than just an exchange to trade digital currencies. Binance allows you to stake crypto assets to earn interest, offers loans against crypto, and mines rewards through their pools. Plus, they provide leverage trading, although I recommend staying away from leverage, especially when you’re a beginner.
Although Binance doesn’t offer any sign-up bonuses, you can earn a 20% discount when using Binance exchange. Check out our post on how to save up to 40% on Binance trading fees.
4. Crypto.com
Crypto.com was founded in 2016 and was formerly known as Monaco, with headquarters in Switzerland and offices in Hong Kong and Singapore. If you think Binance has a lot going on, Crypto.com has more pies than fingers.
They offer spot, margin, and derivatives trading. Plus, you can get involved in DeFi with their Earn and Swap features. You also try their other features, such as the Syndicate, Supercharger, and Crypto Loans and participate in their special events.
Even though Crypto.com has a lot going on, I do like it. One of the biggest benefits is their Crypto.com Visa card. They offer a free Midnight Blue card where you will earn 1% interest on every purchase, paid out in CRO.
You will need to lock up your CRO token (also known as staking) to receive more benefits. However, you will receive this back (after the staking period ends) and earn up to 8% cashback for every purchase made. Plus, depending on your tiers, you can get free Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon Prime every month.
If you sign-up to Crypto.com, you can get earn up to $50, depending on the amount of CRO you stake.
To use Crypto.com, you will first need some crypto to get started. Unfortunately, Crypto.com doesn’t allow you to deposit Euros, so you will have to transfer your digital assets over to their Crypto.com Exchange or wallet. This is one of the downfalls, especially if you’re new to the world of crypto.