How to trade bitcoin

Decide how you want to trade bitcoin

Traditionally, bitcoin trading has involved the buying and selling of the cryptocurrency on an exchange. But, you can also trade on bitcoin by speculating on its price movements using CFDs. These are a type of derivative – meaning you’ll take a position on market movements without owning any underlying coins.

Because CFDs are traded over-the-counter (OTC), you don’t need to buy and sell on a bitcoin exchange. Plus, CFDs are leveraged, which means you’ll use margin to open your position. This gives you full exposure to the larger position, for a smaller initial outlay. However, leverage amplifies your profits and losses, so be sure to take steps to minimise this risk.

Although CFDs are available on our award-winning platform,2 you can also choose to trade bitcoin via MetaTrader 4 and access additional charting options on ProRealTime. And, thanks to our large client base, our bitcoin market is relatively liquid – so you’re more likely to have your orders filled at your desired price, even if you deal in large sizes.

Alternatively, you could take a position with CFDs on our Crypto 10 Index – an index tracking the price of the top ten cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, weighted by market capitalisation.