Introduction
To buy cryptocurrency, you will need to make use of cryptocurrency exchanges in India as purchasing from these platforms would serve to be one of the easiest ways in order for you to acquire cryptocurrency.
With so many cryptocurrency exchanges in India that you can choose from, you would want to select the one that is regulated by local authorities and are relatively safe from theft or fraud, as you would not want to risk losing your investments as there is already a risk embedded on the volatile value of cryptos in the first place.
As such there are several key factors when you are selecting which cryptocurrency in India that you want to buy bitcoin from.
Factors to select the best cryptocurrency exchange in India
You should look out for when selecting a cryptocurrency exchange in India to decide if you want an exchange that is more user friendly for beginner users and would provide more trading options for the more experienced trader?
The cryptocurrency exchange that you want to purchase from should provide the cryptocurrency that you are planning to invest in. The exchange should support whatever crypto you are planning to purchase. You should also select the exchange in India that is the most reputable and trusted. Some exchanges focus on a few popular cryptocurrencies in India while others would usually provide a wide variety of options to invest in
When you select your platform to buy Bitcoin, you also need to make sure that the exchange supports the type of payment methods that you want as not every cryptocurrency exchange in India supports a wide variety of payment options. This is because some of the cryptocurrency exchanges only allow crypto-crypto exchange so it will not be beneficial for you if you require to trade fiat currency for cryptos for example.
Some of the trading platforms in India offer Bitcoin wallets that allow you to store your digital currencies after purchase which are safe and secure. However, this means that you are not in control of your own private keys so it is advisable to get your own wallet to make sure you are in possession of your investments.
You should also select the cryptocurrency exchange in India that charges reasonable fees for your uses as some of the exchanges generally charge a more premium fee compared to others due to the more services and features they provide. You can decide if the fees are worth the services that offer you or you can just select another cryptocurrency exchange in India to purchase and sell Bitcoin from.
Lastly, when you are selecting which cryptocurrency exchange in India that you are going to purchase and sell Bitcoin from, it is advisable to check the security features which the exchange in India provides. You can go over to their website and check if they have any insurance in place for your invested funds and what security features they implement to prevent theft or fraud.
Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges in India For 2023
1. WazirX
WazirX is a cryptocurrency exchange in India that allows its users to purchase and sell Bitcoin on their platform on top of other currencies such as Ripple, Ethereum, Litecoin and many more. WazirX has the advantage of being the only crypto exchange that survived after the ban of RBI when other exchanges like Zeebpay closed its services to India.
Trading features.
WazirX is an exchange in India that currently supports over 70+ cryptocurrencies paired with the USDT which is a Tether USD currency backed by the US dollar.
WazirX prides itself on speedy transactions when a user wants to buy Bitcoin and you can get super quick transactions to be completed and the exchange generally scales up in a short time incase of increased trading volumes.
They also provide advanced trading tools on their website for the more experienced crypto enthusiast which feature all features and charting tools of Trading View. Using these features investors are able to analyze prices, trends and check on historical data using power graph indicators all from the comfort of your PC or mobile device.
Fees
Fees would depend on the three different markets that WazirX provides which are namely the spot market, P2P market and STF trading.
For spot market trading, trading fee is 0.2% for both the maker and take no matter what cryptocurrency pair is being traded.
For P2P market transactions, buy and sell fees are 0% with a minimum sell and sell order value to be 14.5 USDT and maximum buy order set at 2000 USDT
For STF (Smart Token Fund) market transactions, WazirX provides STF transaction facility for novice crypto traders which they collect a 25% fee from.
Withdrawal fees on WazirX would vary depending on the type of currency so for example if you wish to withdraw Bitcoin, there will be a minimum withdrawal amount of 0.0001 BTC and fees would be 0.0005 BTC.
Security
Being a centralized cryptocurrency exchange in India, WazirX offers regular security audits to ensure a highly secured platform and does enable two-factor authentication for their accounts to increase security.
WazirX also employs top of the line identity verification processes which include KYC and AML practices to prevent theft and fraud across their platforms.
2. Unocoin
Unocoin is an exchange in India that is focused on providing innovative products centered around the Blockchain. Prominent features that they have developed include the simplest POS for offline merchants and also the Systematic Investment Planning for Bitcoin.
Trading Features
The exchange features an easy to use interface to purchase and sell Bitcoin and is only focused primarily on Bitcoin. As such, there are no other cryptos that are available but the team is planning to set up further crypto options in the future such as Ethereum Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash.
Unocoin designed their platform with the sole purpose of maximising features for the trading of Bitcoin using features such as web indicators, advanced charting mechanisms and various market orders so it is clear Unocoin is being marketed toward the more passionate and hardcore Bitcoin investors.
Once a user’s account is verified they can immediately deposit their Rupees on the platform to exchange for Bitcoin and this process is straightforward and easy to use. Traders are able to place limit orders above or below the price when setting the price for Bitcoin and can visually see how low or high the price has gone.
This feature assists the user to check the daily price movement from the day to day chart and Unocoin also provides an in-house Bitcoin wallet that users can store on after they buy their Bitcoin.
Fees
Unocoin’s fee structure is rather unorthodox but the total fee is always displayed when you are going to buy Bitcoin. Firstly there is a 0.7% commission charged when you make buy and sell orders and you can get this fee dropped to about 0.5% if the volume is above 100 BTC.
A further fee charged is a Unocoin government levied tax service on the transaction fee for both sending and receiving bitcoins so it is one of the few crypto platforms in India that actually has a government tax on top of transaction fees.
Finally there is a maker and taker fee imposed on transactions with 0.4% and 0.6% respectively.
Security
Unocoin prides itself by implementing the latest security features for their exchange to prevent theft of user information and funds. Most of their invested funds are stored securely on offline cold storage wallets to prevent online hacking and viruses.
Encryption technology is also used to secure their servers and Unocoin also employs Google Two Factor authentication on their user accounts. All these features have resulted Unocoin having no reported hacks or loss of funds on the exchange
3. Binance
Binance is an exchange in India that boasts the largest trading volumes when users want to purchase Bitcoin. Binance offers support to over 500 crypto pairs so investors would have a lot of options when they are trading on this platform.
Trading Features.
Binance is a platform which offers the most variety of payment methods when you want to buy Bitcoin which include the credit/debit card, using Simplex or Banxa which are third party payments and finally P2P trading where you are able to buy cryptos using their escrow system.
Fees
Binance is a cryptocurrency exchange in India generally offers lower transaction fees compared to other exchanges on the market and are primarily split into three different types of fees which are the deposit/withdrawal fee, trading fee and P2P fees.
There will be no charge made for cryptocurrencies in India when you are making a deposit but there is a certain % charged depending on the type of fiat currencies being deposited. A withdrawal fee is charged that depends on the type of cryptos being pulled out.
A flat trading fee of 0.1% is charged for both maker and takers if you are paying with crypto while the fee will be 0.75% if you are paying with BNB
Security
A feature called address management is being featured on Binance’s user interface which results in withdrawal limits on how many wallet addresses they can be sent to. What this ensures is that it will protect your wallet from theft and from potential hacks.
Two-factor authentication is also employed on all Binance accounts and its assets are stored offline in cold storages in different secure locations.
4. BuyUCoin
BuyUcoin is a cryptocurrency exchange based in India that also provides an in-house wallet that allows users to purchase Bitcoin with Indian rupees as well as withdrawing the fiat currency to a linked bank account.
Trading features.
BuyUcoin supports over 30+ cryptocurrencies which include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and Litecoin. BuyUcoin offers a simple platform to buy, store and sell these cryptos with plans to offer more cryptocurrencies.
Currently, BuyUcoin accepts IMPS (Immediate Payment Service), NEFT (National Electronics Funds Transfer System, RTGS (Real TIme Gross Settlement) and UPI (Unified Payment Interface) to deposit funds from your Indian bank account to buy cryptos.
Fees
BuyUcoin claims to be the first platform which makes it possible to purchase and sell cryptos without any fees, however their buy and sell rates are comparatively higher than the market fees so you might be paying a premium when compared to another cryptocurrency exchange. As such, it will be a good idea to compare the rates at BuyUcoin compared to other exchanges before deciding to buy Bitcoin.
There are 0% fees charged for INR deposits, cryptocurrency deposit fees, lifetime wallet deposits fees, aINR withdrawal fees and also cryptocurrency withdrawal fees.
Security
BuyUcoin keeps in line with the best security protocols and employs two-factor authentication (2FA) requiring its users to verify they are the actual user before logging in in order to provide an extra layer of security.
On its website, BuyUcoin also states that it employs firewalls and data encryption as an added extra layer of protection.
5. Cex.IO
Cex.IO is a cryptocurrency exchange that offers traditional purchase and selling of Bitcoin in India and is also supported on both the Mobile and PC versions.
Trading features.
As of today, Cex.IO supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dash, Ripple, Bitcoin Gold, ZEC and Bitcoin Cash on their platforms. Fiat currencies that are tradeable also include USD, GBP, Euro and also the Russian Ruble. Sadly there are no denominations in Indian Rupees on the platform
Cex.IO allows payment methods such as credit or debit cards that are issued by Mastercard and Visa. Bank transfers can also be using Swift and SEPA for both deposits and withdrawals on the exchange.
Fees
Cex.IO’s fees depend on a percentage of the trader’s 30 day volume starting at 0.25% taker fees and a 0.16% maker fees for trading volumes less than 5BTC and up to 0.10% for taker fees and 0% maker fees for trade volumes of more than 6,000 BTC.
Security
Cex.IO is a cryptocurrency exchange which employs a high level of security features which include two factor authentication, SSL certificates on their website, internal employment of AML and KYC policy and procedures to prevent theft and fraud and also encrypts all data and information provided to them by their users.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Which is the best exchange in India?
Best overall would be WazirX and Unocoin.
Q: Is bitcoin legal?
The Indian government has not authorized nor regulated Bitcoin as a legal tender but the purchase and holdings of cryptos are not illegal in any way
Q: Is cryptocurrency banned in India?
The Indian Central bank has banned crypto transactions in India but recently they have come up with a rule in 2019 that it is not illegal to hold and purchase cryptocurrencies.
With over 10 years of experience working as a financial analyst, Eric is highly aware of the potential of cryptocurrency, particularly Bitcoin, and the impact it will bring towards the global economy. He is committed to share everything he knows about crypto here at Crypto Digest News.