Trade bitcoin, ethereum, ripple, and litecoin pairs without owning them, with the world's No.1 CFD provider.1
CFDs are a leveraged product and can result in losses that exceed deposits. Trading CFDs may not be suitable for everyone, so please ensure you fully understand the risks and take care to manage your exposure.
Cryptocurrency CFD trading
Find out more about how to trade CFDs on cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin CFDs
Speculate on which way bitcoin’s price will go, instead of purchasing the cryptocurrency.
Ethereum CFDs
Take a position on ethereum without the need for a wallet or specialist technology.
Why trade cryptocurrencies with IG?
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Go short as well as long
Take a position when you expect bitcoin to fall in value, not just when you expect it to rise
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No exchange account needed
Get started straight away, without the hassels of an exchange account
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Trade on leverage
Gain exposure to major cryptocurrency pairs without tying up lots of capital
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Monitor your risk
Protect your profits and limit your losses with our range of tools, when trading these extremely volatile currencies
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Improved liquidity
So there’s more chance of executing your full trade at your chosen price
What are cryptocurrencies?
Cryptocurrencies are digital currencies which operate independently of banks and governments, but can still be exchanged – or speculated on – just like any physical currency.
While there’s a huge number of cryptocurrencies available, we offer CFD trading on bitcoin, ethereum, ripple and litecoin.
Live cryptocurrency prices
| Markets | Sell | Buy | Change |
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| Ether (USD) |
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Prices above are subject to our website terms and conditions. Prices are indicative only.
How can I trade CFDs on cryptocurrencies?
There are two ways to deal cryptocurrencies: buy them in the hope of selling them on at a profit, or speculate on their value without owning them via CFD trading.
To trade CFDs on cryptocurrencies, you’ll need to:
- Create an account
As a CFD trader, you won’t need an account with a cryptocurrency exchange, or a wallet to store your tokens. Just an account with a leverage provider. - Do your research
Cryptocurrencies may be free from many of the factors that influence traditional currencies, but you need to make sure you know your market. - Apply your strategy
Settling on a trading strategy depends on your goals and preferences, and deciding which is right for you is key to your long and short-term success. - Place a trade
Enter your position size, define your close conditions and click ‘buy’ if you think the cryptocurrency will rise in value, or ‘sell’ if you think it will fall. - Close your position
Once you’ve reached your target – or decided it’s time to cut your losses – you’ll close out your position by reversing your original action: so if you bought, you sell, and vice versa.
Keep in mind that as CFDs are leveraged products, you’ll only ever need to put down a small deposit to gain exposure to the full value of the trade. This means your capital goes further, but you also stand to lose more than your initial outlay.
Bitcoin vs ethereum
Bitcoin
- Exclusively used as a currency
- Initially released in 2009
- 16.5 million bitcoins in circulation (or ‘mined’)
- Market cap of around $40bn2
- There is a finite supply of 21 million available (it is ‘deflational’)
Ethereum
- Just one example of a wider network of applications
- Initially released in 2015
- 93 million ether units in circulation
- Market cap of around $20 billion2
- There is an unlimited supply available (it is ‘inflational’)
Open an account now
It's free to open an account, and there's no obligation to fund or trade.
You might be interested in...
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Platforms and apps
Browser-based desktop trading and native apps for all devices.
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Cryptocurrency prices
Find data on our range of bitcoin and ether markets.
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Learn about IG
Meet the world's No.1 CFD provider1
1 For CFDs, based on revenue excluding FX (published financial statements, February 2018).
2 As at July 2017.
Contact us
Our office is open 5 days a week, Sunday to Thursday from 8am to 7pm (Dubai time). Support line is available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, except for Saturday from 1am to 11pm (Dubai time).
+971 (0) 4 559 2108
You can also email us at: helpdesk.ae@ig.com
CFDs are a leveraged product and can result in losses that exceed deposits. Trading CFDs may not be suitable for everyone, so please ensure you fully understand the risks and take care to manage your exposure.
