The crypto market is everything associated with buying and selling cryptocurrency. It includes crypto exchanges, brokerage firms, investment advisors, forex dealers, national banks and individual investors. The crypto market is relatively young compared to the stock market, which first opened in 1611. That means there’s plenty of room for research into best practices and tools for this growing asset class.

Aside from their use as an investment, cryptocurrencies can also be used as a method of payment. However, a wide range of factors can influence how people use cryptos for payments – from price volatility to remittance costs. The underlying blockchain technology behind certain cryptos, in particular DLT, could lead to cheaper, faster and more secure payments. For example, stablecoins can lower the cost and speed up settlement of cross border remittances for consumers and businesses.

To buy or sell cryptocurrencies, you need to visit a crypto exchange – a website like Kriptomat that allows you to trade digital assets with different currencies. Exchanges offer a variety of investing tools such as historic price charts, automated buy and sell orders and features that support cost averaging. They vary in the number of coins they offer, with some exchanges offering a greater selection of tokens than others.

It’s important to remember that cryptocurrencies are highly volatile and as such, come with substantial risk. In addition, crypto trading is not regulated in the UK, which means you won’t be eligible to receive compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme should you lose money.