Best Exchanges To Buy Bitcoin in Germany For 2024

How to Buy Bitcoin in Germany

The easiest way to buy Bitcoin in Germany is to purchase it online from a crypto exchange. Exchanges make buying and selling Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies easy from your smartphone, tablet or computer.

Check out our recommended platforms below and follow the steps to buy Bitcoin safely in Germany.

1. Choose a Platform

The platform you pick should work specifically in Germany. It should operate within the financial services laws and ideally be regulated by a native government agency or by one recognised by local authorities. Our top picks below all fulfil these criteria.

2. Create and Fund Your Account

Input your name, contact information, and other details in the sign-up form usually displayed after clicking a sign-up button on the home page. To fund your account, you must pass KYC by submitting identity and address documents like an ID and a utility bill.

3. Buy Bitcoin Germany

Navigate to your account’s explore or discover page and search for Bitcoin. You may see tickers like BTC/EUR, or BTC-USDT, depending on the platform. Purchase Bitcoin directly using a funding method of your choice or with your account balance.

How to Buy Bitcoin in Germany - Tutorial

Our guide focuses on eToro to buy Bitcoin in Germany. However, these steps can be applied to other crypto exchanges in this guide.

1. Open an Account

Click on the Start Investing button on the homepage to get started. Fill in your details on the sign-up form and create an account. You can also download the mobile app from the Play Store/App Store and do the same.

2. Verify Your Account

You’ll receive an email verification link when you create an account. Click on it to start the process. Complete your profile by submitting details like your date of birth and a passport photo, after which you submit KYC documents.

These documents include proof of ID (national ID or driver’s licence) and proof of residence (e.g. utility bill).

3. Make a Deposit

Once your account has been verified, click on Deposit Funds on the left pane of your dashboard. The deposit options available will be displayed. Choose one and set the amount you’d like to deposit.

You can deposit euros directly using credit cards, bank transfers, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Klarna/SOFORT, Rapid Transfer, or Trustly.

4. Buy Bitcoin Germany

Search for Bitcoin in the Discover tab. An interface like the one below should load. You can buy immediately at market price or set a price you’d like to buy at.

Is Bitcoin a Good Investment?

We cannot outright say whether or not Bitcoin is a good investment. However, we can give pointers to help you arrive at that decision yourself.

Decentralisation

Firstly, Bitcoin is decentralised. It does not depend on governments to legitimise it or companies to run and maintain its blockchain infrastructure. Transactions are free from many of the controls and drawbacks of traditional finance networks, like high fees for international transfers.

As the digital age progresses, more components of our lives will be moved to the digital space. Crypto technology mathematically safeguards digital assets and places ownership with users, making it crucial for a free digital future.

Liquidity

Cryptos are generally very liquid and portable assets. They can be bought on one crypto exchange, moved to another exchange in a different country and sold in a matter of minutes, creating a way to move wealth easily.

High Return Potential

Bitcoin has a track record of delivering high returns on investment, either due to its volatility or more fundamental reasons like growing adoption and institutional interest. Combining this with the fact that blockchain technology is still in its early stages, the growth (and profit) potential is significant.

Store of Value

Crypto can be used as a long-term store of value, especially those that are scarce, like Bitcoin. Because supply is capped, the value of finite coins are projected to grow over time, provided demand grows. This makes Bitcoin a possible long-term alternative to gold.

Portfolio Diversification Option

Bitcoin is a digital asset that can be used as an asset class when building a diversified portfolio. Its equity potential (the possibility of increasing in value) makes it worthy of consideration for modern portfolios.

Risks of Buying Bitcoin

There are downsides to buying Bitcoin. The first is its volatility. Crypto is known to swing wildly, losing significant portions of its value within a few weeks and often leaving investors reeling from losses.

There is also a risk of rug-pulls, blockchain attacks, and wallet hacks. These are technological risks that involve an attacker hacking a crypto’s blockchain network or your wallet and usually end with funds getting stolen.

Finally, crypto at large is still the target of legal crackdowns and harsh regulatory policies that could stunt its growth and adoption rate.

What Payment Methods Can I Use to Buy Bitcoin in Germany?

Ideal payment methods should support the euro natively, and while not all platforms allow deposits in euros, these are the methods you can easily use to buy Bitcoin in Germany.

Credit/Debit cards

Credit or debit cards are probably the most accepted payment method across platforms but also the most expensive. eToro doesn’t charge fees, but those of Binance and Coinbase are 1.8% and 2.49%, respectively. On other platforms, fees generally range from 1% to 3%.

Discover the best places to buy Bitcoin with a debit card.

Bank Transfers

Local transfers through a German bank account are available for all platforms listed. It is free on eToro, Capital.com, and NAGA, and costs €1 on Binance. A conversion fee may be charged for deposits in currencies other than the account-denominated currency.

Read our step-by-step guide for more info on how to buy Bitcoin with a bank account.

PayPal

PayPal is one of the most popular payment services and electronic wallets in use today. However, it is not as widely supported as the first two payment methods. eToro and Capital.com do support PayPal, though.

Learn where to buy Bitcoin with PayPal in our comprehensive guide.

Cash via ATM

Crypto ATMs often look similar to regular ATMs, but they enable you to use cash or a card to buy cryptocurrencies that will be transferred to your private wallet. However, this process can be much slower and more expensive than using an online platform.

If you want to use a crypto ATM, you will need to find one in your area. Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Stuttgart each have 9 crypto ATMs. There are also 7 in Hamburg, 6 in Hanover, and 4 in Munich.

Ways to Invest in Bitcoin in Germany

There are several ways to gain exposure to Bitcoin and profit from its price movements in Germany. This section dives into them and how they relate to Bitcoin.

Buy and Hold Bitcoin

The buy-and-hold strategy involves buying Bitcoin and holding it for a long time, usually as long as you can. This strategy is popular in the industry as it has proven to be effective over long periods, usually years.

This strategy can be varied using a buying technique called dollar cost averaging (DCA), where you buy a set dollar amount of Bitcoin at fixed intervals regardless of price.

Trade Bitcoin

This strategy profits from Bitcoin’s volatility. Trading BTC involves relatively short-term buying and selling, usually from as little as a day to as long as a year. Positions held for longer are often classified as investments.

Trading creates an opportunity to explore other financial derivatives like futures, options, and CFDs that give traders exposure to BTC’s price movement without the need to buy the coin. It also allows for leverage facilities that can magnify traders’ wins (or losses).

Choosing a Bitcoin Wallet in Germany

Wallets are important because they store your valuable cryptos, so choosing the right one is crucial. Crypto wallets are generally split into hardware and software wallets. Hardware wallets store cryptos offline on a device, while software wallets store cryptos online and are always connected to the internet.

Software Wallets

• Web wallet: These wallets come as either browser extensions or web apps that store your private keys in your browser. Web app variants are accessible through any browser. However, the extension variant must be installed on a new browser, and a seed phrase must be used to recover your wallet. eToro, Binance, and Coinbase provide free web wallets that store Bitcoin.

• Mobile wallet: This wallet is a mobile app downloadable from the Play/App stores or the internet. Binance’s mobile wallet is called Trust Wallet, and it supports Bitcoin.

• Desktop wallet: This is an application that runs on your computer and stores your private keys on your hard drive. There are several desktop wallets available depending on the level of control you want and your familiarity with blockchain technology. However, a good option for beginners is the Electrum wallet, available for Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs.

Physical and Hardware Wallets

• Hardware wallet: A hardware wallet is a physical device that stores private keys offline. They are much harder to hack and are currently the safest storage option. Hardware wallets that support Bitcoin include Trezor and Ledger.

• Paper wallet: A paper wallet is a piece of paper with public and private keys printed on them. While they are a good way to keep your private key offline, they are not recommended as you may lose the paper or the ink could wear off with age. Paper wallets have gone out of fashion since the advent of hardware wallets.

Wallet Combinations

You can combine two or more wallets for added security or a better user experience. For example, you can use a hardware wallet like Ledger with a web wallet extension to buy coins on a decentralised exchange and immediately send them to your hardware wallet.

Should I Buy Bitcoin Now? - Things to Consider Before Buying Bitcoin in Germany

Whether or not you should buy Bitcoin now depends on the state of the economy, your investment goals, your risk tolerance, and the cost of investments. Consider these factors when making a decision.

Bitcoin Fees

The total cost of buying Bitcoin is made up of network fees, exchange fees, and deposit fees across exchanges.

The network fee is the charge the blockchain takes for processing transactions. This fee usually goes to computers that help secure and run the network. It could rise and fall based on the volume of transactions for certain blockchains. However, newer networks are built to accommodate high volumes without significant changes to transaction fees.

Exchange fees are charged for conversion, trading, or other related services. Some platforms are cheaper than others in certain regards. For example, conversions on Binance are cheaper than eToro at 0.1% per trade compared to 1% charged by the latter.

However, eToro trumps Binance when it comes to deposits as it supports free deposits, while Binance charges €1 for bank transfers and 1.8% for credit card payments.

Aggregate the costs of using various components of an exchange to obtain a holistic view of the cost of using that exchange, then compare it with others to find a cheap option.

Bitcoin Price

Bitcoin’s price is known to change rapidly and swing widely, i.e. change quickly and by a considerable amount. For traders, this is good news as it presents opportunities to profit from this volatility.

Long-term investors, on the other hand, may not be too bothered by short-term fluctuations as historical prices show an overall uptrend with pocket downtrend periods. In the long-term investment case, a simple buy-and-hold strategy, or one combined with a DCA strategy, may prove effective.

Buying Bitcoin in Germany Safely

Security is of the utmost concern when dealing with cryptocurrencies and the exchanges that sell them. The first thing you should observe is the exchange’s regulatory status. The ideal situation is when the exchange is registered in its country of operation.

However, this is not always the case. Crypto exchanges sometimes offer services to users in certain geographical regions using entities registered in a nearby jurisdiction or in a jurisdiction where regulations allow them to onboard users from other countries.

In this case, ensure the regulatory agency is transparent and enforces industry-standard security and legal practices.

Buying Bitcoin in Germany Anonymously

Buying Bitcoin anonymously is not as easy as some may assume due to widespread regulation on all major exchanges and platforms. The key to remaining anonymous is to refrain from providing personally identifiable data. Platforms require this to varying degrees.

Crypto ATMs are a way to buy crypto anonymously. They only require the money with which you buy crypto and the wallet address you want to send it to. Currently, most ATMs are limited to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin, but more are popping up with support for more coins.

Another method is using prepaid cards to purchase cryptos on peer-to-peer markets. You send the code to the counterparty, and they send your crypto. Visa offers prepaid cards, but you’ll need to ensure you won’t have to give up personal details to obtain one.

Is Buying Bitcoin Legal in Germany?

Yes, it is legal to buy Bitcoin in Germany. Individuals and businesses can legally buy, sell, and trade cryptocurrencies in Germany according to BaFin regulations and KWG (German Banking Act). German authorities consider cryptocurrencies to be “units of account” and do not recognise them as a form of legal tender.

Crypto derivatives aren’t banned in Germany and can be traded on some platforms. However, a number of crypto platforms have stopped offering derivative products to German users due to pressure from the EU only to offer responsible investment opportunities.

What Banks Let You Buy Bitcoin in Germany?

Some European banks block transactions to crypto exchanges. However, you can use the banks below to make deposits to your crypto platform from Germany.

Solarisbank

This is one of Europe’s most forward-thinking banks when it comes to digital assets. Not only can you use it as a fiat on/off ramp with your crypto platform, but Solarisbank also provides crypto brokerage and custody services.

Sparkasse

Sparkasse doesn’t block payments to or from crypto platforms, and the process can be particularly convenient thanks to the bank’s app and online banking services. Sparkasse is also in the process of launching its own cryptocurrency services, including a wallet and trading.

Commerzbank

Commerzbank is another crypto-friendly bank. It has applied for a licence from BaFin to offer exchange and crypto-asset services.

Is Bitcoin Taxable in Germany?

Yes, Bitcoin profits are taxed in Germany by the German Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt). The BMF has stated that if you hold your Bitcoin for more than a year before disposing of it, you won’t need to pay any tax on the profits.

For short-term gains, you can earn up to €600 tax-free per calendar year. For gains above this amount, you’ll need to pay income tax at a rate dependent on your total income. On top of this, you will need to pay a solidarity tax, capped at 5.5% of income tax.

You will need to keep precise records of all your crypto transactions throughout the year so that you can accurately report your crypto profits on your annual tax return. The details you will need to record for each transaction are the date, the value in euros of the crypto at the time of the transaction, the purpose of the transaction, and who the other party was (e.g. their wallet address).

Final Thoughts

As we have seen, there are different options when it comes to buying Bitcoin in Germany, and each platform has its own pros and cons. On balance, however, we believe that eToro is the best choice.

This is because it is a secure and regulated platform with a transparent fee structure and a good range of payment options for making free deposits. eToro also offers innovative tools and social investing features for an enjoyable and unique trading experience.

More Cryptocurrency Guides in Germany

Check out more of our popular crypto guides for Germany below.

• How to Buy Neo in Germany
• How to Buy Cardano in Germany
• How to Buy Theta in Germany
• How to Buy Celo in Germany

Methodology - How We Picked the Best Platforms to Buy Bitcoin in Germany

We decided on the best platforms by first testing them individually. Our criteria for assessment include fees, deposit and withdrawal methods, reputation, credibility, security, ease of use, trading features, coin selection, and competitive edge.

The platforms listed on this page are ones that we found to be the best at the features we listed them under, e.g. best platform for advanced Bitcoin trading. All platforms have a track record of providing value to users.

We also placed an onus on security and credibility. These platforms have millions of users and employ some of the highest security measures in the industry.

Finally, we considered fees and limits. These platforms have various fees and deposit/withdrawal limits, but they are all within reasonable limits.

To learn more about how we test and choose platforms, visit our why trust us and how we test pages.