Another cryptocurrency that made huge growth in the financial world after bitcoin is Ethereum. It is a great alternative to Bitcoin, and after Bitcoin, it is being accepted by a lot of startups, businesses, and companies to complete the transactions. Some people often consider Ethereum as a diamond and much better than Bitcoin because it was developed after Bitcoin, and it overcame all the negative factors of Bitcoin. Also, it has both an industrial value as well as an intrinsic value. When comparing Bitcoin and Ethereum, Bitcoin is considered gold, and Ethereum is considered a diamond because people invest in Ethereum. After all, it has high industrial value and intrinsic value.
Because Bitcoin has been for more than a decade in the market, and Ethereum is comparatively new, people are enthusiastic to know about it, make investments in Ethereum and make it different from Bitcoin. Ethereum has its monetary value that is Ether, and like Bitcoin is mined, Ether is also mined. It provides an opportunity for people to create their own money by mining Ether. You can visit the immediate profit to trade Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies.
Like bitcoin, before you get into investing or mining Ethereum, a digital wallet is required to store and make transactions in Ethereum.
What is Ethereum?
Ethereum is a computer code or software that programmers develop and develop and run code of other applications. Similar to Bitcoin, Ethereum is also decentralized in nature. Now, you might be thinking if it’s a computer code, how it works or act can like money. Ethereum is based on blockchain technology that helps Ethereum conduct monetary transactions like bitcoin, making Ethereum a currency. Blockchain technology allows Ethereum to create applications that can work or be executed online on the cloud.
However, the monetary unit of Ethereum is referred to as Ether which is used to make transactions. There are various unique features of Bitcoin that make it different from Bitcoin, and all investors, hardware manufacturers, software developers, and businesses are attracted towards accepting Ethereum.
What makes Ethereum different from Bitcoin?
Bitcoin was designed to provide the general public with a medium of exchange. Therefore, it used the principles of blockchain technology and used them to provide a medium of transacting money. On the other hand, Ethereum is designed to smooth the progress of software processing by using make use of its monetary unit known as Ether. Ether isn’t designed with a motive to provide people with a currency. Still, it has become valuable because people are excited to learn about its technology and are eager to make investments in it.
The major features that Ethereum introduced were Smart Contracts and dApps or Decentralized applications. This has given developers a platform or technology to develop apps, and many apps have been developed by date on Ethereum. Today, Bitcoin’s value has reached the sky, whereas Ethereum is cheaper, and this made Ethereum better for financial companies to get involved in the crypto world.
How to invest in Ethereum?
Moving forward, after understanding the basics of Ethereum, let us now dive into the process or steps that are involved in investing in Ethereum.
Investing in Ethereum using Fiat Currencies
- Through P2P Exchanges
The first way to buy Ethereum is through peer-to-peer exchanges by using fiat currencies. In P2P exchange, users can buy Ether anonymously without having to submit any personal details. P2P exchanges mean two parties are engaged, and both the buyers and sellers can decide on a price and way of making payment.
P2P exchange means buying Ethereum from a person or a party that has already purchased it and wants to sell it to another party. The best benefit of P2P exchanges is that buyers and sellers can agree on a price by negotiating with each other.
- Broker Exchanges
Broker Exchanges allow Ethereum enthusiasts to buy or invest in Ethereum by using fiat currencies. There are only a few broker exchanges that are genuine and reputable and follow all the protocols or regulations. The top-notch broker exchanges that are across the world include Cex.io, Coinbase, and CoinMama.
Broker exchanges are the online marketplaces where the users need first to sign up, and then they need to confirm their identity by providing required personal details. After verifying your real identity, you can use fiat currencies and deposit funds in your broker exchange account. Once you have deposited funds, you can make purchases and then can transfer Ether into your digital wallet.
Investing in Ethereum using cryptocurrencies
- Decentralized trading exchanges
The best way for users that want to stay anonymous can invest in Ethereum through decentralized trading exchanges. Decentralized exchanges mean no requirement of third parties, and in these exchanges, the Ether coins and private keys are not stored on servers but are provided to investors to secure them.
It is impossible for hackers to hack decentralized trading exchanges, and therefore, one must invest or trade Ether through decentralized exchanges. The transactions performed through these exchanges are completely anonymous as no third-party is involved in exchanges.
- Centralized trading exchanges
Centralized trading exchanges are the exchanges that work or operate on regulations set by central authorities. If an investor already owns a type of crypto, they can consider buying Ether using that crypto tokens. Through centralized exchanges, a cryptocurrency can only be traded for another cryptocurrency, and that requires investors to pay a minimal transaction fee to make a purchase. The top-notch centralized crypto trading exchanges include GDAX, Kraken, and more.
The best thing about centralized exchanges is that it allows the trade of a variety of cryptocurrencies, and a huge number of investors can make trading coins easier.
The Bottom Line The market of all the cryptocurrencies is volatile, and therefore, it makes Ethereum investments a risky investment, but sometimes it can be profitable if invested at the right time. It is an internet currency that can be transferred electronically with a volatile market; you must be careful while investing in it.