Top 10 Bitcoin Exchanges - January 2020

In most cases, you will need a wallet.
Some of the Exchanges we review have wallets and can provide you with all that you need to start trading.

Bitcoin is dependent on the blockchain that underlies and structures the system. The blockchain is the vertebrae of the protocol and the glue that holds the network together. It is simply a vast, distributed public ledger of account. It keeps track of every transaction ever made in the network, and all transactions are time stamped and verified by network miners. This is how it works: miners with specialized computers compete to solve mathematical puzzles with other computers, and once they solve a puzzle they are awarded some Bitcoin, but they also add a “block” of completed transactions to the blockchain for future viewing and verifiability. Once a block is added to the chain the cycle repeats itself, and the computers continue to compete to solve these difficult problems. Every transaction on the blockchain is completely transparent and accounted for in its log. Anyone can see the public keys of any transaction they want (although there are no names associated with transactions). One could go all the way back and view the very first transactions ever made on the first block ever created. This block was unironically called the Genesis Block.

Bitcoins can be sold in various fashions. The currency can be sold online to an exchange or live in person locally. These same instances work similarly to the buying process. You can sell your Bitcoin to the exchange at the current price it's being sold for. More anonymously you can sell in person or use a localized 2-way ATM. ATMs can be found all over the world and these machines are mostly used for purchasing. 2-way ATMs can allow you to sell the currency. Most ATMs however only allow you to buy Bitcoin. There are also teller machines that require identification as well. Click here to to to see a list of verified exchanges.

Bitcoin payments are easy to make with a wallet application and addresses. You can use a standard desktop or smartphone to transact with an individual, merchant, and exchange. Addresses can be used in number form, in a QR code and contactless technology. Transacting with Bitcoin offers lower fees than any known remittance provider and credit card service. No bank, no state, no third party can offer this low amount of fees.

Unfortunately, since unique private keys are associated with individual Bitcoin wallets, if the keys are lost, there is ultimately no way to retrieve that key without a passcode seed or other retrieval system; and that key is required to spend those coins. However, most modern wallets, like Mycelium, have wallet and key backups that you can build prior to storing money. This will allow you to create a new private key so that you may restore your private key on a new wallet if lost.