Best Bitcoin Fiat Gateways in 2021

In order to buy cryptocurrencies, most people have to go through fiat gateways. This is a type of broker where you can buy, sell and trade Bitcoin with fiat currencies. Registering with a reliable exchange, which offers a fiat gateway is very important because you don’t want to compromise on security and reliability that can affect your first experience with cryptocurrencies. Most exchanges that offer fiat deposits and withdrawals are licensed, have good security practices and a good reputation.

There are many exchanges on the market where you can buy bitcoin with fiat currencies, in order to make it easier for you, we have compiled the best and most reliable fiat to bitcoin exchanges.

The best Bitcoin and Altcoin fiat gateways in 2020 are:

• Coinbase
• Gemini
• Kraken
• Bitpanda
• Huobi
• CEX
• Changelly
• Coinmama

We evaluate the best exchange according to a number of criteria such as security, accessibility, usability, and regulation. The brokers on this list are either partially or fully regulated. For an exchange to accept fiat currencies, however, it must be licensed in the jurisdictions which it operates in. There are options to purchase Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies over-the-counter (OTC), which can be done on a person-to-person basis or by using services that are integrated with some of the exchanges listed above.

1. Coinbase

Coinbase is one of the most recognized crypto brokers in the industry. It serves as an excellent fiat to crypto and crypto to fiat gateway, providing access to Bitcoin and altcoins to millions of users worldwide. 

Coinbase currency options:

• Debit, credit cards
• Wire Transfers
• EUR, USD and more

On Coinbase you will also find recurring purchases, i.e. you can set up your account to automatically buy Bitcoin- BTC, Ethereum – ETH and other cryptocurrencies in USD, EUR or other currencies with a set time frame. The Broker also has one of the most user-friendly environments and is very easy to use. 

2. Gemini

Gemini was founded by two of the most famous figures in the crypto industry, the Winklevoss twins. Headquartered in New York, it serves users worldwide as it is supervised by the respected regulatory body. Therefore, US residents can register, deposit, trade and withdraw money on Gemini. 

Gemini options:

• Wire Transfer
• USD

Gemini also offers additional investment and trading features like daily auction, block trade, Gemini custody. The exchange also has passed a SOC 2 Type 1 examination which is among the strictest security tests in the world. Therefore Gemini can be considered one of the most secure places to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and other cryptocurrencies to USD in one of the most friendly UI’s that you can find.

3. Kraken

Kraken is one of the oldest crypto exchanges, founded in 2011 with a unique vision – to contribute to the awareness and acceptance of cryptocurrencies. Regulated by FinCEN and FINTRAC, Kraken offers its services worldwide while providing a plethora of trading instruments and options to its users. It is currently Europe’s most reliable fiat to crypto and vice versa gateway.

Kraken options: 

• Wire Transfer
• SEPA 
• Debit, Credit Cards
• 6 fiat currencies available for deposits and withdrawals
• EUR, USD

Kraken is one of the exchanges that offer more than just spot trading, it also offers futures trading with relatively high leverage. Kraken also invests heavily in other businesses and start-ups like Cryptowat.ch, CryptoFacilities.com, CryptoFinance.ai, Interchange. To trade USD to BTC, ETH on Kraken you need to pass the KYC and reach Intermediate account level.

4. Bitpanda

Bitpanda is one of the brokers that offer one if not the most user-friendly environments for buying and selling Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies.  Based in Vienna, Austria, the exchange is primarily aimed at users from Europe. The platform provides more than 1 million customers with a reliable place on which they can trade cryptocurrencies. 

Bitpanda fiat gateway options: 

• Bank Transfers
• EPS
• Debit and Credit Cards
• Skrill
• Neteller
• And more
• EUR

Bitpanda is not only user friendly, but it is also one of the most secure exchanges with a good unscathed reputation. On Bitpanda you will also find the possibility of investing indirectly in commodities such as gold, silver, palladium and platinum, thus offering more opportunities to the retail investor.

5. Huobi

Huobi was founded in 2013 with headquarters in Beijing, China, and later moved to Singapore due to the regulatory uncertainty in the country. The exchange offers users from around the world one of the better trading environments by providing multiple trading options and instruments. 

Huobi fiat gateway options:

• Credit, Debit Cards
• Bank Transfer
• PayNow
• USD, EUR

Huobi offers a high number of trading instruments like an OTC desk, Futures and Margin Trading besides the usual Spot trading. Being one of the early exchanges in the crypto industry Huobi provides the users to trade Bitcoin (BTC) for USD in a reliable way especially for those in need of a cryptocurrency exchange based in Asia. 

6. CEX

Founded in 2013, CEX is one of the longest-standing exchanges and one of those that can be considered stable as it has survived one of the toughest periods in the industry. On the exchange, you will find a wide range of trading instruments with the possibility to buy Bitcoin with 4 fiat currencies.

CEX options:

• Bank Transfers
• SEPA
• Debit, Credit Cards
• Faster Payments
• USD, EUR, GBP, RUB

Margin trade is also there as an option for traders with more experience who want to long or short Bitcoin, Ethereum or other altcoins. Buying BTC with multiple currencies on CEX like USD, EUR, GBP RUB is an important feature which not so many crypto exchanges have. 

7. Changelly

Changelly is a crypto broker founded in 2015 that gives you the option to buy Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies with debit, credit cards. It is one of the simplest exchanges on the market because it offers a seamless user interface. Changelly is a non-custodial exchange, which means that it does not store user funds on the platform. The procedure is simple: you create an order and after it is executed, the funds are deposited directly into your personal crypto wallet. 

Changelly options:

• Debit, Credit Cards
• USD, EUR, GBP

On Changelly you can only buy cryptocurrencies with fiat currencies. In order to sell you would need to go to another third party – Bitsofgold that is in partnership with Changelly. 

8. Coinmama

Coinmama is another non-custodial crypto exchange where you can not only buy but also sell Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. To make the process more even more intuitive, Coinamam has preset buy options, allowing you, of course, to set a custom buy order. The sale of cryptocurrencies is done directly on the platform and the currency is transferred through a SEPA bank transfer.

Coinmama fiat gateway options: 

• Bank Transfer
• SEPA
• Credit, Debit Cards
• EUR, USD, GBP, CAD, AUD, JPY

Coinmama serves nearly 2 million people from 188 countries around the world. Since its inception in 2013, Coinmama offers one of the fastest ways to buy Bitcoin with the US dollar or other fiat currencies. 

The important characteristics of fiat gateways

There are few characteristics that a fiat gateway must adhere to in order to provide a reliable, easy to use, and effective service. In volatile assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum and other altcoins the importance of set period automatic buy-ins become very obvious. Brokers like Changelly and Coinmama offer direct purchases with the asset going directly to your bank account or to your personal crypto wallet. Nevertheless, other custodial exchanges like Coinbase, Gemini, and Kraken offer high security and compliance and provide unique services and experiences. 

Important characteristics of a reliable USD to BTC exchange:

• Easy to use
• Regulatory Compliant
• Reputation
• To offer a stable product

One of the bigger problems in the crypto industry is user experience. In this list, the exchanges have made their user interfaces as simple as possible. But depositing and withdrawing BTC, ETH or other crypto-currencies is still far from being user-friendly due to the nature of the addresses. 

In order for exchanges to accept USD, EUR, GBP or any other currency, they must have a license from a regulatory authority. If you are interested in legally recognized crypto exchanges from which you can buy Bitcoin or Ethereum with USD or other currencies, check out our list of regulated crypto exchanges.

Reputation is another important aspect. If the broker has had problems in the past, it is advisable to do additional research on the situation and how it was dealt with.

Offering a reliable product is very important as people search for exchanges on which you must have a wide variety of trading and investment instruments. Reliable also stands for stable, the exchanges must offer a stable product that will not affect users by constant crashes or lag when opening and closing positions.