Living in the UAE and looking to buy and sell cryptocurrencies? There are a plethora of crypto exchanges able to facilitate this – however, with so many providers, it’s hard to separate the good from the bad.
Reputation, low fees, and listed markets are just some factors to think about when choosing a suitable exchange. In this guide, we review the best crypto exchanges in the UAE and explain how to get started today with your very first trade in under five minutes!
#1 Crypto Exchange UAE – eToro
Best Crypto Exchange in the UAE – Top 4 List
Below you will find a list of the best crypto exchanges in the UAE.
- eToro – Overall Best Crypto Exchange in the UAE
- Coinbase – Best Cryptocurrency Exchange in the UAE for Beginners
- OKEx – Great Low-Fee Crypto Exchange in the Exchange UAE
- Binance – Top Crypto Exchange in the UAE for Asset Diversity
Next, you will find a full review of each of the above UAE crypto exchanges for your consideration.
Cryptoassets are highly volatile unregulated investment products. No EU investor protection. 67% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Best Crypto Exchange in the UAE – Full Reviews
Important criteria for finding a safe place to buy and sell digital currencies include reputation, low fees, market diversity, payment methods, and more. When researching the best crypto exchange in the UAE, you might want to consider the following top-rated platforms.
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3 Providers that match your filters  for $ 100 you get 0.0025BTC What we like
for $100 you get 0.0025 BTC CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money quickly through leverage. 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs from this provider.  for $ 100 you get 0.0025BTC What we like
for $100 you get 0.0025 BTC CFDs are complex instruments that have a high risk of losing money quickly due to leverage. 72.6% of retail investor accounts lose money trading CFDs with this provider.  for $ 100 you get 0.0025BTC What we like
for $100 you get 0.0025 BTC CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of possible rapid loss of capital due to their leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose capital when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take high risk in losing your capital. |
1. eToro – Overall Best Crypto Exchange in the UAE
eToro is the overall best crypto exchange in the UAE for numerous reasons. Securing your funds and assets is extremely important when buying and selling digital currencies – so you will be pleased to know that top-tier financial regulators the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC approve and regulate this platform. As such, it is considered a safe environment for people living in the UAE. Here you can easily access the world of cryptocurrencies – with the minimum investment starting from just $25 (around 92 AED).
This crypto exchange only charges the spread when trading digital currencies. This starts from just 0.75%, which is very competitive in this industry. For newbies, one of the most intimidating things about buying cryptocurrencies is safely securing them. At eToro, you can buy, sell, swap, and store your tokens on the safety of the platform itself. This also means when you want to cash out your investment, you just need to create a sell order – rather than making various transactions between wallets or third-party exchanges.
There is a selection of cryptocurrencies listed at eToro, which includes the likes of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, and Polkadot. This guide also found newer additions like Shiba Inu, Algorand, Spark, Compound, Aave, and many more. Entirely different markets include stocks, indices, ETFs, commodities, and forex. When creating an account with this provider, it will give you a free demo portfolio with $100,000 – for those who may want to get to know the platform and its features better. Furthermore, if you like the idea of mirroring the trades of a seasoned crypto trader, you can check out the Copy Trading tool.
In this instance, you will view a list of vetted investors called ‘Copied Traders’ and select one based on aspects such as favored asset classes, gains, risk level, and more. Let’s say you invest $1,000 in CopyCat123 and this person allocates 3% of their equity to Ethereum. You will have passively invested $30 in ETH tokens. There is another passive trading tool called CryptoPortfolio, which offers a balanced portfolio of assets based on the market you are interested in. This feature allows you to invest in a basket of digital assets managed by the eToro team – with management tools and risk considerations unique to you.
To enjoy the full benefits of the eToro platform, you will need to complete a KYC process. This must be done before making a withdrawal or depositing an amount over $2,250 (approximately 8,265 AED). For those unaware, this entails uploading some documentation so that the broker can validate your identity. We offer a step-by-step walkthrough of the sign-up procedure at the end of this guide. This top-rated crypto exchange supports deposits via credit or debit cards, bank transfers, and e-wallets and will convert your AED to USD (the currency it operates in) for a conversion fee of 0.5%.
Pros
- Invest in cryptocurrencies on a spread-only basis
- Buy thousands of international stocks at 0% commission
- Minimum investment per trade from just $25
- Supports debit/credit cards, e-wallets, and local bank transfers
- Regulated by the FCA, CySEC, and ASIC
- Used by over 20 million people
- Perfect for beginners
- Social and copy trading tools
Cons
- Perhaps too basic for technical traders
- No support for MT4 or MT5
Cryptoassets are highly volatile unregulated investment products. 67% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
2. Coinbase – Best Cryptocurrency Exchange in the UAE for Beginners
If you consider yourself a novice investor and are looking for the best cryptocurrency exchange for beginners – look no further than Coinbase. This platform is super easy to navigate and makes buying digital currencies a stress-free affair for all skill sets. Furthermore, the provider caters to millions of clients worldwide. The minimum investment in this asset class starts from 2.00 units in your currency – in this case, AED.
Listed crypto-assets include Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Dash, Polkadot, and more. You will also find markets such as Solana, Dogecoin, Polygon, Chainpay, Yearn Finance, Dai, and many others. Unlike eToro, Coinbase charges a standard commission of 1.49% to buy and sell digital currencies. To put this into perspective, for every $100 you allocate to a trading order, you need to pay $1.49 – which can soon add up. With regards to the safeguarding of your crypto tokens, Coinbase keeps 98% of clients’ funds in cold storage away from the internet.
The exchange also goes one step further by offering an opt-in feature called whitelisting (a safe crypto address list), as well as two-factor authentication for an additional layer of security. Back to fees, if your preferred payment method to invest is a debit card – this exchange stipulates 3.99% of the purchase amount. This is expensive compared to the 0.5% exchange fee charged to deposit at eToro. You may also opt for a UAE bank transfer, which is free but takes longer to clear so will therefore delay how quickly you can access the digital markets.
Pros
- One of the most popular cryptocurrency exchanges
- More than 56 million users
- Supports instant debit card purchases
- Dozens of digital currencies to choose from
- Institutional-grade security practices
Cons
- Debit card deposits are expensive at 3.99%
- You will pay a standard trading commission of 1.49%
at eToro, the UAE’s #1 Broker
Cryptoassets are highly volatile unregulated investment products. No EU investor protection
3. OKEx – Great Low-Fee Crypto Exchange in the UAE
Another option to buy and sell crypto in the UAE is OKEx. This exchange has more than 20 million clients on its books. Notably, commissions start from 0.10% – both to enter and to exit the market. If you plan on trading large amounts, this will be reduced. Opening an account is fast and takes very little effort, especially if you already hold some digital tokens, as you can make a deposit without the need to complete the KYC process first. The minimum requirement to get started is just $10 (approximately 37 AED).
On the other hand, if you would prefer to deposit with AED via credit or debit card, or UAE bank transfer, you will need to upload the aforementioned documents. At OKEx, there are over 400 supported crypto pairs to buy and sell. This includes tokens with huge trading volumes such as Bitcoin, Ripple, Ethereum, IOTA, NEO, and more. Newer digital markets include Populous, Strike, Baby Dogecoin, OMG, DAI, Decentraland, SushiSwap, and plenty of others. This crypto exchange offers spot trading, options, futures, and other derivatives. This means you have the ability to add leverage and short sell your chosen market.
This crypto exchange provides access to a built-in multi-currency wallet to store your digital assets. This wallet can be accessed via a mobile device and comes with a unique private key, which you are tasked with taking care of yourself. If you would rather not take on the responsibility of securing your tokens and such, you can opt for the custodial web storage option. In this scenario, to avoid presenting a long list of transactions to the blockchain, OKEx uses a ledger of account balances and a centralized order book system – as well as keeping most funds in cold storage. This keeps fees low and ensures safety.
Pros
- Trusted crypto exchange with over 20 million users
- More than 400+ digital currency pairs
- Buy and sell cryptocurrencies with a debit/credit card or bank transfer
- Low commissions that start from 0.1%
- Fully-fledged mobile app on Android and iOS
- Great reputation and highly secure
Cons
- Debit/credit card fees could be more competitive
- Derivative products are too complex for beginners
at eToro, the UAE’s #1 Broker
Cryptoassets are highly volatile unregulated investment products. No EU investor protection
4. Binance – Top Crypto Exchange UAE for Asset Diversity
Binance is a top-rated crypto exchange with over 100 million users. You will have access to 500+ tradable cryptocurrencies here, which makes it’s well suited to those who want to build a diverse portfolio of digital assets. The minimum order size is just 0.0001 BTC. If you don’t feel confident enough to take control of your own storage and security measures, you can rely on the platform to keep the majority of your funds in cold storage.
Cryptocurrencies include Bitcoin, Ethereum Classic, Cardano, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, and many others. Other options include Decentraland, IOTA, Algorand, Celo, Clover Finance, Monero, Agrello, Polymath, and more. This is one of the best crypto exchanges for viewing the performance of your portfolio, as well as assessing crypto quotations in your local currency. In other words, you can change the default to AED. This should make it easier to work out your gains and losses without having to convert funds or download a special calculator.
This company complies with KYC requirements. As such, before you can add funds to your account in AED, you need to send the platform documentation as proof of ID and address. This crypto exchange accepts credit and debit cards and UAE bank transfers. With that said, you will need to check which tokens are supported. The commission to buy and sell digital assets here is 0.10% per slide, which means if you allocate $100 to a crypto purchase, you must pay Binance $0.10. It’s recommended to use 2FA via Google Authenticator when buying cryptocurrencies here.
Pros
- Facilitates billions of dollars in daily trading volume
- Supports hundreds of digital asset pairs
- Near-instant deposits via debit/credit cards and local bank transfers
- Trading commission starts at just 0.1% per slide
- Offers crypto savings accounts
- Ideal for both beginners and experienced traders alike
Cons
- Not all supported cryptocurrencies can be purchased with a debit/credit card
- No e-wallet deposits or withdrawals
at eToro, the UAE’s #1 Broker
Cryptoassets are highly volatile unregulated investment products. No EU investor protection
How to Find Crypto Exchanges in the UAE
Finding the best crypto exchange in the UAE, and anywhere for that matter, is not the easiest of tasks. With this in mind, we have created a list of key metrics to investigate before choosing which cryptocurrency platform to sign up with.
Reputation and Regulation
This industry attracts an increasing number of online criminals. A good way to protect your investments is to sign up with a regulated brokerage – an excellent reputation also helps.
- Unregulated crypto exchanges, of which there are many, can leave your funds and tokens vulnerable to cryptojackers.
- For those unaware, these criminals hijack devices and hot wallets to mine cryptocurrencies that don’t belong to them.
- As a victim, you won’t notice until it’s too late, as there are no rules for client compensation or fund segregation at unregulated platforms.
- Crypto mining codes are used to ensure the thieves can remain undetected for a long time and the source is hard to trace.
Regulatory bodies to look out for include; the FCA, ASIC, and CySEC – as these are top license issuers in the space. As we mentioned in our earlier reviews, the overall best crypto exchange in the UAE is eToro – which happens to hold a license from all three of these respected organizations. Furthermore, you can safely store your digital assets in safety at no extra charge.
Listed Markets
Some people enter the cryptocurrency trading scene with a clear idea of which tokens they want to allocate funds to (for instance, Cardano). If this sounds like you, you will need to ensure your chosen platform lists that specific market and any others you want to explore. It’s also worth bearing in mind that there’s a high probability you will want to diversify your portfolio at a later date.
With this in mind, you will find that the best crypto exchanges in the UAE list a wide choice of markets. As such, you may look to sign up with a provider such as eToro – which offers access to popular tokens with high trading volumes like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin – as well as newer offerings like Spark, Shiba Inu, and Aave for instance.
Accepted Payment Methods
When you are looking to buy and sell digital assets, an important component of choosing a crypto exchange to sign up with is checking what payment methods are accepted. This is because some platforms only support cryptocurrency deposits – which will be no good for you if you are yet to own any.
The best crypto exchanges in the UAE accept various deposit methods. For instance, eToro is compatible with credit and debit cards, bank transfers, and also e-wallets such as PayPal. Just bear in mind there is a fee of 0.5% to swap AED to US dollars. This is charged to save you from having to go to a third-party platform to swap currencies – because the platform operates in USD
Fee Structure
Even the best crypto exchanges in the UAE need to charge fees to cover costs and provide a service. This might be a deposit fee for a specific type of payment, such as debit cards. There are also commissions to think about, where you must pay a percentage of your order value to the platform to enter and exit your chosen market.
- eToro only charges the aforementioned fee of 0.5% to make a deposit – no matter which card you use.
- This is very competitive compared to say Coinbase – where you would be liable for a deposit fee of 3.99% when using a debit card.
- At Coinbase, you will have to pay the standard commission fee of 1.49% per slide.
- eToro doesn’t charge commission and instead merely requires you to cover the spread, which starts from a competitive 0.75%
As you can see, there is some disparity between crypto platforms in the UAE, so it’s important you open your eyes to any fees involved before signing up.
Platform Usability
Whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned trader – the best crypto exchanges in the UAE will be easy to navigate. This is because you never know when you might spot a potentially profitable opportunity and want to jump on the bandwagon and buy some tokens.
In this instance, you need to quickly head over to your chosen platform, find the right asset, and place an order immediately. If the website in question is clunky, then you may find you miss the opportunity.
Customer Support
The best crypto exchanges in the UAE will provide access to customer support via different means – so that in your hour of need, you are able to get some help from the platform.
The faster way to get in touch with customer services is often via live chat. You can also look for an email address, telephone number, FAQs, and online contact form, which is comparable to an email. Always check the support opening times too. The best exchanges offer 24/7 or 24/5 support.
How to Get Started With the Best Crypto Exchange in the UAE
If you have traded in any capacity before, you will probably know how to sign up and get started with a trading platform. For those who haven’t – you will see below a walkthrough of how to get started with the best crypto exchange in the UAE – eToro.
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CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money quickly through leverage. 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs from this provider. CFDs are complex instruments that have a high risk of losing money quickly due to leverage. 72.6% of retail investor accounts lose money trading CFDs with this provider. CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of possible rapid loss of capital due to their leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose capital when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take high risk in losing your capital. Mobile App Wallet Number of Coins Trading Fees Deposit Fees Withdrawal Fees Bitcoin
Ethereum XRP Litecoin Bitcoin Cash Chainlink Cardano IOTA Binance Coin Stellar EOS Credit Card Paypal Sepa Transfer Skrill Sofort Giropay Neteller |
Step 1: Sign up With a Crypto Exchange
We are using eToro as an example for this walkthrough as we revealed this as the best crypto exchange in the UAE. Not to mention the fact the platform is super easy to navigate for investors of all skill-sets. So, head over to the eToro website and look for the ‘Join Now’ button.
When the sign-up box appears, you can enter your first and last name, chosen username and password, and your email address. The final stage of step 1 is to confirm your mobile number and enter the SMS code sent to you by eToro.
Cryptoassets are highly volatile unregulated investment products. 67% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Step 2: Complete the KYC Process
As we touched on – the best crypto exchanges in the UAE are regulated. With this regulation comes the necessity for the broker to obtain information about who you are – and validate it with documentation.
You will need to send eToro two clear documents:
- Proof of ID: The best document to prove your ID is a passport or a driving license with a clear photograph – showing a visible name, date of birth, issue, and expiry date.
- Proof of address: So that the crypto platform can validate your proof of residency, you can send a photo or scan of a document containing your full name, address, and recent issue date. Accepted forms of proof of address include a tax letter or bill, bank statement, internet bill, and others.
The KYC process is usually over within minutes at eToro – as long as your documentation is clear for validation.
Step 3: Deposit Funds
By now, you should have a complete account set up at eToro and be ready to add some funds to hit the cryptocurrency markets. Click ‘Deposit Funds’ – found at the bottom left of your profile. Next, you can select your preferred deposit method, followed by the amount to add to your account.
Supported payment types at eToro include the following:
- Credit and debit cards – Visa, Mastercard, and Maestro
- E-wallets – Skrill, PayPal, Neteller
- UAE bank transfers
Please note that if you are looking to get the ball rolling straight away, you will be best avoiding a UAE bank transfer as this method is the slowest for eToro to process. When you have chosen your preferred payment type and checked the amount you want to deposit is correct, you can confirm all.
Remember, there is a small fee of 0.5% to swap UAE for USD. This only translates as $5 for every $1,000 (around 18.37 AED from a 5,037 AED deposit).
Step 4: Find a Crypto Market
Now that you have some money in your account, you can search for your chosen digital tokens on the eToro exchange. Here we are looking to buy Shiba Inu Coin.
You can either look under ‘Trade Markets’ or use the search bar as seen in the example above. When you find what you are looking for, you need to select it and click ‘Trade’.
Step 5: Buy Your Chosen Crypto Asset
The best crypto exchanges in the UAE make buying digital currencies easy. This is certainly the case at eToro. When the order box appears, simply enter the amount you wish to buy. Remember, this platform supports fractional investments starting from as little as $25.
When you have checked everything over you can hit ‘Open Trade’ to confirm your order. eToro will add the tokens to your portfolio – as we said, this broker is regulated so you can also store your crypto assets here in safety.
Best Crypto Exchange in the UAE – Full Conclusion
In this guide, we reviewed the best crypto exchanges in the UAE; covering fees, available markets, safety, and features. We also talked about important criteria for finding a top platform to buy and sell digital currencies yourself.
Overall, the best crypto exchange in the UAE is eToro. Top financial authorities the FCA, CySEC, and ASIC approve and regulate the platform. This means your investments are safe from cryptojackers. The broker also follows strict rules and operates with integrity.
eToro is suitable for crypto investors living in the UAE as it enables UAE deposits using a range of payments, inclusive of credit and debit cards, bank transfers, and e-wallets, including PayPal. Furthermore, there is a wide range of tradable crypto tokens, spread-only trading fees starting from just 0.75%, and you can buy, sell, and store digital assets without fuss – in a safe place.
eToro – Best Crypto Exchange in the UAE