How to Buy Cryptocurrency in Singapore



Buying cryptocurrency in Singapore
More recently, Singapore has come to the fore as a hub for cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. At the same time, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the financial regulatory body of Singapore, has been working to actively regulate Singapore’s cryptocurrency business. MAS believes in regulation of the cryptocurrency ecosystem for the purpose of monitoring crypto-activity-associated risks like terrorism financing and money laundering, but also making sure that it doesn’t stand in the way of innovation. The Payment Services Act (PSA) was implemented in January 2020, and its purpose was to regulate both traditional and cryptocurrency exchanges and payments. The act also presents a framework to procure a license to run cryptocurrency business in the country and highlights money laundering compliances cryptocurrency operators must meet. In legal terms, the country offers great conditions for cryptocurrency transactions, and since cryptocurrencies are considered legal in Singapore, contracts involving said cryptocurrencies aren’t deemed illegal.
As of 20/03/2021
Exchanges Info
These exchanges all accept customers from Singapore. While they broadly offer the same services and you can buy cryptocurrency at all of them, there can be differences in transaction fees, security, verification requirements, deposit methods and features, as shown below
Binance
Binance is one of the largest crypto exchanges with low fees, 100s of coins, and high trading leverage. It is one of the easiest & cheapest exchanges for crypto trading.
Hundreds of coins and pairs
Very low fees
High liquidity
Trade without verification
No US residents






eToro
An Israeli fintech startup well known as a social trading broker, eToro has now over 10 million users worldwide. If you want to trade CFDs of most popular stocks, gold, shares or commodities as well as some crypto eToro is an interesting choice.
Fully regulated financial institution
Free stock and ETF trading
Ability to follow expert traders
Fees (spreads) are high
Only USD as base currency






Bitfinex
Operating since 2012, Bitfinex has a huge range of coins and trading pairs, a good user interface and low trading fees.
Very low trading fees
Large range of coins and trading pairs
High liquidity
Slow account verification
Two major hacks






Changelly
Changelly allows you to trade cryptocurrency without registration or verifying the identity through KYC. Being a non-custodial exchange, Changelly doesn’t require you to keep any deposits. The platform also works as a fiat-to-crypto gateway.
Non-custodial exchange
Great way to switch altcoins
Doesn’t require extensive KYC
2FA security and high exchange limit
A high transaction fee of 0.5%
Unclear owners
Sometimes their service is quite slow






Poloniex
Poloniex is a centralized cryptocurrency exchange that started its journey back in January 2014. The platform offers margin trading, spot trading and margin lending
No verification required
Low fees
Margin trading and lending options
Not regulated
No Fiat deposits
No US users






OKEx
OKEx is the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world by volume. It posts over $2 billion in trades daily and has over 400 trading pairs.
Good range of coins
DEX trading
No hacking history
Not available in US
KYC required






Kucoin
Founded in 2017, KuCoin has already managed to establish itself as “The People’s Exchange.” With 200+ cryptocurrencies and more than 400 markets, it has become one of the hubs for cryptocurrency trading.
Vast selection of altcoins
Ability to stake & earn crypto yields
Robust security features
No forced KYC checks
No fiat currency deposits
Trading volume is low
Coinmama
Coinmama was formed in Slovakia in 2013. As a user, you are not allowed to exchange cryptocurrencies with other users on this platform. Instead, you will be trading cryptocurrencies with Coinmama directly which makes your transactions more secure.
Receive coins to your wallet instantly.
High limits for buying bitcoin
Faster customer service
High levels of security
No option for trading with other users
Higher fees
No mobile app






Bittrex
Bittrex is a veteran US-based cryptocurrency exchange launched in 2013. Its has Worldwide availability, comprehensive mobile app, high liquidity and low fees.
Strong security features
Faster transaction & withdrawals
Compliant with US laws
Inexpensive bank card deposits
No leveraged margin trading
Intrusive verification process
Unexplained closure of account