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Crypto Betting Guide 2025 – The Best Crypto Betting Sites

Last updated: December 23, 2024Leave a Comment

crypto betting sites review

Cryptocurrencies have made their way to the multi-billion dollar online casino scene. There are many websites active in this space that cover traditional games like blackjack, roulette, and even sports betting.

You also have crypto dice games that operate on a decentralized network via Provably Fair. If this is something that you’re keen to learn more about, this guide explores everything there is to know about crypto betting.

In this article, I discuss the ins and outs of how crypto betting sites differ from traditional gambling platforms – and which providers dominate this sector in 2021.

Before we go into the discussion, here’s a quick list of my favorite crypto betting sites:

  • 1xBit
  • Betchain
  • Betflip
  • Bitstarz
  • Cloudbet
  • Primedice

What is Crypto Betting?

As the name suggests, crypto betting refers to the process of gambling online. However, instead of betting with traditional payment methods like a debit/credit card or e-wallet, you’ll be gambling with a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, Ethereum, or others.

In many ways, crypto betting sites operate like any other online gambling platform. This is because you will have access to popular games like:

  • Roulette
  • Blackjack
  • Baccarat
  • Slots
  • Video Poker

In many cases, the above games will be backed by the same regulated software providers that you find in the traditional gambling scene. This includes the likes of Evolution, NetEnt, Microgaming, and Playtech.

Read more: The best crypto trading apps

As such, by playing a crypto betting game that has been produced by one of these providers, you know that a prolonged testing phase has been implemented to ensure the game is 100% true and fair.  On some crypto betting sites, you can also access sportsbook markets and live poker.

[Read more…]

Filed under: Cryptoassets, Money

Best Exchanges and Brokers to Buy Stocks with Crypto in 2024

Last updated: March 03, 20242 Comments

Tokenized stocks

Tokenized stocks in action

If you’ve been investing in cryptoassets for some time, you might have amassed some good gains in Bitcoin, Ethereum or other cryptocurrencies.

You might be considering rebalancing your portfolio so that crypto isn’t overly dominant, but there is one major problem. Banks still don’t like to deal with crypto exchanges, and you can have problems passing fiat currency through your bank account after withdrawing from an exchange. If your intention is to invest in stocks with that money, you can now bypass the banks entirely by using stablecoins to move money to an exchange that offers stock trading and accepts crypto deposits.

Buy fractional stocks on eToro

Securities trading offered by eToro USA Securities, Inc. (“the BD”), member of FINRA and SIPC.
Cryptocurrency offered by eToro USA LLC (“the MSB”) (NMLS: 1769299) and is not FDIC or SIPC
insured. Investing involves risk.

Read more: How to buy crypto from a traditional stock broker

On the other hand, you can also buy traditional stocks from platforms that allow trading in both cryptos and stocks, with eToro being my favorite for this purpose. The big advantage with buying stocks in eToro is that you can buy fractional stocks. Some stocks have risen so much over the years that they have become inaccessible to many investors. The solution is fractionalization. Not many stockbrokers offer this service, but eToro is one of them.

Of course, eToro also allows you to use your crypto deposits to buy full stocks (not fractions).

So what you would do in this case is to transfer your crypto to eToro, sell it for Euro or USD, then use those funds to buy stocks within eToro itself.

If you’d like to learn more about how eToro works, please head over to my in-depth review of eToro for a comprehensive look at what you can do on this popular platform.

Buy stocks on eToro

Disclaimer: Your capital is at risk.

What are your thoughts? Have you found any other ways of buying stocks with crypto? 

Filed under: Money, Stock market

YouHodler vs Crypto.com – What’s the Best Crypto Lending Platform?

Last updated: September 12, 2023Leave a Comment

crypto lending blockfi vs youhodler

Blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and decentralized finance have gained traction over the past few years and so have lending platforms. Satoshi’s dream of a decentralized economy has morphed into solutions for healthcare, supply chains, agriculture, and many other industries.

Of course, finance remains at the very top with different blockchain-based solutions being developed every day. One such solution is blockchain lending platforms. This article provides a brief comparative analysis of two top crypto lending platforms: YouHodler and Crypto.com.

Overview and General Features

Crypto lending services provide three essential services:

  • Supplying crypto assets to earn interest– commonly referred to as annual percentage yield (APY).
  • Providing loans.
  • Extras, as you will see below.

This segment delves into the three platforms, citing their key features and extra services.

1. YouHodler

earn crypto at youhodler

YouHodler is an E.U. and Swiss-based FinTech platform (think crypto bank) that allows you to borrow and multiply funds by leveraging financial tools in a relatively secure way. The two-year-old company has followed the yellow brick road right from inception, transforming from a simple lending platform to a top APY provider while accruing support from mainstream cryptocurrency institutions such as Ledger, Elliptic, and Ciphertrace.

Here are the key features:

Savings

Instead of hodling your assets in dormant wallets, you can deposit them into your Youhodler savings account and earn interest from the get-go. Users can deposit a minimum of $100 (in crypto equivalent) and withdraw at any time, including the profit earned.

At the time of writing, up to 22 coins are supported on the platform, including BTC, ETH, UNI, BNB, and stablecoins like USDT, USDC, TUSD, HUSD, PAX, and DAI.

APRs on stablecoins are as high as 12%, while yields on BTC, ETH, and UNI are 4.8%, 5.5%, and 7%, respectively.

Yields are remitted into your account weekly once you deposit your coin. YouHodler compounds your earnings: new gains are compounded on the previous week’s earnings plus capital, making it possible to achieve even more than the APR.

It is important to note that you can only earn these yields if you withdraw at the end of the week. Additional funds deposited within the week will generate interest in the next week.

Loans

You can borrow fiat currency such as USD, EUR, GBP, and CHF against your crypto assets. The loan-to-value (LTV) ratio is 90%, and you really cannot get that anywhere else. You can also use lower LTV ratios. They support over 20 coins as collateral, and you can borrow fiat currency or stablecoins (as mentioned earlier).

They have unique exit strategies based on the price down limit (PDL)—a “Stop Loss-Esque” feature used to curtail losses and close positions. If your collateral falls to a certain point below the PDL, they hold the right to sell the collateral to close the loan.

You will be notified via email if your PDL drops below 70% of your collateral.

Read more: My in-depth review of YouHodler

If your collateral price rises, you can choose to take profit at a price level. When that happens, YouHodler can sell your collateral, repay the loan and send the remaining amount to your wallet automatically. Interest rates range between 2.5% and 12.5% depending on the loan duration.

Turbocharge

This unique feature enables you to set off a cascade of loans. You can use borrowed fiat to buy crypto assets which can then be used as collateral to secure another loan. Crypto assets available for this feature include BTC, ETH, LINK, BNB, and XRP.

MultiHodl

The Multihodl feature allows experienced traders to multiply funds through a series of processes that mostly involve predicting selected currency pairs’ likely trajectories.

Universal currency conversion

Tying all the previous features together is YouHodler’s universal conversion feature. This allows clients to convert any currency on the platform to any other currency pair without limitations. Fees are reasonable and as low as 0.5% per conversion.

2. Crypto.com

crypto com

Crypto.com is on a mission to fast-track mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies. So far, they have done an excellent job: catering to the crypto-initiated, newcomers and merchants using a variety of financial protocols in their full-grown ecosystem.

There are two native tokens, namely MCO and CRO.

  • MCO- utility token; used to improve stakes and investment yields.
  • CRO- a cross-asset intermediary currency used to settle asset swaps on the chain. You can stake it to earn as well.

Crypto.com’s key features include:

Credit

Like other lending platforms, you can get up to 50% of stablecoins such as USDT, TUSD, and Paxos by supplying BTC, ETH, LTC, MCO, XRP, CRO as collateral. You can also cut your annual interest rate by staking more than 500 MCO tokens. here are the details.

Crypto Earn

With Crypto Earn, you can supply numerous coins and stablecoins to earn interest.

APYs at the time of writing

  • On supported stablecoins: up to 12%
  • On BTC: 6.5%
  • On Eth: 5.5%
  • On Crypto.com Coin: 6%
  • Other altcoins: 3%

What’s more, you can calculate your credit and earnings with an in-built APY calculator.

Web and mobile wallet support for trading

Crypto.com provides a non-custodial wallet for both android and iOS users to manage their crypto assets. The app contains an in-built Binance-Esque market analysis function that supports more than 200 coins. This enables swift analysis and management of your coins.

You can exchange assets in the spot, margin, and derivatives markets.

Crypto.com’s tentacles extend to DeFi as well. You can set up your wallet, and stake your coins in several DeFi protocols.

Visa cards

By acquiring Crypto.com’s Visa card, you can spend your coins in shops that accept crypto as payment. These cards come in colors, and they are—in ascending order of luxury– Blue, Ruby, Green, Gold, and Obsidian. One that stands out in terms of affordability and juicy features is the Ruby card.

MCO Ruby card

By staking only 50 MCO tokens to get this metal card, you can enjoy the following benefits:

  • 2% Cashback on all purchases
  • Free monthly Spotify subscription.
  • Up to $400 monthly in ATM withdrawals at zero cost.
  • $4000 monthly interbank exchange rate.
  • Note that you can withdraw your stake at any time, but your cashback benefit will fall to 1%, and there will be no monthly Spotify sub.
  • 1 MCO = $3.23 at the time of writing

Security

Each lending platform has different measures put in place to minimize the risk of thefts, employee frauds, and other security breaches.

YouHodler

  • YouHodler partners with Elliptic and CipherTrace to monitor transactions, prevent laundering, fraud schemes, terrorism, etc., and LedgerVault insurance protocol to ensure all crypto assets in a $150 million insurance pool.
  • Anyone can request 3FA which locks withdrawals unless verified manually by the client.
  • YouHodler users a mixture of hot and cold storage wallets to ensure funds are never kept 100% online.

Crypto.com

  • They secure 100% of cryptocurrencies in cold storage.
  • They are partners with Ledger—a global authority in security solutions for blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
  • Like others, crypto assets are insured with a $100 million policy via Arch’s Underwriting at Lloyd’s syndicate.
  • They use 2-factor authentication.
  • They are verified with several standard information and security management protocols.

Pros and Cons

YouHodler Pros

  • They support crypto-crypto and crypto-fiat currency conversions.
  • No utility tokens.
  • They offer up to 12% APY on stablecoins.
  • Weekly compound interest.
  • Highly safe and monitored.
  • Flexible loan repayment options.
  • Immediate withdrawal.
  • No credit checks.
  • Dispute resolution via the Blockchain Association and the Financial Commission.
  • Insurance using Ledger Vault $150 million of insurance
  • iOS and Android app
  • More transparent than most competitors
  • 24/7 customer support

YouHodler Cons

  • $100 minimum savings deposit.
  • Relatively short track record
  • Not available to USA or China clients right now

Crypto.com Pros

  • Interest on Crypto Earn is paid daily.
  • They support a wider range of supported fiat and cryptocurrencies.
  • User-friendly app with market analysis.
  • Compound interest on savings.
  • Composite metal card with juicy features.
  • Low trading fees

Crypto.com Cons

  • A minimum deposit of $200
  • Unavailable in Switzerland, Malta, and North Korea
  • Stablecoin USDT is not supported for US users.
  • Significant stablecoin restrictions for Singapore users.

Bottom line

While these crypto-lending platforms keep offering mouthwatering deals, it is important to assess your needs clearly to choose the ideal platform. Recall: individual wallets are not FDIC-insured on none of these platforms; as such, it would be prudent to invest what you can afford to lose.

My current view is that:

YouHodler is best suited for those looking to invest more than $100 to earn APYs weekly, borrow cheap loans for projects, and multiply capital by actively trading using the multi-hodl feature and Turbocharge features.

Crypto.com is best suited for experienced crypto traders looking for diverse investment opportunities all in one place.

Filed under: Cryptoassets, Money

The Best Online Bank Accounts in Europe in 2025

Last updated: December 23, 20244 Comments

online bank accounts in europe

Online banks are all the rage these days, as they tend to be very straightforward to get signed up with, in comparison to traditional banks. They also provided better user interfaces on smartphones as well as lower fees. All in all, the personal or business user ends up getting a much better deal when compared to a traditional bank.

If you travel a lot or work with multiple currencies, the advantages are even bigger, as many online banks are able to exchange money seamlessly within their mobile app, with better rates than those offered by your local banks.

Read more: The Best Crypto-Friendly banks in Europe

I’ve had some bad experiences with banks in Malta (extreme levels of due diligence and no support for crypto transactions) and also banks in Spain (unprofessionalism, unexpected charges, outright discrimination and account closures).

The truth is that traditional banking is not going through its finest moment, and many European countries have a collection of shitty banks, being honest, and it’s wiser to use one of these online banks than hassle with the local banks.

Here are some of the best ones that I’ve had the pleasure of using over the past years, and that I continue to use in 2022.

Revolut

Revolut sign up

Read more: my in-depth review of Revolut

Revolut offers digital banking services through a contactless card or free mobile app that is available to both Apple and Android users.

It allows users to make transactions in over 150 currencies at the interbank exchange rate, while also allowing standard users to transfer money abroad in over 30 fiat currencies with the bonus of no hidden fees for transactions of up to €6,000 each rolling month. The standard account also allows ATM withdrawals at no fee for up to €200 per month.

I’ve had a Revolut account ever since they’ve launched and have encountered zero problems with them. They also allow you to buy and sell trade cryptocurrencies, although you cannot withdraw said crypto to your self-custody wallets.

Open a Revolut account

N26

n26

N26, a German bank with the very latest technology and an amazing mobile app through which you manage your account.

I recommend opening an account with N26, which is a new breed of bank that is totally app-based. This is the future of banking, so they give you best-in-class digital facilities such as an app and website to go with it, while also helping you track your expenses.

Read my in-depth review of N26 for more information.

If you live in Spain and you’re looking for the best commission-free Spanish banks, N26 is a great choice. This is because you will get a Spanish IBAN, which makes it easy to work with direct debits with local enterprises.

Open an N26 account

Wise

Transferwise Borderless Review

Before you move abroad consider opening a TransferWise multi-currency account. You get your own free local bank account details in Europe, UK, US, Australia and New Zealand so you can have a local bank account before arriving.

It’s a great multi-currency account solution and is perfect for those who conduct business in multiple currencies.

It comes with a debit card so you can pay and withdraw money at ATMs once you come to Spain with much lower fees than with your bank.

Read my full Wise Borderless review or go ahead and open an account using the link below.

Open a Wise account

Tips to Follow When Buying Products and Services in Foreign Currencies

Whenever you are abroad and the country where you’re at has a different currency than your home currency, you will need to keep a few things in mind. The same applies when you’re buying online from a website that shows its prices in a different currency than your home country.

To give some practical examples, if you’re from a Eurozone country and you are shopping in the UK, the advice below will apply to you. The same holds true if you’re a Eurozone resident and are buying products from a UK-based website such as Amazon.co.uk.

  • Your local bank will use its own exchange rates and charge you a currency conversion fee for every transaction (purchase) you make. Avoid such charges and get better rates by using the Revolut card. Revolut will give you the real exchange rate with no surprise fees when you spend or send money globally.
  • Always pay in local currency whenever the choice is given. Many business owners and ATMs participate in a practice called DCC, Dynamic Currency Conversion. With this (anti-)service, the payable amount is being converted to the card’s currency. This usually comes at a premium of 4-5 percent. Advocates of DCC argue, that this is an extra service, so the cardholder would know the final price in their familiar currency.

Sometimes when you use an ATM abroad, you will be asked to choose between a ‘credit’, ‘checking’ or ‘savings’ account. You should always choose either a ‘checking’ or ‘savings’ account.

If the ATM (or card terminal) asks whether you would like to complete the transaction ‘with conversion’ or ‘without conversion’, you should ALWAYS choose ‘without conversion‘.

As a rule of thumb, you should always opt to be charged in the local currency of the country you’re in! If you’re in Thailand choose Thai Baht, in Spain, Euros or in the United States, Dollars.

If you choose ‘with conversion’, the merchant or ATM provider can apply their own exchange rate. This rate usually has a mark-up on the interbank rate, enabling the ATM provider or merchant to make a profit on your transaction.

ATM withdrawals are free up to £200 (or currency equivalent) per calendar month. A 2% fee applies thereafter.

Currency conversion is done at live interbank rate with no fees up to £5000 (or currency equivalent) per calendar month. A 0.5% fee applies thereafter. At the weekend (Friday 00:00 – Sunday 23:59) Revolut applies a small mark up on the spot rate as the Forex markets are closed. They take the rate from Friday 00:00 and apply a 0.5% mark up on major currencies and 1.0% on other currencies to protect the company from potential losses due to a large fluctuation in the rate. For illiquid currencies like Russian Ruble and Thai Baht, there is 1.5% mark up on weekend.

Do you have any other tips to share? Let us know in the comments section below.

Filed under: Banking, Money

Altrady Review: a Powerful Tool for Demanding Traders

Last updated: April 02, 20241 Comment

Altrady

Experienced blockchain investors and crypto traders know very well how important it is to be equipped with the right tools for the job.

In the highly volatile cryptocurrency market, the prices of assets change so fast that using a subpar exchange can cost you time and money. That’s why traders who are focused on making serious gains prefer to make trades through high-quality crypto trading platforms like Altrady, which provide the users with a large number of extra features compared to typical crypto trading platforms.

From this article, you will learn what the core idea behind Altrady is and how using a premium crypto trading platform like Altrady can help traders maximize their profits while saving them a lot of time. You will get to know all the most essential features of the platform which combined together make Altrady a crypto trading powerhouse. The article also discusses the affordability of Altrady pricing plans and the groundbreaking new functions that will be added to the Altrady crypto trading platform in the near future.

Altrady overview

Altrady

Altrady is a cryptocurrency trading platform developed with a single goal in mind: to make crypto trading easily accessible to everyone. It’s a powerful set of tools that can be used together with most of the popular crypto exchanges on the market.

The crypto ecosystem is dominated by exchanges that weren’t really created to cater to demanding traders, but to simple retail investors who just want to buy some crypto and hold it for a long time. Altrady, on the other hand, is a trading platform made specifically for traders and by traders: all the features of Altrady are designed to make the life of crypto traders easier, their risk smaller, and their profits bigger.

Unlike a large number of platforms that only provide the basic functionality of buying and selling crypto, Altrady allows people to benefit from a large number of extra features. Because of the powerful trading tools integrated into Altrady, crypto traders are able to gain a better insight into the market, make more informed trades, save a lot of time and make more money.

Main features of Altrady

Altrady

Smart Trading

Altrady comes with a large number of tools allowing traders to utilize advanced trading strategies. Some of the options such as the Take Profit Order are intended to help traders optimize their gains and make maximum profit out of rapid price movements. Other options like the Trailing Stop Order allow you to mitigate risks and protect your gains.

Web Trading

Altrady allows people to trade crypto anywhere and at any time. Not only is the Altrady application available for all the popular desktop and mobile systems, but you can also use the web platform accessible from any device. With Altrady you don’t have to worry about ever again missing a great opportunity.

Trading Analytics

Most traders lose money by making trades without having sufficient information. Altrady provides instant and effortless access to high-quality historical data and market analytics, enabling traders to have full insight before making a trade.

Altrady

Real-Time Market Data and Alerts

In a highly volatile ecosystem like crypto, getting the right info is just as important as getting it on time. Traders using Altrady gain access to instant alerts informing them about all the important price movements.

Multi-Exchange

Altrady can be integrated with almost all of the most popular exchanges such as Binance, Coinbase, Huobi, BitMex, and many more. You no longer have to choose between exchanges, and you don’t have to waste time learning how to use a new platform.

Portfolio Manager

One of the most important things for crypto traders is keeping track of all their trades and investments. Altrady includes a clear and beautifully-presented portfolio that allows the users to effortlessly keep track of all their current assets and the history of their trades.

Altrady

Quick Scan

Quick Scan is a feature that allows traders to be immediately notified about price movements with the potential for scalping opportunities and other possible profits. Whether the price goes up or down, Quick Scan will notice it and inform you of all the important events on the market.

Crypto Base Scanner

Crypto Base Scanner is a powerful tool designed specifically to help traders greatly improve their profits while using the QFL trading strategy. Crypto Base Scanner scans the market for preferable entry points and automatically notifies the user when it notices an opportunity to make a profit with the QFL strategy.

Pricing

Greatly expanded functionality when compared to free exchanges and trading platforms naturally comes at a price. However, Altrady offers a great price to value ratio because the small subscription cost allows traders to increase their profits massively. Furthermore, Altrady allows the traders to select from three different pricing plans and choose the one that suits their needs best.

Altrady Pricing

Basic plan includes all the core features of Altrady and costs only €14.95 a month. Traders utilizing the basic plan are entitled to almost all Altrady functionalities apart from some advanced trading strategies and analytics.

Essential plan provides almost all Altrady functions at an accessible price of €29.95 a month. Almost all features are included in this plan, except for two premium features: Base Scanner and Quick Scanner.

Premium plan is intended for the most professional and demanding traders. This plan costs €44.95 a month and includes all the features of the previous plans, while also adding two elite-level tools: Base Scanner and Quick Scanner. These scanners allow the traders to greatly increase their profits by making it extremely easy to find attractive tokens to trade.

Dedicated traders focused on making the most profit can get a 30% discount by purchasing an annual plan instead of a monthly plan. But that’s not all: every crypto trader is entitled to a 14 days Free Crypto Trading Subscription Trial – you can try Altrady with no obligations at all, and purchase a subscription only after you see for yourself how the platform can improve your gains.

Features coming soon to Altrady

Altrady

One of the reasons why Altrady is so quickly gaining popularity among cryptocurrency enthusiasts is that the exchange is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the most demanding crypto traders. New features are introduced on a regular basis, in order to keep up to date with the ever-evolving needs of the crypto community.

Before the end of Q1 2021, Altrady will introduce a large number of new features:

  • Manual Smart Positions
  • Trading Bot Positions
  • Signals Bot
  • Grid Bot

These new features will allow the Altrady users to benefit from the full power of automated trading. Advanced algorithms will enable the traders to improve their profits even further, all while saving them a lot of time and mitigating the risks.

Summary

Altrady’s growing popularity among crypto traders is obvious when we analyze all its features. A massive number of powerful tools integrated into Altrady empower the traders with a large number of benefits. A massive boost to profits will be most important to most people, but Altrady also works great at reducing the risks related to highly volatile markets and making the entire process of trading crypto more time-efficient.

A popular crypto motto says “don’t trust, verify”. You can verify the usefulness of Altrady yourself with the 14 days Free Crypto Trading Subscription Trial, which allows everyone to try Altrady entirely for free with no obligations at all. Altrady is an excellent investment in your crypto trader career, and the 30% discount for all plans while purchasing a yearly subscription makes this investment affordable to anyone.

You can also use the discount code GALEA to get 10% off any plan at checkout.

Sign up to Altrady

Filed under: Cryptoassets, Money

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Jean Galea

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