How to Buy Crypto in Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Europe, Singapore, India

Investing in cryptocurrencies comes with risk, but it also comes with the potential for a higher payoff. While on your journey to “Lambo and Moon,” you may eventually find yourself traveling or living in one of these countries. In this article, we will look at how to buy crypto while in these locations.

Sometimes our journey in life can bring us to interesting places for work, travel, or something else. Whether you are a seasoned crypto HODLer or someone who is just starting out, you may not know what to do when you are abroad and want to buy and exchange Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency. To get you headed in the right direction, let’s go over the various exchanges in each of these countries.

Korea

Gopax is probably one of the most commonly used exchanges for foreigners in Korea. Also, it is relatively easy to make a bank account in Korea (if you’re staying for a while). With Gopax, you are able to link your Korean bank account, which is quick and easy. This allows you to make deposits and withdrawals from the exchange to your bank, and from your bank to physical cash.

One of the biggest exchanges in Korea is Bithumb, but seems to be geared more toward local citizens. I had an account here before; but the last time I checked, you need to get some special documents from a particular bank (Shinhan Bank) if you want to have an account. I’m assuming this is for tax purposes.

Upbit is another top exchange in Korea. They have the largest market share and are backed by one of the largest companies in South Korea – Kakao.

Japan

One of the newest crypto exchanges in Japan is Taotao. Yahoo Japan is a large stakeholder in this platform. Taotao touts features like “zero fees for virtual currency transactions,” margin trading and a mobile app available for IOS and Android users.

Coincheck allows users to buy and sell Bitcoin using bank transfers or credit cards. The fee for using a credit card may vary. They also have leveraged trading and support various altcoins like Lisk (LSK), NEM (XEM), and Ripple (XRP).

Bitflyer has a large number of users and daily volume – maybe due to their extremely low fees (ranging from free to 0.15%). At the time of this post, Bitflyer has temporarily (and voluntarily) suspended the onboarding of new customers for Japanese residents, but its entity for customers with US residence is unaffected.

Vietnam

BitcoinVN provides a gateway for Vietnamese Dong (VND) to be converted into cryptocurrency. They also show you a list of Bitcoin ATMs that are located in Vietnam – pretty cool! BitcoinVN’s trading platform has VND, USDT, and BTC pairs available.

eToro is also an alternative option that lists Vietnam as a supported country. eToro gives you the chance to trade with a “practice” account, and they also offer a product called “CopyPortfolios” if you are not confident in your own investing or trading abilities.

Thailand

coins.co.th advertises itself as the first crypto exchange in Thailand with its own mobile app. They make it possible for users to purchase Bitcoin “via bank deposit, online transfer, cash transfer machines, or any ATMs nationwide.”

Bitcoin Co. Ltd. is another popular platform in Thailand. They have migrated their trading services to bx.in.th, which has positive reviews on BitTrust and seems to be a trusted exchange.

Myanmar

Remitano is available In Myanmar and also has a mobile app. Looking at their website, it appears to be a peer-to-peer marketplace (like LocalBitcoins) for people in Myanmar. However, there are no buy or sell orders available at the moment due to what appears to be a lack of users.

The better place to buy cryptocurrency in Myanmar appears to be Coindirect, which allows users to buy and sell crypto with MMK (also known as Burmese Kyat). Coindirect supports “more than 41 cryptocurrencies using MMK,” and they also have a mobile app available in the App Store or on Google Play.

Myanmar may not have a strong, local crypto exchange available at the moment; but people still trade crypto here too. There are Facebook groups and pages (like this one) where you can link up with other people buying and selling cryptocurrencies locally.

Europe

Coinbase is available for many European countries like France, Italy, Spain, and more (see the full list of supported countries here). If you are already a Coinbase user, you won’t need to make a new account with a different platform – making this a convenient option.

Kraken is one of the most well-known exchanges in crypto. They have been around for over 5+ years. SEPA, SWIFT, and bank wires are the common methods that users can utilize to deposit their fiat.

CEX.io services many countries around the world and is also holding the proper licenses and registrations to be legally compliant in many of these countries (eg., UK, USA, etc.). They offer both a brokerage service and a trading platform. You can buy crypto with fiat using a credit card, a wire transfer, or a SEPA transfer (for those in the EU). Some of their supported coins include: Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin Gold (BTG), Dash (DASH), Stellar (XLM), and Ripple (XRP).

Singapore

Luno is an exchange based in Singapore that also has a “Learning Portal” for users to learn about Bitcoin, Ethereum, and cryptocurrencies in general. According to their blog post, “The Securities Commission (SC) of Malaysia has conditionally approved Luno’s application as a ‘Recognized Market Operator’ (Digital Asset Exchange).” It is also possible to use Luno in Europe and other countries.

Coinhako has received investments from Tim Draper (Draper Associates), Josh Jones (Dreamhost), and Boost VC. They offer a custodial wallet, a mobile app, and instant BTC trades with SGD.

India

There has been plenty of news and speculation about bans in India, so there may be questions about how to buy crypto in India – but fear not! WazirX’s P2P service enables users the ability to buy USDT with INR. For example, here is a visual aid about how WazirX P2P works:

Coinmama is based in Israel, but is available for crypto traders and investors located in India as well. This platform offers the ability to buy cryptocurrencies with credit cards or bank transfers.

Bitbns also utilizes a P2P system for deposits and withdrawals. With Bitbns, you are able to deposit INR via UPI, NEFT, RTGS, and IMPS. They have a nice looking UI and offer a decent selection of trading pairs.

And of course, you can always opt to purchase cryptocurrencies using a credit card through exchanges like Binance and Kucoin from any country in the world (that has an internet connection). Using a credit card will, most likely, come at a higher cost. After acquisition of your new digital assets, you will want to keep these investments safe. If you are just starting out, then it would be good to learn how to use a Bitcoin wallet with this article by Ani.