Selecting the right exchange is particularly important when looking to purchase and sell Ethereum in a safe and secure environment. Crypto exchanges continue to be victims of hackers, which does leave traders exposed to the risk of loss of coins.
Key considerations in the selection of an appropriate exchange would be transaction fees, speed and security.
There are numerous exchanges that facilitate the trading of Ethereum, with Russian regulations currently allowing for traders to also buy and sell overseas.
Some of the more well-known exchanges include, but are not limited to:
Libertex
Although it is not an exchange, the broker provides Ethereum contract for differences (CFD’s) with the option to leverage your position. Liberetx has a user-friendly platform and compared to the complications of cryptocurrencies exchanges, the broker allows you to open an account and trade cryptos through a simple process.
Coinmama
Coinmama doesn’t offer RUB/ETH pairings, but allows buying and selling of Ethereum from Russia, with buyers and sellers subject to domestic regulations. Customers can buy with debit or credit card, with a 6% transaction fee. Coinmama is one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges and provides sizeable limits, with the only downside being the high transaction fee for debit and credit card purchases.
CEX.IO
Allows the purchase of cryptocurrencies by credit card with fees as low as 5.25%, when purchasing with Russian Rubles, whilst purchases with bank transfers are free of fees. The low credit card transaction fees make CEX.IO one of the most popular exchanges for credit card purchases of cryptocurrencies. The exchange also requires very little information for its first tier verification, which cap daily purchases to $400 per day and up to $2,000 per month, with credit card purchases instantaneous. While upgrading accounts result in lengthier verification processes, subsequent purchasing times improve.
Exmo
Considered to be a well-respected exchange, with a strong global presence, offering the RUB/ETH pairing. The platform is considered to be very user-friendly, with Exmo executing deposits and withdrawals instantly. In addition, security levels are considered appropriate, with commissions considered to be amongst the lowest in the market.
Ethereum and ICO in Russia
While some governments have been looking to clamp down on cryptocurrency trading, the Russian government is looking to legalize cryptocurrency trading, with the Russian Ministry of Finance, has drafted a Digital Assets Regulation Bill at the turn of the year. The Bill is designed to provide a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, ICOs, mining, and trading, with the government looking to protect non-licensed investors, by capping Initial Coin Offering investments to 500,000 Rubles, equivalent to US$9,000.
The amount was increased from an initial drafted 50,000 Ruble cap. The Bill is scheduled for July of this year, with the outcome likely to have a material impact on cryptocurrency holders, the cryptomarket, and the ICO market.
It’s also worth noting that the Russian government is in the process of also passing a law to ban the use of cryptocurrencies in place of fiat money, the intention being to provide the Russian Ruble with some protection.
While the ban on the use as an alternative to fiat money will likely remain, there are also amendments to the Bill to allow Russian investors to open accounts in overseas exchanges and to invest in non-domestic ICOs.
In the interest of opening the Russian ICO market, foreign investors are to also be permitted to invest in Russian initial coin offerings.
Plenty of debate remains however and the final version of the Bill may be vastly different to its current content and may fail to accommodate the desire of some government officials to free the market of any major regulations that could stifle the entrepreneurship seen in the ICO offerings today.
You only need to consider the Telegram ICO, which amassed a whopping $850m during its pre-sale this year, with the team planning to raise a total $2bn.
Ethereum is considered to be the most popular blockchain for token sales, with companies and projects raising funds through the ICO platform tending to only accept Ethereum coins in exchange for the tokens on offer.