Buy Bitcoin (BTC)

You can purchase Bitcoin right here on Independent Reserve.

Independent Reserve was established in 2013, only four years after Bitcoin. Over the past ten years, we have earned a stellar reputation as one of the best places to buy and sell cryptocurrencies. We offer competitively low fees and have a range of features for you to explore and use to improve your trading experience.

Create your account today and buy Bitcoin instantly on Independent Reserve, starting with as little as $10. After you deposit fiat currency into your trading account, you are ready to start buying Bitcoin. Please note: bank transfers can take a few days depending on your payment method. Unfortunately, we do not allow you to buy cryptocurrency with a credit or debit card.

Satoshi Nakamoto is an anonymous person whose identity is unknown.

Bitcoin was introduced in an online post by a mysterious person named “Satoshi Nakamoto”. The whitepaper was published on 31 October 2008 and presented the world’s first secure decentralised global digital currency. Over the past decade, Bitcoin’s adoption has been legendary. It is the pioneer of cryptocurrency and its invention has created a multi-trillion-dollar industry that has evolved in its wake.

Mining is the process of validating transactions and writing new blocks to the blockchain. It is also how new Bitcoin is created.

Bitcoin operates on a proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism to establish trust over a decentralised peer-to-peer network. It is a system of cryptography miners use to reach agreement and ensure that data is legitimate. Bitcoin provides a financial incentive to miners for maintaining the security of the network and upholding the integrity of the Bitcoin blockchain.

Miners validate and confirm transactions by solving a mathematical puzzle using a hashing algorithm called SHA-256. The first miner to generate the random number that matches the hash, gets to add their block to the blockchain. They are compensated for their work with the new Bitcoin that is minted and also keep the transaction fees contained within the block.

PoW is crucial to Bitcoin’s functionality. It allows miners to keep a synchronised copy of all transactions on the network and maintain an accurate record of accounts on the blockchain. It was the first consensus algorithm to be created and is the most robust system a blockchain can use. Bitcoin remains undefeated: it has never been hacked and the likelihood that even could be is, so far, impossible.

You can read more about how Bitcoin mining works here. For an even deeper dive, you can download a free copy of The People’s Money; written by Adam Tepper, co-founder of Independent Reserve.

A blockchain is an immutable database that is distributed over a decentralised network of computers.

Bitcoin is created, stored, exchanged and secured on the blockchain. It is an ever-expanding digital database that can be thought of as a giant vault in the cloud containing virtual safety deposit boxes. Each transaction is assigned a unique wallet address that points to the location of funds on the blockchain. They are accessed using private keys that unlock the virtual currency contained inside. Mathematically there is almost an infinite number of unique addresses that can be generated.

The blockchain was fundamentally designed to be transparent and censorship-resistant. To achieve this, Bitcoin keeps a permanent public record of accounts, where anyone can look, but not touch, the blockchain. A history of all Bitcoin transactions can be viewed openly on a Blockexplorer.

Relatively, no. Bitcoin is helping speed up the adoption of renewable energy as well as making an important contribution to the evolution of money.

There is a lot of misinformation about Bitcoin’s impact on the environment, however, that has been debunked if you dig a little deeper. According to the Bitcoin Mining Council, Bitcoin is the industry leader when it comes to saving the planet. It has a 58% sustainable energy mix and is becoming, even more, energy efficient every year.

It is key to note that the majority of Bitcoin’s energy is derived from sustainable energy and renewable sources. Bitcoin miners also use stranded energy that is otherwise wasted and lost into the earth’s atmosphere. By capturing methane gas and converting it into usable C02, which is 80x more potent to warming, Bitcoin is dramatically reducing carbon emissions.

It's true that mining Bitcoin requires a lot of power, but it is important to define where its power comes from while also recognising the significant contribution Bitcoin has made to our society. Bitcoin uses just 0.01% of the world’s total energy, to put this into perspective, Xmas lights and clothes dryers in the USA use more energy each year than Bitcoin, for example.

The smallest unit of a single Bitcoin is called a satoshi.

One satoshi is the same as 0.00000001 Bitcoin. You don't need to buy a whole Bitcoin, you could buy just $1 worth. There is a saying among Bitcoin traders: "Stacking sats", which means to gradually buy more Bitcoin over time.

Hodl is crypto slang for “hold on for dear life”.

A popular phrase among long-term Bitcoin investors is “just HODL!”. Originally “hodl” stems from an online forum where a user accidentally misspelt the word “hold”. The phrase stuck with the community, and also happens to be an acronym for “hold on for dear life”.

Bitcoin is called digital gold because it is a store of value. Like gold, Bitcoin is scarce and difficult to mine.

Bitcoin mining is a lot like gold mining. There is only a limited amount of it that can be mined, and it becomes increasingly difficult to mine as time goes on.

Mining gold is a lot of work. It takes time to find and remove gold from the ground. Similarly, mining Bitcoin uses a lot of energy and it gets more difficult as more people join the network.

Gold is kept in vaults for safety. Bitcoin is also stored securely, protected by the network of nodes. Because Bitcoin never leaves the blockchain, its supply can never be inflated. This is one of the primary reasons for Bitcoin being a desirable asset because its total supply can always be mathematically verified, which ensures it remains scarce.

Bitcoin has the key characteristics of a commodity.

Bitcoin can be used as a way to exchange goods and services. It is easily transportable, divisible, and widely recognisable. Bitcoin also has a store of value and most importantly, is impossible to counterfeit. There has never been an asset like it before.

Yes, we provide a secure cryptocurrency wallet on Independent Reserve.

When you buy Bitcoin on Independent Reserve, it will automatically appear in your trading account. It is safe to leave on the exchange, so you don’t need to set up a separate Bitcoin wallet. See how you can find your wallet address on Independent Reserve. Make sure you know how to choose a strong password to protect your account.

We provide world-class security features that include, two factor authentication (2FA), ISO 27001 certification, and top-tier underground vaults to protect your crypto assets.