How to buy Ethereum
Ethereum (ETH) trades on 66 centralized exchanges with live markets; their combined 24-hour volume is $13.79B. Below are the general steps, where the coin trades and how to store it.
Crypto assets are high-risk: the price can fall sharply and you can lose all the money you put in. This is reference material, not a recommendation to buy or sell Ethereum. The decision is yours alone.
How to buy Ethereum: 5 steps
Choose an exchange
Pick an exchange where ETH trades (see the list below) and check that it operates in your country and is licensed or registered with your local regulator.
Sign up and verify
Create an account and complete identity verification (KYC): without it most exchanges do not accept deposits in fiat currency. Turn on two-factor authentication.
Fund your account
Deposit money by bank transfer, card or P2P, or send a stablecoin from another wallet. Compare the fees of each method before you pay.
Buy ETH
In the spot market choose a pair such as ETH/USDT and buy with a market or limit order. Futures and leverage are not buying the coin — they are high-risk trading.
Store it and protect the seed phrase
Coins on an exchange are the exchange's obligation to you. For long-term storage move ETH to your own wallet. Write the seed phrase down offline, never share it or type it into a website: whoever knows it controls the funds.
Where Ethereum trades
| Exchange | 24h volume | Pairs | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| CoinUp.io | $1.98B | ETH/USDT | 0.01 % |
| BTCC | $1.38B | ETH/USDT, ETH/USDC | 0.01 % |
| Binance | $912.38M | ETH/USDT, ETH/USDC, ETH/USD1 | 0.01 % |
| Tapbit | $601.49M | ETH/USDT, ETH/USDC | 0.01 % |
| Biconomy.com | $445.24M | ETH/USDT, ETH/USDC | 0.01 % |
| Gate | $398.42M | ETH/USDT | 0.01 % |
| WhiteBIT | $370.95M | ETH/USDT, ETH/USDC | 0.01 % |
| WEEX | $368.31M | ETH/USDT, ETH/USDC | 0.01 % |
| Pionex | $334.86M | ETH/USDT, ETH/BTC | 0.01 % |
| Coinbase Exchange | $329.82M | ETH/USD | 0.02 % |
| Deribit Spot | $329.25M | ETH/USDC | 0.01 % |
| KuCoin | $324.24M | ETH/USDT, ETH/USDC | 0.01 % |
| HTX | $315.06M | ETH/USDT | 0.01 % |
| OKX | $305.82M | ETH/USDT, ETH/USDC | 0.01 % |
| Crypto.com Exchange | $293.92M | ETH/USD, ETH/USDT | 0.01 % |
CoinGecko data: live markets of centralized exchanges only, without stale or anomalous tickers and DEXs, spread up to 2%, pair volume from $10K a day. Ordered by 24-hour volume; not a ranking or a recommendation. Data as of Nov 14, 2026, 04:43 PM UTC.
Ethereum networks and storage
Networks: Ethereum, Arbitrum One, Optimism, Base.
- Ethereum addresses look like Ethereum and other EVM addresses (0x…), so it is easy to send coins over the wrong network. Check the network before every withdrawal.
- ETH exists on several networks (Ethereum, Arbitrum One, Optimism, Base). The withdrawal network on the exchange and your wallet's network must match, otherwise the transfer can be lost.