One of the most important decisions you'll make about your digital assets is how you want to store them. Keeping track of the private keys that prove your ownership of cryptocurrencies is essential; if you lose them, you may never be able to recover your holdings.
A relatively simple way to hold onto your cryptocurrency is to outsource the storage to the exchange where you bought it or where you plan to trade it. Many leading platforms offer storage services, often enticing customers to do so with rewards and "staking" programs that allow them to earn more cryptocurrency.
Entrusting your cryptocurrency to a third party involves some risk. Exchanges can be victimized by hackers or subject to technical failures, and some have suffered costly losses. The collapse of FTX in November of 2022 is an example of how even seemingly established companies can quickly become insolvent given the uneven regulatory oversight of the industry.
Remember that cryptocurrencies are not generally subject to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage that protects your bank balance, nor are they eligible for Securities Investor Protection Corporation coverage like that held by traditional brokers. Some, but not all, exchanges have private insurance.
If you want maximum control over your assets and their security, you might want to consider "cold storage," in which you use a digital wallet that is not connected to the internet. We have reviewed some of the most popular wallets in our best crypto wallets roundup. But if you’re only holding relatively small amounts, or you’re not ready to dive into cold storage, exchanges have taken a variety of steps to make their customers feel comfortable.
NerdWallet did an in-depth examination of the storage options available on the best cryptocurrency exchanges we have reviewed. Among the factors we considered were insurance against the loss of crypto assets, the costs of using a platform, prior data security incidents and rewards offered by the different platforms. These exchanges are listed below, and the star ratings represent the provider's overall score.
One of the most important decisions you'll make about your digital assets is how you want to store them. Keeping track of the private keys that prove your ownership of cryptocurrencies is essential; if you lose them, you may never be able to recover your holdings.
A relatively simple way to hold onto your cryptocurrency is to outsource the storage to the exchange where you bought it or where you plan to trade it. Many leading platforms offer storage services, often enticing customers to do so with rewards and "staking" programs that allow them to earn more cryptocurrency.
Entrusting your cryptocurrency to a third party involves some risk. Exchanges can be victimized by hackers or subject to technical failures, and some have suffered costly losses. The collapse of FTX in November of 2022 is an example of how even seemingly established companies can quickly become insolvent given the uneven regulatory oversight of the industry.
Remember that cryptocurrencies are not generally subject to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage that protects your bank balance, nor are they eligible for Securities Investor Protection Corporation coverage like that held by traditional brokers. Some, but not all, exchanges have private insurance.
If you want maximum control over your assets and their security, you might want to consider "cold storage," in which you use a digital wallet that is not connected to the internet. We have reviewed some of the most popular wallets in our best crypto wallets roundup. But if you’re only holding relatively small amounts, or you’re not ready to dive into cold storage, exchanges have taken a variety of steps to make their customers feel comfortable.
NerdWallet did an in-depth examination of the storage options available on the best cryptocurrency exchanges we have reviewed. Among the factors we considered were insurance against the loss of crypto assets, the costs of using a platform, prior data security incidents and rewards offered by the different platforms. These exchanges are listed below, and the star ratings represent the provider's overall score.
