Who is EasyCrypto?
EasyCrypto is a Bitcoin and cryptocurrency brokerage based in New Zealand.
It was founded by Alan and Janine - a local brother and sister pair who started the site back in 2018.
I was actually one of the early users of EasyCrypto in 2018 after Alan reached out to me, looking for local crypto investors to try the service.
At the time I was using Independent Reserve - an Australian exchange - because all our options in NZ didn't feel reliable enough for me.
My feelings were justified as we had Cryptopia, which has since been hacked and shut down, BitPrime, which has since gone bankrupt and myBitcoinSaver, which has since shut down.
I had quite a few conversations with Alan about the site before eventually trying it and found it quite good.
It has only improved since then to grow into the go-to service in New Zealand for locals to buy crypto.
They deal in over 160 cryptocurrencies which you can buy instantly with NZD using a bank transfer or credit or debit card, are a registered NZ Financial Services Provider, and now operate in four countries.
In this article, I'll go over all the different features EasyCrypto has to offer, how to use it to seamlessly buy and sell crypto, and how they compare to other options available to NZers today.
How To Buy Crypto With EasyCrypto
EasyCrypto is a full service brokerage.
This is different from an exchange where you buy and sell crypto from other people.
Instead, you simply place the order and EasyCrypto will fill it for you at the market price.
EasyCrypto will also take a fee, which is built into the purchase price (around 0.9%).
Here's how it works:
Head to the EasyCrypto Buy/Sell tab and choose which currency you want.
In the screenshot below, I'm purchasing $500 NZD worth of Ethereum (ETH).
You will then need to input a wallet address to have your crypto delivered to.
Setting Up Your Wallet
Unlike many other exchanges and brokerages, EasyCrypto does NOT hold assets for you.
It is purely a buy/sell platform.
This means you will need to set up your own crypto wallet to receive your crypto.
If you like, you can get them to deliver it to one of your accounts on a different brokerage or exchange.
Otherwise, you should set up your own private wallet using a tool like Exodus, or use a hardware wallet like Trezor.
You can read my guide on Bitcoin/crypto wallets here.
This Is For Your Safety
A common saying in the crypto community is "Not your keys, not your coins."
This refers to the private keys of a crypto wallet, which control access to your crypto.
The problem with keeping your crypto on an exchange is the exchange has control of your private keys. If the exchange is hacked, or goes bankrupt, you lose your crypto. This has happened countless times over the years, such as Mt Gox, Bitfinex, BlockFi, Celsius, Voyager, and even NZ exchange Cryptopia.
EasyCrypto's method of delivering crypto is in fact the safest way, because it goes straight to a private wallet, ensuring you have full custody of your assets from the beginning.
Paying For Your Order
The next step is payment.
EasyCrypto accepts four different methods of payment.
- Bank transfer (free)
- Poli (free)
- Account2Account ($0.50)
- Credit/debt card ($0.34 + 2.67%)
Once you have paid for your order, it will be delivered to your wallet, usually within a few minutes to an hour, depending on the crypto.
What Are The Fees?
There are two types of fees you pay when ordering with EasyCrypto.
Network fees
These are fees required to send transactions on the blockchain of whichever currency you have chosen.
For example, if you are purchasing ETH, EasyCrypto will be required to pay a "gas" fee on the Ethereum network in order to send your ETH to your wallet.
EasyCrypto will pass this fee onto you and they will be included in your order price.
Brokerage fees
EasyCrypto takes a brokerage fee on each order.
In this example, you can see the brokerage fee is 0.71%, and includes my 10% loyalty discount (which you get after a certain level of lifetime spend).
How To Sell Your Crypto
When you wish to sell your crypto back into NZD, you can request the sale through EasyCrypto.
Simply enter the amount you wish to sell, EasyCrypto will offer you a price and you lock the order in.
Then you will send your crypto to the address provided, and EasyCrypto will deposit the payment into your bank account.
OTC Trading
OTC stands for "over the counter" and refers to trading in very high quantities which are not suitable for exchanges or regular brokerage.
EasyCrypto has an OTC service for orders over $100,000 NZD.
If you plan on trading in high quantities, you can use EasyCrypto as your OTC provider to give you peace of mind, knowing your money is going through a registered NZ Financial Services Provider.
It's also a testament to the capacity and safety of EasyCrypto's infrastructure that they can safely handle such trades.
Other Features
Tracker
EasyCrypto has a tracking feature that tells you how much you've invested, how much you're worth and what your returns are.
This is a helpful feature for keeping track of your investments in NZD.
If you also make purchases on other platforms, you can manually add additional purchases to include them in your statistics.
Hardware Wallets
EasyCrypto also retails hardware wallets, which can save you from importing them from overseas.
Let me exclaim that best practice is to always buy hardware wallets directly from the manufacturer so you know they are not tampered with.
However, I have spoken to Alan about this and he assures me his products come directly from manufacturer straight to EasyCrypto.
While I still always recommend buying from the manufacturer, having hardware wallets readily in NZ and available is still very handy and if you are happy to buy from a third party, EasyCrypto would be one of the safer options in NZ.
If you do purchase from EasyCrypto, always ensure the packet is factory sealed, and the wallet itself still has its holographic manufacturer seal on it. There will also be a check when you first boot up the wallet and connect it to the wallet software, which will be able to confirm if it's indeed a brand new wallet and it's being booted up for the first time.
Auto Invest
Auto invest is a feature that lets you set up recurring purchases.
Simply set up an automatic deposit from your bank account, set up with coins you want to buy, and EasyCrypto will take care of the rest.
Dollar cost averaging is generally a good strategy in volatile markets, and as crypto can often be unpredictable this might be a helpful strategy for those of you who are more risk-averse.
How Does EasyCrypto Compare To Other Services?
There aren't many NZ crypto brokerages operating today, and EasyCrypto is the only NZ owned and operated one that I personally am comfortable using.
However, there are many international services that allow NZ customers.
In this section, I have compared EasyCrypto with three of the most popular, all of which I have personal experience with. They are:
All three of these allow NZ customers, are registered within NZ and allow trading in NZD.
In the table below, I've calculated the cost of buying a specific amount of different cryptos (BTC, ETH, DOGE and USDT) at each provider.
Keep in mind that buying in NZD on Binance and Crypto.com is only available with credit/debit card, which includes a higher fee.
Independent Reserve allows SWIFT deposits of NZD, meaning you can purchase directly with cash.
Currency | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
0.01 BTC | $356 | $355.24 | $366.79 | $369.85 |
1 ETH | $2,440 | $2,424 | $2,511.30 | $2,547.86 |
10,000 DOGE | $1,327 | $1,325.71 | $1,366.42 | $1,395.30 |
1,000 USDT | $1,570 | $1,564.41 | $1,614.38 | $1,642.02 |
ORDER SCREENSHOTS (CLICK TO OPEN)
CRYPTO.COM
INDEPENDENT RESERVE
BINANCE
EASYCRYPTO
BINANCE
EASYCRYPTO
CRYPTO.COM
INDEPENDENT RESERVE
BINANCE
EASYCRYPTO
CRYPTO.COM
INDEPENDENT RESERVE
CRYPTO.COM
INDEPENDENT RESERVE
BINANCE
EASYCRYPTO
As you can see with all orders, Independent Reserve is the cheapest across the board, very closely followed by EasyCrypto, usually by a difference of a dollar or two.
Binance is then third cheapest, while Crypto.com is the most expensive for all examples.
However, while the order price might be the cheapest on Independent Reserve, there are other costs with Independent Reserve you should be aware of.
When you factor these in, EasyCrypto may still turn out to be cheaper for you in many cases.
Costs involved with exchanges
Independent Reserve (and Binance and Crypto.com) hold your assets for you, whereas EasyCrypto delivers them straight to your wallet.
This means to get your assets into your own wallet with these other providers, you need to go through the extra step of withdrawing them manually.
This will cost you a withdrawal fee.
For example, to withdraw your USDT to your own wallet from Independent Reserve will cost you a withdrawal fee of $9 USDT (around $16 NZD).
Therefore, if you plan on actually using your USDT, EasyCrypto will be the cheaper choice.
The same goes for every other currency. Here are the withdrawal fees for Independent Reserve:
- Bitcoin (withdrawal fee 0.0003 BTC)
- Ethereum (withdrawal fee 0.003 ETH)
- Doge (withdrawal fee 5 DOGE)
- USDT (withdrawal fee 9 USDT)
- NZD (withdrawal fee NZD 20)
Also, keep in mind you need to send an international SWIFT payment to Independent Reserve if you want to trade in NZD, which from most NZ banks will cost you around $15.
When you factor in all these costs, EasyCrypto does tend to work out the cheaper option for most New Zealanders.
FAQ
Who is EasyCrypto?
EasyCrypto is an NZ owned and operated full service crypto brokerage. They are a registered NZ Financial Services Provider and deal in over 160 different cryptocurrencies. They operate in four countries (NZ, Australia, South Africa and Brazil).
Is EasyCrypto safe?
EasyCrypto does not hold your cryptocurrencies for you, so there are no safety concerns with custody. Orders are delivered straight to your private wallet. EasyCrypto has been operating as a registered crypto broker in NZ since 2018 with no known issues.
How do you buy crypto with EasyCrypto?
You can pay for your orders in NZD with bank transfer, Account2Account, Poli or debit/credit card. Once your order is paid, your coins will be sent directly to the address you chose in your order.
What cryptocurrencies can you buy with EasyCrypto?
All major cryptocurrencies are available, with many lesser known ones too. Over 160 cryptocurrencies are available.
Does EasyCrypto have good rates?
EasyCrypto has competitive rates. In our research, Independent Reserve had slightly better rates, but when factoring in withdrawal fees to get your crypto into your own wallet, and SWIFT fees to get NZD into your Independent Reserve account, EasyCrypto was the cheaper option.
What are EasyCrypto's fees?
EasyCrypto takes ~0.9% on each order, and this reduces with a loyalty discount and various tiers of lifetime spend. You will also pay network or gas fees, which are not fees paid to EasyCrypto but to the network validators of whichever currency you are purchasing.
Is there a minimum order with EasyCrypto?
Yes, the minimum order on EasyCrypto is $50 NZD.
Can you use stop loss orders on EasyCrypto?
As EasyCrypto is not a crypto exchange, there are no stop loss orders, limit orders, or margin trades. EasyCrypto is a full service brokerage, and only exists to execute buy/sell transactions on your behalf.
Can you set up automatic orders with EasyCrypto?
Yes, EasyCrypto has an automatic order feature that let's you set up regular purchases.
