Five Bitcoin exchanges Thai traders trusted most in 2019

This article is from March 2019 and describes the market as it stood then. Several of the exchanges below have since changed substantially or closed — Bittrex ceased operations in 2023, and bx.in.th had already shut down. Treat it as a record of the period rather than current advice.

Bitcoin's run showed no sign of stopping — it passed 4,000 US dollars a coin this month and looked likely to climb further. Anyone already in this field understood that this was a good moment to speculate, and had a decent exchange to hand already. But beginners wanting to try investing in Bitcoin may not have been confident about which exchange to choose. So here are the five Bitcoin exchanges Thai traders used most, as a guide.

Bitfinex

A European exchange that attracted a lot of Thai interest. Trading fees were very low at just 0.10%, and it offered over 300 coin pairs. Occasionally some coins traded above the usual price, which did leave investors with questions.

Binance

An exchange for Bitcoin and other digital coins, with new coins added constantly and up to 130 currency pairs. It could be traded through phone apps on both iOS and Android, and holding BNB, the exchange's own coin, reduced trading fees to 0.25%. It also ran coin giveaways, votes on which coins to list, and various prize draws.

Bitkub

The exchange Thai traders trusted most after bx.in.th closed. Bitkub offered order-book trading across more than 23 coin pairs with very low trading fees — and for anyone not comfortable working in a foreign language, a Thai-language interface.

Bittrex

For anyone who preferred an American exchange. Daily trading volume ran to around 27 billion baht, with close to 300 pairs available and trading fees of just 0.25%.

Poloniex

What set this one apart was coin lending with interest. Daily volume was around 21 billion baht. If you wanted to try lending crypto out, this one suited; if you preferred fast, responsive service, another exchange was probably the better choice.

Whichever you choose, research the details properly first, so that the choice is an efficient and a safe one.