The incredible cryptocurrency bull run of 2021 may be over but crypto seems to be surging again and adoption is ever increasing. PayPal and Square have begun to integrate cryptocurrency payments into their systems and large financial firms like BlackRock and Goldman Sachs have added cryptocurrency to their holdings. Yes, Bitcoin might not be making new all-time highs every week now, but that hasn’t stopped the rapid adoption of digital currencies.
Institutions sweeping up cryptocurrencies shows that interest is no longer reserved for shadowy corners of the internet. Bitcoin has gone mainstream and while that may disappoint some of the early adopters, it’s a necessary step for crypto to gain widespread acceptance. Believe it or not, it’s good for the long term prospects of Bitcoin and Ethereum if firms like Goldman and BlackRock are buying it.
If you’re a business owner, accepting payment in cryptocurrency is something worth considering as adoption grows. If nothing else, you should at least have a crypto brokerage account set up so you can both buy and sell digital currency and have an easy path toward accepting it when the time comes. Every business is different and some business owners will never truly feel comfortable accepting such a volatile asset as payment. But if cryptocurrency is an intriguing venture for your business, here are a few brokers and exchanges who can help you get started.
Best Crypto Accounts for Your Business
- Best for Active and Global Traders: Interactive Brokers
- Best for New Investors: Coinbase
- Best for Easy Onboarding: Gemini
- Best for Cryptocurrency Availability: Kraken
- Best for Businesses Wanting Exposure to Cryptocurrency: ICONOMI
- Best for Secure Accounts: Wirex
- Best for Broad Range of Crypto Assets: Paybis
- Best for Stocks and Crypto: Robinhood
If you’re opening an account for your business, you’ll need a few extra pieces of documentation that individuals don’t need to supply. For starters, you’ll likely need registration and tax documents from the country your business operates in, plus disclosures of majority owners. You’ll also need to use a business bank account to deposit funds into your business crypto account.
If you have all the proper documentation and want to get started, here are a few of Benzinga’s favorite cryptocurrency brokers for businesses. Like traditional bank and brokerage accounts, there’s no one-size-fits-all here - you’ll need to pick the crypto account that best matches your business needs.
Best for Active and Global Traders: Interactive Brokers
When you invest in crypto with Interactive Brokers, you can access tokens like Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, and more. You get low commissions, no added spreads and no markups. Plus, there’s plenty of information you can use to learn about the crypto market and build your portfolio properly.
Because you have access to so much information and functionality that can suit professionals, you can build a business portfolio through IBKR for all your clients, friends and colleagues.
Listmaker of Benzinga's FinTech Awards for Best Day Trading Software, Best Broker for Short Selling & Winner for Best Paper Trading Platform.
Pros
- IBKR works hard to cut back on issues that make investing difficult for you
- You should remember that this platform allows you to invest in more than crypto
- This platform can help financial advisors with their clients
Cons
- You are not guaranteed to get the best prices and fees on the specific investments you choose
Best for New Investors: Coinbase
Sum of median estimated savings and rewards earned, per user in 2021 across multiple Coinbase programs (excluding sweepstakes). This amount includes fee waivers from Coinbase One (excluding the subscription cost), rewards from Coinbase Card, and staking rewards. ³Crypto rewards is an optional Coinbase offer. Upon purchase of USDC, you will be automatically opted in to rewards. If you’d like to opt out or learn more about rewards, you can click here. The rewards rate is subject to change and can vary by region. Customers will be able to see the latest applicable rates directly within their accounts.
Coinbase is the largest crypto exchange on the market and remains one of the best for new investors. With a wide range of crypto offerings, fair fees, and easy signup access, Coinbase is the standard other exchanges are measured against. And soon investors will be able to get in on the action as Coinbase preps for an IPO later this year.
A Coinbase business account is available for institutional investors. You’ll need to fill out the business account application and set up your account and wallet with a Coinbase rep. Coinbase has a host of features for business clients, including a commerce platform that allows you to accept crypto payments from customers.
Pros
- The platform keeps fees down so that you can pass on savings to clients
- The platform is robust enough that your business can invest its own money safely and securely
Cons
- Business accounts can be difficult to open
Best for Easy Onboarding: Gemini
Gemini has a host of features for cryptocurrency investing, such as the Active Trader Platform, mobile app, and Gemini Wallet. They also offer more than 7% interest on coins like Dai and Filecoin through Gemini Earn. For business owners, Gemini has special institutional accounts with double the transfer limits of personal accounts.
A simple application will get the process started and a Gemini representative will get in touch to finish your account setup. Gemini has a very user-friendly interface and strong security features, making it ideal for business owners who are just beginning to dip their toes in the cryptocurrency waters.
Pros
- Gemini offers both the investment accounts and a card that you might want to try
- You can scale your investments with Gemini instead of aging out of your account
Cons
- Staking rates can change at any time just like the value of the crypto you’re hodling
Best for Cryptocurrency Availability: Kraken
Kraken is a relatively new entrant into this space, but they have plenty of business-friendly offerings. Corporate clients get access to both the Kraken Trade Desk and Kraken Account Management, which respectively provide assistance for large trades and 24/7 customer support.
Institutional clients will also appreciate the wide range of assets available through the Kraken exchange. More than 50 different digital currencies are available to trade, including some hard to find coins like Gnosis, Kava, and yes, even Dogecoin.
Pros
- The platform is designed ro be business-friendly and has a help desk for investors like you
- Customer support is available at all times so that you can get the information your clients require
Cons
- You may not find all the tokens you were looking for
- Unique tokens that are offered through the platform could change at any time
Best for Businesses Wanting Exposure to Cryptocurrency: ICONOMI
ICONOMI is a unique crypto site that allows you to enter the crypto market at your own pace. For example, when you visit the site, you’re posed with a simple question: do you want to trade crypto and automate your portfolio, or do you want to copy the Strategy of a professional?
You can either look through all the features on the site or check out Strategies that could benefit you. From there, all you need to do is fund your account and get to work on your company’s portfolio. Or, you can set up an account that allows you to manage all the money coming in from your clients.
You can also earn money by sharing your Strategies with other users, which is cash you can share back into your clients’ portfolios. Referral bonuses are available, and there are even business accounts available if your company is trading or if you are a financial planner, advisor, etc.
There is a robust platform where you can share information and learn from other traders, there’s a learning section for those who want to read up on the subject, and pricing is clearly noted on the site. You can open an account for free, start trading and enter the crypto market right away without worrying about passing on more costs to your clients or to the general ledger.
Pros
- Earning money through sharing strategies is just as powerful as investing, along with referral bonuses that can help you earn even more money
- The pricing is listed clearly so that you can share that information with your clients
Cons
- There is no guarantee that you can generate income from your strategies
Best for Secure Accounts: Wirex
Wirex is an excellent option for a business crypto account because it allows you to use its next-gen card to buy with crypto at more than 50 million partners around the world. Plus, you can use your business funds within your Wirex account to buy, sell, exchange and store your holdings.
Your business can also reinvest the 1.5% Bitcoin rewards you get for all in-store purchases, and you can fund the account as much as you need with your business debit card, credit card or a bank transfer.
This is a simple way to convert the crypto you accept for purchases into money you can use anywhere for any purpose.
Pros
- The partner network is stronger than the competition
- Bitcoin rewards can help you earn on every purchase, helping pay you back for shopping
Cons
- Bitcoin rewards may not carry the sort of value you were hoping for
Best for Broad Range of Crypto Assets: Paybis
Paybis allows you to buy crypto tokens using more than 60 currencies and 80 cryptocurrencies. The platform is regulated by FinTRAC, available in 180 countries and can be used to sell off around 10 tokesn as needed. Business owners can invest in crypto through Paybis for far less money, and the secure mobile wallet that’s provided helps you keep your crypto assets away from all your other cash—much like a rainy day fund.
Pros
- The spending and investing aspect of this card makes it more versatile than most
- Because you can access the platform from nearly 200 countries, there’s broader functionality for everyone
Cons
- The platform may not have as many asset offerings as you would like
Best for Stocks and Crypto: Robinhood
For some business owners, it might be easier to hold stocks and cryptocurrencies in the same account. If that’s the type of simplicity you’re looking for (and you just want to buy and hold Bitcoin or Ethereum), a Robinhood account might suit you best. With Robinhood, you can purchase stocks, ETFs, options, and 7 different cryptocurrencies - Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Silver, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, and Dogecoin.
One of the downsides to using Robinhood for your business is no business-specific accounts are available. Robinhood offers several different types of personal accounts, but you won’t find extra services or increased limits. You’ll also automatically be signed up for a margin account and will need to request a downgrade if you want a regular cash account to avoid PDT rules. And despite being commission free, Robinhood’s cryptocurrency spreads are quite high, which negates some of the value of zero commissions.
Pros
- The platform is very easy to use and more affordable than most
- You can even save for retirement, invest in stocks and add other assets to your crypto portfolio, if you like
Cons
- The platform has been known to stop trading or otherwise make trading more difficult than it should be
- The crypto token offerings are rather limited
Accept Crypto Payments for Your Business
You can now easily accept payment for products and services in cryptocurrency using a number of different avenues. Square and PayPal now allow use of cryptocurrency in individual and business transactions. Your business can also set up a payment system through your cryptocurrency exchange, like the Coinbase Commerce platform. With Coinbase Commerce, you’ll only pay fees with you withdrawal or convert your funds to fiat.
Pros and Cons of Cryptocurrency Accounts
Thinking of moving forward with crypto for your business? Here’s a simple pros and cons list to weight before getting started.
Pro: Cryptocurrencies are gaining acceptance at an ever-increasing rate.
Con: Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are volatile, meaning the price a customer pays may not be the same amount you eventually convert to USD.
Pro: Cryptocurrency allows you to accept payment from customers all over the world without needing to worry about exchange rates or red tape.
Con: The fees involved with cryptocurrency transactions remain high. For example, Ethereum gas fees continue to increase and most exchanges and brokers charge fees on both ends of transactions.
Cryptocurrency Payment Security
Security is crucial for cryptocurrency transactions and investing since exchanges done on the blockchain are irreversible. Once you send Bitcoin to another wallet, it’s gone. This can be good and bad for business owners - you don’t need to worry about chargebacks, but you also have no recourse if your holdings are hacked or stolen.
Always use two-factor authentication with your brokerage account and wallet and rotate your passwords frequently. Additionally, consider using ‘cold’ storage if you’ve amassed a large amount of cryptocurrency. Cold storage harddrives are kept off the internet and network computers, preventing hackers and scammers from discovering your passwords and transferring your holdings out.
Acceptance for Cryptocurrencies is Growing Rapidly
Now that financial institutions and payment processors like Square and PayPal are on board, acceptance of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will increase exponentially. You can already see crypto prices listed along stock futures and commodities prices on your CNBC app and Coinbase’s upcoming IPO will only encourage more investors to get involved with digital assets. Accepting payment in cryptocurrency has also never been easier for business owners. If you don’t at least have a plan for cryptocurrencies down the road, you may be left behind by competitors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I open a Cryptocurrency account?
You can sign up for a business account through any number of exchanges or brokers, like Coinbase, Gemini, or Voyager. You’ll need to provide registration documents and ownership status to get the institutional perks though.
Can a business invest in Cryptocurrency?
Yes, businesses can buy and sell cryptocurrencies through their business accounts, or stake their coins to an exchange like BlockFi and earn interest on the holdings. Businesses can also accept Bitcoin and other digital currencies as payment through Square, PayPal, or platforms like CoinBase Commerce.
- Exclusive Crypto Airdrops
- Altcoin of the Week
- Insider Interviews
- News & Show Highlights
- Completely FREE
About Dan Schmidt
Dan Schmidt is a finance writer passionate about helping readers understand how assets and markets work. He has over six years of writing experience, focused on cryptocurrency. His work has been published by Vanguard, Capital One, PenFed Credit Union, MarketBeat, and Fora Financial. Dan lives in Bucks County, PA with his wife and enjoys summers at Citizens Bank Park cheering on the Phillies.