As digital assets and blockchain technology become more mainstream, investors are looking for new ways to get involved in the space. One popular option is buying Ethereum, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.

Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of fraud or third party interference. These apps run on a custom built blockchain, an enormously powerful shared global infrastructure that can move value around and represent ownership of property.

This makes Ethereum ideal for a number of use cases, from digital identity and reputation to sensitive data storage and cross-border payments. And because Ethereum is programmable, developers are building all sorts of innovative applications on top of it that go beyond anything we’ve seen before.

So can you buy Ethereum like you would any other physical asset? The answer is a little complicated. Let’s take a look.

Ethereum is not a physical asset like gold or silver, so you can’t go to your local store and purchase it with cash. Instead, you need to buy it on a digital exchange using fiat currency (like USD) or another cryptocurrency.

There are many different exchanges that offer Ethereum trading, so it’s important to do your research before choosing one. Some factors to consider include security, fees, and payment methods.

Once you’ve found an exchange you trust, setting up an account is usually pretty straightforward.

Once your account is funded, you can start buying Ethereum. Most exchanges use a order book system where you can place buy or sell orders at a certain price.

Your order will only be filled if someone else places an order on the other side of the book at the same price.

If you want to buy Ethereum immediately, you can place a market order, which will be filled at the current market price. Keep in mind that market orders come with higher fees than limit orders (which we’ll get to in a minute).

Once your order is filled, the Ethereum will show up in your exchange wallet. From there, you can either hold onto it as an investment or transfer it to a wallet where you have more control over your private keys (more on that below).

If you want to get more technical, Ethereum is actually two things: a cryptocurrency called “Ether” and a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts. When most people say “Ethereum” they are actually referring to the Ether token.

But because Ether is needed to power the network and fuel transactions, the terms are often used interchangeably.

Now that we’ve answered the question “can I buy Ethereum?” let’s look at some of the different ways you can acquire it….