Polkadot is a protocol built to connect private and consortium chains, public and permissionless networks, and oracles. Polkadot aims to facilitate an internet of blockchains where independent blockchains can exchange information and transactions in a trustless way via the Polkadot relay chain. The DOT token is native to the Polkadot blockchain and gives its holder the ability to act as a validator and to participate in Polkadot's governance.
Bitvavo makes it as easy as possible to buy digital assets and cryptocurrencies.
1. Sign Up
Create a free account with which you can buy, sell, send, receive and store Polkadot. Access your Bitvavo account from every location, on mobile and desktop.
2. Transfer Funds
Verify your account and transfer Euros to your Bitvavo wallet using one of the 8 supported payment methods.
3. Buy and Trade
Buy or sell over 150 digital assets and pay a maximum trading fee of 0.25%. Store your assets in your Bitvavo wallet or send them to your external wallet.
Storing Polkadot and other digital assets requires a wallet, but don’t worry: Bitvavo’s hosted wallet allows you to store Polkadot without any technical knowledge. Here is a brief overview of the existing wallet options to store your Polkadot:
Hosted Wallet
Hosted wallets are wallets where the private keys to your Polkadot are managed by a third party such as Bitvavo. Access to your account is protected by a password and other advanced security features. Once you are logged in, you can easily and conveniently manage your Polkadot online. Bitvavo offers standard hosted wallets for all digital assets that are offered on the platform.
Software wallet
A software wallet is a program installed on your computer or other device in order to use and manage your Polkadot. Using a software wallet gives you full control over your private keys, so you are not dependent on third parties. The risk is that you alone are in charge of the security of your Polkadot, and if malicious parties have access to your device, your private keys (and therefore your Polkadot) can be stolen.
Hardware wallet
A hardware wallet is a physical device on which you can store your Polkadot offline. It is one of the safest ways to store your Polkadot, because the private keys are stored on a separate and offline device. Access to this device is often protected by a password. In many ways, a hardware wallet can be compared to a safe in which your Polkadot is stored.
You can use Bitvavo's hosted wallet to easily store, send and receive Polkadot. Once you have purchased Polkadot on Bitvavo, you can choose to send your Polkadot from your Bitvavo wallet to your own software or hardware wallet.