Contents

• Introduction
• Brokerage Services, Supported Cryptocurrencies & Payment Methods
• The Details
• Uphold Wallets
• Deposit & Withdrawal Options
• Trading Platform
• Key features of the Uphold platform
• Trading Features
• Privacy and Security
• Customer Support
• Additional Information
• Conclusion

Introduction

Uphold is an online multi-asset digital trading platform established to support the trading of cryptos, precious metals, US equities, forex, and environmental assets.

Launched in 2015, with headquarters in the UK and the US, Uphold serves more than 10 million users across 150 countries.

Since its launch, Uphold has powered more than US$4bn in transactions. Significantly, Uphold is regulated and falls under the purview of the FCA and FINCEN, providing customers with a greater degree of comfort.

As a multi-asset digital money platform, Uphold offers a global financial services platform. The platform enables users to trade directly between asset classes with embedded payments, aiming to deliver a future where everyone has access to financial services.

Uphold supports more than 200 cryptocurrencies, including the majors, altcoins, emerging tokens, and stablecoins. In addition, users have access to 37 national currencies, more than 50 US stocks, and precious metals, including but not limited to gold, silver, and platinum.

Notably, users can trade anything for anything. In other words, trade between any asset in one single click.

Some of the crypto majors include BTC, ADA, DOGE, DOT, ETH, LINK, LTC, XLM, SHIB, and XRP.

Supported precious metals include gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, with Uphold offering instant liquidity into 27 currencies. Moreover, Uphold offers zero custody costs and all spendable via the Uphold debit card.

For users looking to gain exposure to the US equity markets, Uphold supports US stock trading with as little as $1 via its fractional equities service. The fractional equities service enables users to have proportional ownership and dividend entitlement.

Stocks available on the platform include Amazon.com, Alphabet, Apple, Boeing, Disney, Facebook, Netflix, Tesla, Visa, and more.

Key Platform Attributes

• Fast and easy registration process.
• Easy-to-use platform catering to both novice and seasoned investors.
• Multi-asset platform supporting the concept of anything-to-anything trading.
• In addition to cryptos and fiat, investors can also trade US equities and precious metals.
• Transparent with low fees.
• Supports the deposit of crypto as well as deposits via credit/debit card and bank transfer
• Global presence with over 10 million users.
• Earn 4% rewards in XRP with Uphold debit card.
• Supports staking with APYs of up to 25%.

The Pros and Cons

Pros

• Customer Support: Responsive customer support team.
• Deposits: Users from the UK and EEA can deposit using a debit card, SEPA bank account, or through crypto networks. Additionally, users from the UK and the US can make bank/wire transfers, and users can make deposits via Apple Pay and Google Pay.
• Low Fees: Competitively low fees.
• Limitless: There are no crypto deposit limits and no deposit fees.
• Multi-Asset Class Platform: Supports the trading of fiat and crypto, precious metals, and US equities.
• Rewards: 4% back in XRP on all your purchases.
• Security: 2FA, KYC, and AML compliance.
• Simple Registration: Easy registration process.
• Staking: Users can earn up to 25% by staking crypto in three simple steps.
• Transparent: Provides 24/7 reserve status, with the promise of never lending out user money.

Other positives include

• User-friendly mobile app.
• Fractional Equity Services: Allows investors to gain exposure to more expensive stocks with as little as $1 investment.

Cons

• At present, there is no demo account. However, the platform is easy to use, with video tutorials and a comprehensive FAQ to help navigate.
• No leverage/margin is available.
• Basic charts mean that users are not able to carry out technical analysis and include indicators to manage their positions. However, users can access third-party providers to carry out technical analysis.

Brokerage Services, Supported Cryptocurrencies & Payment Methods

Additionally, uphold also focuses on the environment by offering carbon credit tokens that support certified projects in the world’s rainforests.

The platform allows users to deposit supported crypto or purchase supported assets by credit/debit card or bank transfer. Users may also make purchases with Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Registration

To open an account, go to the Uphold homepage and click on the “Sign up” icon as shown below:

To complete the registration:

• Enter your email and select a password.
• Input your country of residence and citizenship.
• Accept the Ts and Cs and Privacy Policy and then click Next.

To complete the Personal Information section:

• Enter your full legal name and DoB and then click Next.
• Confirm your details by certifying that the details match your photo ID.

To verify your phone number:

• Enter your phone number and click Next.
• Input the verification code provided.

Additional steps:

• Enter your address and click Next.
• Go to your email inbox and confirm your email address by clicking verify.

Verification Process

Users need to complete the verification process to fund the account. You must ensure that your identification document is valid, and you need a smartphone.

Before getting started:

• Prepare a valid government-issued identity document.
• Make sure that you are in a well-lit room.
• Be prepared to take a selfie and photos of your ID.

To begin the process, either scan the QR code or enter your mobile number to receive a link via SMS.

Via your smartphone:

• Take a photo of your identification document.
• Take a live selfie.
• Tap Done.

Once you have completed the verification process, you may fund our account and begin trading the multiple asset classes on offer.

We recommend that you set up your 2FA to enhance your security settings. See the security section for details.

Post-Registration Deposit

Upon completion of the registration and verification processes, you need to make a deposit to begin trading.

To make a deposit, users may either:

• Deposit already held Uphold-supported cryptos by wallet-to-wallet transfer.
• Purchase crypto by credit/debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, or bank transfer.

To make a credit/debit card crypto purchase, go to the right-hand side of the portfolio page and click on the Transact icon.

• Under the From dropdown menu, select either “My banks”, “My cards”, “Crypto networks”, or “Other networks”.

For crypto deposits,

• Select “Crypto networks”.
• Choose your crypto network.

To proceed, answer some questions.

• Scan the QR code or copy the Uphold wallet address to your external crypto wallet and click Done.
• Select the asset that you wish to purchase, preview and then complete the transfer from your external crypto wallet.

Available Asset Classes for Purchase

There are a total of 315 assets on offer.

Cryptos

More than 200 cryptos in total, including the largest cryptos by market cap and the most popular. These include Aave, ADA, ALGO, APE, BTC, ETH, LTC, MATIC, SAND, and UNI. Additionally, users may also purchase or trade utility tokens and/or stablecoins.

Utility Tokens

Uphold gives users access to 6 utility tokens. These include Basic Attention Token (BAT), Universal Carbon (UPCO2), OMG Network (OMG), Orchid (OXT), VCOIN (VCO), and Moss Carbon Credit (MCO2).

Stablecoins

Uphold supports 11 stablecoins that include Binance USD (BUSD), Dai (DAI), Frax (FRAX), Gemini Dollar (GUSD), Liquity USD (LUSD), Magic Internet Money (MIM), Pax dollar (USDP), Rai Reflex Index (RAI), TrueUSD (TUSD), USD Coin (USDC), and USD Tether (USDT).

US Equities

A total of 50 US equities are available. Users may purchase supported equities for as little as 1 USD via the Uphold Fractional Equities service.

Available US equities include, but are not limited to Alphabet, Amazon.com, Apple, Bank of America, Disney, Facebook, Netflix, and Tesla.

Users may also trade some of the most popular ETFs that include SPDR S&P 500 ETF, SPDR Gold Trust, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, and iShares MSCI EAFE ETF.

Forex (National Currencies)

A total of 27 national currencies are available for exchange or trading. Some of the more popular include Aussie Dollar, British Pound, EUR, Canadian Dollar, Kiwi Dollar, Swiss Franc, Japanese Yen, and the US Dollar.

Precious Metals

For investors looking to gain exposure to precious metals, Uphold supports the investing/trading of Gold (Legacy), Palladium, Platinum, Silver, and Universal Gold.

The Details

As a one-stop-shop multi-asset class trading platform, investors can invest in and trade across the major asset classes on a single platform.

Via the “Anything to Anything” section of the Portfolio page, users have the option to purchase supported assets by Apple/Google Pay, bank transfer, crypto, and/ or credit/debit card payment.

Asset classes on offer include cryptos and fiat, precious metals, and US equities.

Users can trade across multiple asset classes by market or limit orders. Users may also pre-set recurring transactions via the Repeat page.

In addition to a trading platform, Uphold allows users to transfer assets. Users can send assets to other customers instantly and free of charge.

Charts

Users may view line charts of each asset via the Markets page, accessible from the Portfolio page. On the markets page, select the asset that you wish to view. Users can choose to view the price history over one hour, one day, one week, one month, or one year.

Over the chosen time frame, users can also view the high and low, the percentage change, and the latest price.

Balances and Transaction Histories

Transactions

The Uphold platform has a dedicated Activity page, where users may view all transactions made on the platform.

To view details of a given transaction, scroll down the Activity section and click on the transaction that you wish to review. Users can also download transaction histories by clicking the Document icon at the top right-hand side of the Activity page.

Via the Portfolio page, users may view Recent activity.

Balances

Users can view their total account balance in their default currency via the Portfolio page.

Uphold also provides:

• Variation in total account balance over time.
• Portfolio balance in graph form.
• A list of each asset held at Uphold:
• market rate in your default currency
• % variation in the market rate
• balance in the default currency
• balance in asset currency.

Fees and Charges

Users pay for buying and selling cryptos and national currencies.

Cryptos

Fees vary for individual cryptos. For a full breakdown of crypto service fees, please see here. See below for a summary of the spreads for the largest crypto market caps and fiat:

Fiat

All prices are locked in pre-trade and there are no hidden fees between Preview and Transact.

Deposit and Withdrawal Fees

There are no deposit/withdrawal fees. However, users have to pay network fees when withdrawing crypto to an external wallet.

Uphold Wallets

Unlike many platform wallets, Uphold wallet features allow users to not only store but spend already-held crypto. Users can use their Uphold crypto wallets to

• Make payments to vendors.
• Send money to friends.
• Instantly convert crypto into other crypto and local currencies.

Users can view and access the individual digital wallets on the Portfolio page.

Deposit & Withdrawal Options

Fiat Money

Deposits

• Go to the Anything to Anything section on the right-hand side of the Portfolio page.
• Under the From dropdown menu, select the deposit method – My banks or My cards.
• Select the amount and currency that you wish to deposit.
• From the To dropdown menu, select the asset that you wish to receive and then complete the deposit.

Do note that funding costs and limits are set depending upon the funding source, as shown below:

Debit/Credit Card (Non-US Customers):

• Minimum deposit: $/£/€ 10 per transaction.
• Maximum deposit: $/£/€ 500 per day, $/£/€ 5,000 per week, or $/£/€ 10,000 per month.
• No fee for Non-US Customers.

Bank Transfer (US ACH, USD):

• Minimum deposit: $10
• Maximum deposit: $2,500/day.
• Cost: Free.

Bank Transfer (US Wire, USD):

• Minimum deposit: Unlimited.
• Maximum deposit: Unlimited.
• Cost: Free.

Bank Transfer (SEPA, EUR):

• Minimum deposit: Unlimited.
• Maximum deposit: Unlimited.
• Cost: Free.

Bank Transfer (FPS, GBB):

• Minimum deposit: Unlimited.
• Maximum deposit: Unlimited.
• Cost: Free.

For first-time deposits, users will need to add respective bank accounts and credit cards.

To add a credit/debit card or bank account, go to the Anything to Anything section of the home page and select My cards or My bank.

• Click on the + icon.
• Enter your card details/bank details and click Add card/bank.

Users may also deposit using Google Pay and Apple Pay. The limits and fees are as follows:

• Minimum: $10 per transaction.
• Maximum: $/£/€ 500 per day, $/£/€ 5,000 per week, and $/£/€ 10,000 per month.
• Cost: US has a 2.49% fee per deposit.

Withdrawals

To withdraw assets in fiat, go to the Anything to Anything section.

• Select the asset that you wish to withdraw.
• Enter the amount that you wish to withdraw.
• From the To dropdown menu, select the bank account that you wish to send funds to and complete the transaction.

Fiat withdrawal limits and fees are summarized below:

Bank Transfer (US ACH, USD):

• Minimum withdrawal: $5.
• Maximum deposit: $10,000/day.
• Cost: Free.

Bank Transfer (SEPA, EUR):

• Minimum deposit: €10.
• Maximum deposit: €50,000/day.
• Cost: Free.

Bank Transfer (FPS, GBB):

• Minimum deposit: £10.
• Maximum deposit: £25,000
• Cost: Free.

Cryptocurrencies

Deposits

To make a crypto deposit, go to the Anything to Anything section of the Portfolio page.

• Go to the From dropdown menu and select the crypto that you wish to deposit.
• Scan the QR code or copy the Uphold wallet address to your external crypto wallet and click Done.
• Select the asset that you wish to purchase, preview and then complete the transfer from your external crypto wallet.

Do note that there are no crypto deposit fees or limits.

(To avoid making an error in entering the address details, we recommend scanning the QR code to transfer from your external wallet).

Withdrawals

For withdrawals, go to the Anything to Anything section and select the crypto that you wish to withdraw from the From dropdown menu.

• Enter the amount that you wish to withdraw.
• From the To dropdown menu, select the crypto network and enter your external crypto wallet address.
• Review the transaction and then complete the withdrawal.

There are withdrawal fees and limits set depending upon the crypto, as shown below:

For BTC, BCH, BTG, and LTC:

• BTC: 0.0003 BTC (0.00001 BTC min withdrawal).
• BCH: 0.0003 BCH (0.00001 BCH min withdrawal).
• BCT: 0.0003 BCG (0.0001 BTG min withdrawal).
• LTC: 0.003 LTC (0.25 LTC min withdrawal).

For a full breakdown of withdrawal fees and minimum withdrawals, please see here.

Trading Platform

Crypto Trading

To trade crypto, go to the Anything to Anything section located on the right-hand side of the portfolio page.

• Under From, select the source of funds to purchase your crypto from the drop-down menu.
• To make a crypto-crypto trade with crypto held on your Uphold account, select crypto networks and then your preferred crypto.
• Enter the amount you wish to purchase and your preferred currency.
• Select your target crypto from the To dropdown menu and complete the transaction.

To trade forex, precious metals, and/or US equities, select the asset class from the To dropdown menu.

Users may purchase assets with crypto, fiat by way of bank transfers or credit/debit card payments, and Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Key features of the Uphold platform include

Trading Features

Cryptos: Users can buy, hold, and sell supported crypto via the Portfolio page.

Forex: Investors can inter-trade national currencies for crypto and other asset classes, including precious metals and US equities.

Precious Metals: Uphold gives users access to the commodities market by supporting the buying, selling, and remitting of gold, silver, palladium, and platinum.

US Equities: Supporting US equities’ buying, selling, and remittance. The Fractional Equities service gives users access to more expensive stocks with minimum investments of as little as $1.

Limit trading: Traders can set up a trade with a specified buy or sell price and set trade parameters, including Good ‘til canceled, Good ‘til end of day, or Good ‘til date (specified date).

Charts: Via the Portfolio page, traders can view charts over several periods, including one hour, one day, one week, one month, and one year.

Recurring Transactions: Via the Portfolio page, there is a repeat transactions feature. Users can set the frequency and the start and end date of repeat transactions.

Remittances: Users can send assets to other users on the Uphold network. You need to add a contact email address via the Anything to Anything section of the Portfolio page and then remit crypto, fiat, precious metals, and/or US equities to the contact.

Earning Options

Staking: Uphold allows users to stake supported crypto to enhance earnings. Supported cryptos include KAVA, KSM, DOT, ATOM, MINA, BAND, ZIL, CSPR, MATIC, INJ, NEAR, LPT, FLOW, AUDIO, ETH, ROSE, SOL, TRX, AVAX, ADA, XTZ, GRT, and ALGO.

APYs range from 25% for KAVA to 1% for ALGO.

There is an unbounded period for staking that varies by crypto.

Tracking Options

Recent Activity: The user may view recent activity via the Portfolio page.

Transaction History: Via the Activity page, users may view their entire transaction history. By selecting a particular transaction, full details of the transaction are provided. Additionally, users can download transaction histories using the export function.

Balances: Via the Portfolio page, Uphold provides users with existing balances for the total portfolio and individual assets.

Communication

Support: Users may contact customer support by submitting a request here.

Social Network Platforms: Uphold has a presence on YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Privacy and Security

As a regulated entity, Uphold highly emphasizes security.

Key features include:

• 2FA: A second layer of security to protect user assets.
• 24/7 Overwatch: The Uphold Security Operations Centre monitors systems year-round and responds immediately to any detected threat.
• Access and Encryption: Uphold deploys layered defenses to limit the scope and depth of potential attacks, as well as sophisticated encryptions.
• Auditing & Testing: Security professionals routinely conduct security audits and penetration testing of the systems.

Customer Support

Submit a Request: For any customer support queries, users need to submit a request via the Help page by selecting Email us.

Social Media: Uphold also has a social media presence.

• YouTube
• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

Additional Information

FAQ

More frequently asked questions available on Uphold include:

What should I do if I believe my account has been compromised?

If you believe that your account has been compromised or hacked, please let us know immediately so we can take proper actions and investigate:

Via chat support, if you’re logged in, using your Mobile app (version 4.44.1 or higher)

Go to More, choose Help, choose Chat with us, tap on My account is compromised, and select Yes – restrict my account.

Please note: This will restrict your account and we’ll follow up with you usually within one hour.

Why does my account status show as Under Review or Temporarily Restricted?

Currently being reviewed by our staff

Sometimes, in order to protect a member’s account, or to protect others, we will place an account in a “blocked” state temporarily in order to allow our team to investigate further. Please contact our support team for assistance. Please include your most recent ticket number for reference.

Sorry, we’ve had to temporarily restrict your account

Sometimes, we reach out to our business customers to request additional or updated information. As a regulated firm, we must keep customer information up-to-date to meet regulatory requirements.

After several attempts to contact you, we may place your account on temporary restrictions until we are able to obtain the required information. Most requests take a short amount of time to complete! To make sure this does not happen to you, please be on the lookout for any Uphold emails and information requests.

Conclusion

The platform offers a comprehensive list of cryptos and national currencies and gives users the option to trade precious metals. The Fractional Equities Service and Staking products are also attractive features.

A global presence, low fees, and the option to remit assets across the Uphold network give Uphold an edge over its competitors

Uphold also has a high emphasis on security to meet regulatory requirements of the FCA and FINCEN, another important feature for the more security conscious.

• Enter your email and select a password.
• Input your country of residence and citizenship.
• Accept the Ts and Cs and Privacy Policy and then click Next.

To complete the Personal Information section:

• Enter your full legal name and DoB and then click Next.
• Confirm your details by certifying that the details match your photo ID.

To verify your phone number:

• Enter your phone number and click Next.
• Input the verification code provided.

Additional steps:

• Enter your address and click Next.
• Go to your email inbox and confirm your email address by clicking verify.

Verification Process

Users need to complete the verification process to fund the account. You must ensure that your identification document is valid, and you need a smartphone.

Before getting started:

• Prepare a valid government-issued identity document.
• Make sure that you are in a well-lit room.
• Be prepared to take a selfie and photos of your ID.
• Make payments to vendors.
• Send money to friends.
• Instantly convert crypto into other crypto and local currencies.