The companies below let you buy bitcoin via Sofort transfer.
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Sofort - short for Sofortüberweisung which means "instant bank transfer" in German - is an online payment system that authenticates payments using your bank account details, rather than your card details.<(1)/p>
After initiating a purchase on a merchant's site, you select Sofort and enter your bank login details. The payment is then confirmed within seconds.
This makes it very similar to Plaid, another payment method that accesses bank APIs to process payments.
Source: *Stripe*
In 2014 Sofort was acquired by the Swedish bank Klarna.(2) Klarna integrated Sofort into its product range and despite some rebranding continues to offer it as a payment method.
Sofort transfers are available in the following countries(3):
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Can residents of the above countries use Sofort to buy Bitcoin? The instant nature of Sofort transfers makes them a fast and convenient method of payment, which are important factors when buying a volatile asset like Bitcoin.
As Sofort transfers are designed for use with online stores, this largely rules out using them for peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions. A seller would have to set up their own website and payment gateway.
Consequently, P2P exchanges such as Paxful, LocalCryptos, and LocalBitcoins rarely have offers for transactions using Sofort transfers.
There are not many crypto exchanges that support Sofort transfers. SEPA is the most popular deposit method for European cryptocurrency exchanges.
Yet it still is possible to buy Bitcoin using a Sofort transfer.
One of the best ways to do this is via eToro. eToro is a worldwide exchange that supports Sofort deposits for European users.
While Coinbase offers Sofort deposits for Austrian customers, eToro also offers them to users in Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Poland.
eToro is an Israel-based multi-asset brokerage with offices in Cyprus, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. In addition to stocks and CFDs, eToro also offers cryptocurrency trading.
To fund your account using a Sofort transfer in order to buy Bitcoin, click Deposit Funds on the bottom left hand side of your account dashboard.
Enter the amount you wish to deposit, then select Sofort from the list of supported methods.
Next, you'll need to enter your IBAN and Swift/BIC number.
You will then be redirected to Sofort's secure payment page where you'll need to enter your account name and number, online password, and a TAN (transaction authentication number) to confirm the payment.
Most transfers are instant, though it could take up to one business day for your account to be credited with the funds. If for whatever reason the transaction is unsuccessful, you'll receive an email notification.
This transaction will show up as "eToro (Europe) Ltd." on your account statement.
You can deposit up to $30,000 per transaction using Sofort. Funds deposited are available for withdrawal seven days after the initial deposit.
Once you've successfully deposited funds to your eToro account, you're now ready to buy Bitcoin. To do this, click on Bitcoin back on your account dashboard. You'll be taken to the following page which provides an overview of the asset, with recent news, charts, statistics, and research.
To buy Bitcoin using your funds deposited via Sofort, click Trade up the top right.
As you can see, eToro makes it clear what the terms of the trade are. You are buying the underlying asset - i.e. actual Bitcoin, not a derivative contract - and you can see the price you're paying and how much you'll end up with.
That's it, you've successfully deposited funds via Sofort transfer and converted your fiat currency to Bitcoin.
Luno supports Sofort deposits are available to customers in:
You can deposit up to €2.000 per transaction with Sofort over a 48 hour period, with a monthly limit of €5.000.
To buy Bitcoin using a Sofort transfer on Luno:
You can then purchase Bitcoin using the Euros available in your account.
Sofort deposits typically take 24-48 hours to appear in your EUR wallet, though it can take as long as three days.
Verified Bitpanda users can deposit Euros or Swiss Francs using Sofort.
There is an initial verification level of €2.500. After you have reached this amount, your deposit limit will be raised to €10.000 per day.
In order to deposit EUR or CHF via Sofort transfer:
Be sure to disable any popup blockers when attempting to make a deposit, as they can interfere with redirecting you through the process.
Sofort transfers generally appear in your Bitpanda wallet immediately, though banks can sometimes delay this to up to three days.
Once the fiat is in your account, you'll be able to purchase Bitcoin or any other supported asset by clicking Trade up the top right of your dashboard.
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