€100 is a perfectly sensible amount to start your crypto journey. It is enough to get real experience with buying, holding, and eventually selling — without putting yourself in a position where a loss would cause genuine financial stress. The goal at this stage is not to get rich. It is to learn the process, develop good habits, and decide whether crypto is right for you as part of your broader finances.
This guide gives you a clear, honest plan for what to do with your first €100 in crypto — specific steps, specific coins, and the mistakes to avoid that cost most beginners more than they need to lose.
Before anything else: Only invest money you can afford to lose entirely. Crypto is a high-risk asset. €100 is a good starting amount precisely because losing it would not damage your financial situation. Never invest rent money, emergency savings, or money you will need within the next 12 months.
📋 What's covered in this guide
What to Buy With Your First €100
This is the question most beginners spend the most time on — and it has a simpler answer than the internet would suggest. For a first €100, stick to the two most established cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Here is why this is the right call at this stage:
- Bitcoin is the oldest, most widely held, most regulated, and most recognised cryptocurrency in the world. It has the longest track record of any digital asset and is the most commonly held by both retail and institutional investors. It is the benchmark everything else in crypto is compared against.
- Ethereum is the world's largest smart contract platform — the foundation on which thousands of applications, DeFi protocols, and tokens are built. It has a large developer community, real utility, and a long track record of its own.
Together, these two coins represent the most credible, most liquid, and most understood assets in the entire crypto market. For a beginner, there is no compelling reason to start anywhere else.
💡 Suggested split for €100
This is a suggestion, not financial advice. A 60/40 split gives you more exposure to Bitcoin's established store-of-value proposition while Ethereum provides exposure to the smart contract ecosystem. You could also simply put the full €100 into Bitcoin alone — that is a perfectly valid approach for a first-time buyer.
What about other coins?
You will constantly see articles, social media posts, and forum discussions promoting lesser-known coins as the next big thing. As a beginner with €100, ignore all of it. Every coin you add increases complexity without improving your learning experience. Smaller coins carry dramatically more risk — they are far more volatile, far less regulated, and far more likely to lose significant value or disappear entirely.
Start with Bitcoin and Ethereum. Learn how the process works. Then expand your knowledge before expanding your portfolio.
The honest truth about altcoins: The vast majority of coins that were heavily promoted in any given year no longer exist or have lost over 90% of their value. Bitcoin and Ethereum have been through multiple market cycles and are still standing. That track record matters enormously when you are just starting out.
Where to Buy It
For your first €100, use one of these regulated exchanges — all are available to Irish users, support SEPA deposits, and are regulated under MiCA in the EU:
- Coinbase — the most beginner-friendly interface, CBI VASP registered, slightly higher fees but the simplest experience for a first purchase.
- Kraken — lowest fees among the CBI-registered options at 0.25%, clean simple buy interface alongside more advanced features.
- Binance — lowest fees overall at 0.1%, MiCA regulated across the EU, widest coin selection if you ever want to expand.
For €100, the fee difference between these platforms is small — a few cents to a euro at most. Pick the one whose interface appeals to you and go with it. You can always use a different exchange later.
See our full exchange guide for a detailed comparison of each platform.
Lump Sum vs Euro-Cost Averaging
You have two basic approaches to investing your €100:
Option 1 — Buy it all at once (lump sum)
Simple and quick. You invest the full €100 today. If the price goes up from here, you maximise your gains. If it drops, you bought at the top. For a small amount like €100, the simplicity of a single purchase is a reasonable choice — the difference in outcome between the two approaches is minimal at this scale.
Option 2 — Spread it over time (euro-cost averaging)
You invest a fixed amount at regular intervals — for example €25 per week for four weeks. This means you buy at different price points, reducing the risk of putting your entire €100 in at a market peak. Over time, euro-cost averaging tends to reduce the emotional stress of watching short-term price swings because you are not all in at one price.
Most exchanges support recurring purchases — you set the amount and frequency and it happens automatically. This is the more disciplined long-term approach and worth setting up even on small amounts to build the habit.
| Approach | Best for | Risk | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lump sum | Simple one-off purchase | Buy at peak risk | One transaction |
| Euro-cost averaging | Building a long-term habit | Reduced timing risk | Set up recurring purchase once |
Our recommendation: Set up a recurring purchase of €25 per week for four weeks rather than buying all at once. It costs the same, builds better habits, and removes the anxiety of trying to time the market perfectly on your first purchase.
Step-by-Step — Your First Purchase
Choose your exchange and create an account
Go to Coinbase, Kraken, or Binance and sign up. Use your real name — it must match your bank account for withdrawals. Use a strong, unique password and store it securely.
Complete identity verification
All regulated exchanges require KYC verification — you will need to upload your passport or driving licence and a proof of address. This typically takes a few minutes to a few hours. It is a legal requirement, not optional.
Enable two-factor authentication
Before depositing anything, set up 2FA on your account using an authenticator app like Google Authenticator or Authy. This is one of the most important security steps you can take. Use an app, not SMS.
Deposit euros via SEPA transfer
Go to the deposit section, select SEPA bank transfer, and copy the IBAN and reference provided. Log into your Irish bank and send the transfer — it will arrive within 1–2 business days. SEPA deposits are free on all major exchanges.
Buy Bitcoin and/or Ethereum
Once your euros arrive, go to the Buy section. Select Bitcoin or Ethereum, enter your amount in euros, review the fee, and confirm. The crypto will appear in your exchange account immediately.
Record your purchase for tax purposes
Note the date, the amount of crypto purchased, and the euro amount paid. You will need this later if you ever sell at a profit and need to calculate your Irish CGT liability. Start your records now, not later.
What to Avoid
Most beginner mistakes are avoidable. Here are the ones that cost people the most:
- Buying a coin because someone online said it will 100x. Price prediction content on social media, YouTube, and Telegram is almost always promotional, biased, or simply wrong. Make your own decisions based on research, not hype.
- Spreading €100 across ten different coins. Diversification makes sense with larger amounts, not with €100. You end up with €10 of ten things you do not understand rather than a meaningful position in two things you do.
- Using leverage or derivatives as a beginner. Platforms offering 10x or 100x leverage are not for beginners. Leverage amplifies losses exactly as much as it amplifies gains — and losses come faster. Stay away entirely until you have years of experience.
- Trying to time the market. Nobody consistently knows whether prices will go up or down tomorrow. Buying steadily over time removes the anxiety and generally produces better outcomes than trying to buy at the perfect moment.
- Panic selling when the price drops. Crypto is extremely volatile. A 20–40% price drop in a short period is not unusual — it has happened many times with Bitcoin and Ethereum. If you cannot psychologically handle seeing your €100 become €60 temporarily, that is important information about your risk tolerance.
- Leaving large amounts on an exchange long term. For €100, exchange custody is fine. As your holdings grow, learn about self-custody and hardware wallets. Not your keys, not your coins.
What to Do After You Buy
Once you have made your first purchase, the temptation is to check the price constantly. This leads to anxiety and bad decisions. Here is a better approach:
Check it once a week at most. Short-term price movements in crypto are essentially noise. The investment case for Bitcoin and Ethereum is measured in years, not days. Checking hourly does not help you — it just creates stress.
Keep learning. Use the time while you are holding to deepen your understanding of how crypto works — blockchains, wallets, DeFi, and security. The more you understand, the better decisions you will make as your portfolio grows. The guides on this site are a good place to start.
Keep your records updated. Every time you make an additional purchase, record it. Date, amount, euro cost. This is easy to do now and painful to reconstruct later.
Do not tell everyone. Sharing that you own crypto — particularly in social settings — can attract unwanted attention or pressure you into making decisions based on other people's opinions rather than your own research.
When and How to Grow Beyond €100
Once you are comfortable with the basics — you understand how to buy, how to secure your account, and how the process works — you can think about growing your position. There is no rush. Here are some principles worth having from the start:
- Only invest what you can genuinely afford to lose. This is not just a disclaimer — it is genuinely the most important rule. Crypto held under financial pressure leads to panic selling at the worst possible time.
- Consider a monthly recurring purchase. Setting up a recurring €50 or €100 purchase automatically takes discipline out of the equation. You buy regardless of whether prices are up or down that month.
- Research before adding new coins. If you ever want to invest in something beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum, use the DYOR framework on this site first. Understand what you are buying before you buy it.
- Think in years, not months. The investors who have done best in crypto are generally those who bought established assets and held through volatility rather than trading in and out constantly.
Ready to choose your exchange?
See our full guide to the best regulated exchanges for Irish beginners.