Don't invest unless you're prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.
Estimated reading time: 2 min
Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.
What are the key risks?
1. You could lose all the money you invest
The performance of most cryptoassets can be highly volatile, with their value dropping as quickly as it can rise. You should be prepared to lose all the money you invest in cryptoassets.
The cryptoasset market is largely unregulated. There is a risk of losing money or any cryptoassets you purchase due to risks such as cyber-attacks, financial crime and firm failure.
2. You should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong
The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) doesn't protect this type of investment because it's not a 'specified investment' under the UK regulatory regime – in other words, this type of investment isn't recognised as the sort of investment that the FSCS can protect. Learn more by using the FSCS investment protection checker.
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) will not be able to consider complaints related to this firm or Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here.
3. You may not be able to sell your investment when you want to
There is no guarantee that investments in cryptoassets can be easily sold at any given time. The ability to sell a cryptoasset depends on various factors, including the supply and demand in the market at that time.
Operational failings such as technology outages, cyber-attacks and comingling of funds could cause unwanted delay and you may be unable to sell your cryptoassets at the time you want.
4. Cryptoasset investments can be complex
Investments in cryptoassets can be complex, making it difficult to understand the risks associated with the investment.
You should do your own research before investing. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
5. Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Putting all your money into a single type of investment is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments.
If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA's website here.
For further information about cryptoassets, visit the FCA's website here.
Polkadot (DOT) is a cryptoasset that currently ranks as the 23rd largest by market cap (that's the total value of Polkadot in circulation – $8.7 billion).
Like all cryptoassets, it's highly volatile, and capable of major price swings in a single day. As of 29 January, DOT is trading for $5.70 (£4.58), a decrease of 2.02% against $5.82 24 hours earlier. Over the past year, Polkadot's price has seen a decrease of 17.79%.
How to buy Polkadot in 4 steps
Compare crypto exchanges
The easiest way to buy Polkadot is from a cryptocurrency exchange. Comparing in the table below lets you find one with the features you want such as low fees, ease of use or 24-hour customer support.
Create an account
To create an account on an exchange, you will need to verify your email address and identity. Have some photo ID and your phone ready.
Make a deposit
Once verified, you can deposit funds using the payment method that best suits you – cryptocurrency, bank and card payments are widely accepted.
Buy Polkadot
You can now exchange your funds for Polkadot. On easier-to-use exchanges, this is as simple as entering the amount you want to purchase and clicking "Buy". If you like, you can now withdraw your Polkadot to your personal wallet.
The whole process can take as little as 15 minutes and all you'll need is a smartphone or computer, an internet connection, photo identification and a means of payment.
"Top picks" are those we've evaluated to be best for certain product features or categories – you can read our full methodology here. If we show a "Promoted Pick", it's been chosen from among our commercial partners based on factors that include special features or offers and the commission we receive.Keep in mind that these are suggestions and that the exchange that is best for you will depend on your individual needs. There are other products on the market not included in our picks.
Where to buy Polkadot
Find an exchange to buy, sell and trade Polkadot by comparing deposit methods, supported fiat currencies and fees. Select "Go to site" to sign up directly with the exchange.
1 - 5 of 8
Finder Score for crypto exchanges
To make comparing even easier we came up with the Finder Score. Fees, features and asset-support across the most popular platforms are all weighted and scaled to produce a score out of 10. The higher the score the better the exchange – simple.
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These exchanges cover a wide range of cryptocurrencies, but we can’t guarantee they’ll all offer this coin.
Is it a good time to buy Polkadot?
Only you can make the decision about when is the best time to buy Polkadot. However, here are some things to consider as part of your research.
Take a look at the fundamentals of Polkadot. What type of coin is it? Utility, payment or governance token etc? How large is its market cap? How many coins are in circulation? All this will help you to understand how Polkadot works and how much risk is involved.
Also consider how has performed so far. Our charts below show you Polkadot's performance over time as well as its all time high.
This price chart helps you to see how Polkadot is performing against a fiat currency like USD. It shows the opening, high, low and closing prices for each period and is a visual representation of Polkadot range within that period.
Polkadot price chart
Polkadot at a glance
Information last updated 29 January 2025, 05:01 UTC.
Coin symbol
DOT
Coin Marketcap
$8,672,105,358
Total DOT supply
1,522,267,060
Circulating DOT
1,522,267,060
Current price
$5.700000
All time high
$54.98
All time high date
4 November 2021
Notable team members
Dr. Gavin Wood, Robert Habermeier, Peter Czaban
Partnerships
Chainlink, Kusama
Industry
Blockchain platform
Token uses
Governance, utility token, rewards
Network
Polkadot
Polkadot price performance over time
For a more in-depth view, this chart shows you how Polkadot has performed over time. You can see historical prices up to 1 year previously.
Historical prices compared with the price of $5.7 at 29 January 2025, 05:01 UTC.
1 hour
1.30%
24 hours
-2.02%
7 days
-12.98%
14 days
-18.46%
30 days
-13.16%
60 days
-36.06%
200 days
-8.88%
1 year
-17.79%
What is the current price of Polkadot versus it's all time high?
Our chart to tracks how Polkadot has performed in the last 24 hours and compares it with its all time high. You can see where the current price sits in comparison to the last 24 hours, as well as what today's price is vs its peak.
DOT price last updated 29 January 2025, 05:01 UTC.
$5.60 (24h low)
$5.85 (24h high)
$0
$54.98 (4 Nov 2021)
Polkadot to USD and GBP calculator
Our calculator works out how much Polkadot would be worth in USD and GBP, depending on how much you hold or are looking to purchase.
DOT price last updated 29 January 2025, 05:01 UTC.
Frequently asked questions
DOT is the native token of the Polkadot network.
Polkadot is a unique network that allows the transfer of data, money and assets between different blockchains.
Polkadot is different from other networks such as Ethereum because it uses various blockchains instead of smart contracts, allowing developers a more granular approach to design. DOT tokens are the native currency of the Polkadot ecosystem and are used for proof of stake and governance.
At Polkadot's core is a universe of blockchains, both public and private, that can all interact with each other through a process known as interoperability. Instead of using smart contracts to run applications, Polkadot uses parallel blockchains, known as parachains, to serve a similar purpose. Whereas a developer on Ethereum would use a collection of smart contracts to program a dapp, developers on Polkadot use parachains instead.
By programming individual blockchains to host dapps instead of smart contracts – which are bound to the parent blockchain's rules – developers are able to exercise greater control over design, including key features such as speed, fees and whether data is public or private. Smart contracts are still supported on Polkadot, although they must exist within a parachain.
For example, a bank might want to host customer data on a private blockchain that only employees can alter. Customers could then access this data using a third-party payments app that operates on a public blockchain. Permission to access either parachain could be moderated by a digital ID held on a smart contract parachain.
Tying these parachains together is the relay chain, which can be thought of as the central blockchain within Polkadot. By managing a network of parachains from a central relay chain, friction is reduced, enabling a faster and more efficient network for both the user and those that operate it.
*Cryptocurrencies aren't regulated in the UK and there's no protection from the Financial Ombudsman or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Your capital is at risk. Capital gains tax on profits may apply.
Cryptocurrencies are speculative and investing in them involves significant risks - they're highly volatile, vulnerable to hacking and sensitive to secondary activity. The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This content shouldn't be interpreted as a recommendation to invest. Before you invest, you should get advice and decide whether the potential return outweighs the risks. Finder, or the author, may have holdings in the cryptocurrencies discussed.
This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to buy Arbitrum, lists some exchanges where you can get it and provides daily price data on (ARB).
Learn how to buy Litecoin in the UK with our simple step-by-step guide and tips on what to know before you get started.
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