How to start in crypto with $25: every step and what each one costs
The short answer: you can start in crypto with about $26. Most guides start with bitcoin; we start with USDC, a digital dollar, because its value does not move while you learn the steps. Buy USDC in an exchange app with a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Send it on the Arbitrum One network to the app you want to use. Then decide what it does. With NuWealth the smallest deposit is 25 USDC, so sending about 26 covers the exchange’s sending fee. On top of that, expect a fee to buy, a sending fee of a few cents to about $1, and about $1.21 once to set up your account on Hyperliquid, where our strategy runs. Added up, about $23.80 of a $26 start ends up running.
This is the path into NuWealth, so we have a stake in it. Steps 1 and 2 are the same whichever app you choose, and every cost below is read from the exchange’s or our own published pages, with the date.
Key points
- About $26 is enough to start. Nothing about crypto needs $100 or $1,000 to begin.
- Step 1 is buying USDC, which is designed to stay worth $1 (it briefly fell below $1 in March 2023), so you are not betting on a price while you learn the steps.
- The step that loses people money is the network. Always send USDC on Arbitrum One to NuWealth; on any other network it may never arrive.
- The exchange asks for ID before your first purchase. NuWealth does not.
- We earn only on gains: 10% of the gains part of what you take out. If your deposit has not grown, you pay us nothing.
How much money do I need to start in crypto as a beginner?
About $26 is enough to start, as of 11 November 2026. Exchanges set their own smallest purchase; Kraken’s is $10, and the others in step 1 do not state one on their fee pages. The smallest deposit into a NuWealth strategy is 25 USDC, and our docs suggest sending around 26, because the exchange takes a small fee when you send.
There is no amount that makes crypto safe. A small first amount lets you learn every step, including getting your money back out, before you decide whether to add more. Only put in money you can afford to see go down.
Step 1: buy USDC in an exchange app
Start by buying USDC in an exchange app you can sign up to in your country, such as Binance, Coinbase, Crypto.com, Kraken or OKX. USDC is a digital dollar issued by Circle, designed to stay worth 1 US dollar, so the amount you buy is the amount you have.
What it costs, read from each exchange’s own pages on 11 November 2026 (from Singapore, so some pages are regional versions; every exchange says its fees vary by country and can change, and the app shows the fee before you confirm):
| Exchange | Fee to buy USDC with a card | Fee to send USDC on Arbitrum One | Smallest send |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binance | Up to about 2%; 2% with Apple Pay or Google Pay | 0.5 USDC | 3 USDC |
| Coinbase | Shown before you buy, with a spread in the price | Network fee shown when you send | Shown when you send |
| Crypto.com | Up to 4% | About 1 USDC | 2 USDC |
| Kraken | Shown before you confirm, with a spread; smallest buy $10 | 1 USDC | 4 USDC |
| OKX | 1.99% to 3% by currency (2.49% in US dollars) | Shown when you send | Not stated |
The sending fee is a fixed amount, so it weighs more on a small start: 1 USDC is almost 4% of $26. If your exchange charges 1 USDC to send, send a little over 26 so at least 25 arrives.
The first time, the exchange asks you to verify your ID before you can buy. That can take a few minutes or, at some exchanges, a couple of days. Some exchanges also hold coins bought with a card before you can send them: Kraken says up to 72 hours. Apple Pay and Google Pay depend on your country and the exchange.
Step 2: send it on the Arbitrum One network
Next, send the USDC from the exchange to the app you will use, and pick the Arbitrum One network. This is the step people get wrong.
If you have not yet, sign up in the NuWealth app with your email or Google. A wallet is created for you; only you control it, and there is no recovery phrase to write down.
- In the NuWealth app, go to Wallet, tap Fund and copy Your wallet address (Arbitrum).
- In the exchange app, find USDC and tap Withdraw or Send.
- Paste the address.
- Choose the Arbitrum One network. Some apps call it just Arbitrum.
- Enter around 26 USDC and confirm. It usually arrives in 1 to 5 minutes.
Why the network matters: the same USDC exists on many networks, such as Ethereum, BSC and Arbitrum. Our docs put it plainly: “Sending on any other network, like Ethereum or BSC, means your $USDC may never arrive and cannot be recovered.” Also check the coin is USDC itself. Look alikes called USDC.e or Bridged USDC are not the same coin and do not work with NuWealth.
Step 3: pick a strategy and deposit
Once your USDC has arrived, choose what it does. In NuWealth that takes 2 steps:
- Pick a strategy. Today 1 is open to deposits: RockSteady, which runs as a public vault on Hyperliquid, so every trade and balance is on a record anyone can check. How Hyperliquid vaults work.
- Deposit at least 25 USDC. The app shows any network fee before you confirm; on your first deposit, about $1.21 for the Hyperliquid account setup is taken from the amount.
A strategy may wait days before its first trade, because it acts only when its fixed rules say so. Your balance can go down as well as up: RockSteady’s deepest fall so far is about 10.9% (March to April 2026, on weekly readings; a trade by trade rebuild puts it at 11 to 12%), and the next one can be deeper. Its full record is on our live record page.
What does each step cost?
Every step has a small fee, and only 1 of them is ours. Figures as of 11 November 2026; the apps show the exact amount before you confirm.
| Step | Who charges | About how much |
|---|---|---|
| Buy USDC with a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay | The exchange | See the table in step 1 |
| Send USDC on Arbitrum One | The exchange | 0.5 to 1 USDC at the exchanges in step 1, or a network fee shown when you send |
| Set up your account on Hyperliquid | Hyperliquid | About $1.21, once, on your first deposit, including that deposit’s transfer fee |
| Move later deposits to Hyperliquid | Relay | $0.01 to $0.12 a deposit |
| Our fee | NuWealth | 10% of the gains part of what you take out, at withdrawal. No gains, no fee |
| Take money back to your NuWealth wallet | Hyperliquid | A flat $1 |
Added up, a $26 start costs about $2.20 to $3.30 in fees on the way in, so about $23.80 of your 25 USDC deposit starts running, and $1 more to bring it back to your NuWealth wallet. A full round trip costs about 12% to 16% of $26 before any gain or loss. The fixed fees are the same on $100, so there they are a much smaller share.
Our fee in numbers: you deposit 100 USDC and it grows to 120. You take it all out. Your gains are 20, our fee is 2, and you get 118 before the small network fees.
Where do beginners get stuck?
Most first time problems happen in 6 places, and each has a simple check.
- The wrong network. Pick Arbitrum One every time you send USDC to NuWealth.
- The wrong coin. USDC.e and Bridged USDC are not USDC.
- Waiting for the ID check. It is the exchange’s, not ours, and can take a couple of days at some exchanges.
- A hold after a card purchase. Some exchanges stop you sending coins bought with a card for a while; Kraken says up to 72 hours.
- The 24 hours. You can withdraw from a strategy any time from 24 hours after your last deposit into it. Adding more restarts the 24 hours.
- Sending USDC out of the NuWealth wallet. That needs a few cents of ETH on Arbitrum for the network fee. Depositing and withdrawing inside the app do not.
How do I get my money back out?
You can withdraw from 24 hours after your last deposit, in 4 taps. Open the strategy, tap Withdraw, choose your NuWealth wallet (about 5 minutes, $1 fee) or your Hyperliquid balance (under a minute, no fee), check the fee and confirm. The amount you receive can differ slightly from the figure shown, as the strategy closes its trades.
To move it back to an exchange, copy your exchange’s USDC deposit address on Arbitrum One, then in NuWealth go to Wallet, tap Send and paste it. We suggest trying a withdrawal on your first small deposit, so you know the way out works before you add more.
What can go wrong?
A first deposit can lose value, is not insured, and depends on Hyperliquid working.
- Your balance can go down. The next fall can be deeper than the last.
- Deposits are not insured or guaranteed by anyone.
- A problem at Hyperliquid could slow or affect withdrawals. Our post on whether Hyperliquid is safe lists every incident since 2024.
- Anyone with your email login or exported key can reach your wallet. Keep both safe.
- We never promise returns.
If you want to check us before you deposit, Is NuWealth.ai legit? walks through 5 checks you can run yourself.
FAQ
Is $100 enough to start crypto? Yes, and so is about $26. Nothing in crypto needs a large first amount. The trade off: the fixed fees take about 12% to 16% of a $26 round trip, and much less of $100. Starting small lets you learn each step, including a withdrawal, before you decide on more.
How do I start crypto as a beginner? In 3 steps: buy USDC in an exchange app, send it on the Arbitrum One network to the app you choose, then decide what it does. With NuWealth, you sign up with your email or Google, send at least 25 USDC, then pick a strategy and deposit.
Do I need a crypto wallet? Not a separate one. NuWealth creates a wallet for you when you sign up. Only you control it, and you can export its key any time.
Why USDC and not bitcoin? USDC is designed to stay worth $1, so its value does not move while you learn the steps; only the fixed fees come off. Our strategies run with USDC. Bitcoin’s price moves every minute, which adds a second thing to learn on day 1.
Do I need to verify my ID? With the exchange, yes, before your first purchase. With NuWealth, no.
What is Arbitrum One? A network that carries USDC cheaply and quickly. It is the one your NuWealth wallet uses, so it is the one to pick when you send.
What does NuWealth charge? 10% of your gains, taken only when you withdraw, and only on the gains part. No subscription, no sign up fee, no fee per trade from us; the vault’s trading costs are already inside its results.
Sources
- NuWealth docs: How to get $USDC, Create your account, Deposit, Withdrawing and Fees, read on 11 November 2026.
- Exchange fees: each exchange’s own pages, linked in step 1, read on 11 November 2026.
- USDC: Circle; its March 2023 dip below $1: USD Coin on Wikipedia, citing the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.
- RockSteady: our live record, read from Hyperliquid’s public API.
How this was made: written by NuWealth with AI assistance from the sources above, and checked by the NuWealth team. Past results are not a promise of future results; see our Risk Disclaimer.