In the past year, BTC increased by 100%, while QQQ increased by 24% and SPY increased by 18%. No wallet, no private key, and don't want to risk accidentally transferring coins? But you still want to keep up with the big trends of Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Today, I will teach you the simplest method: using only your brokerage account, you can use 5 methods of investing without holding coins to quietly connect to the crypto world.
Spot Crypto ETFs (BTC/ETH)
This is "Let the bank buy real coins for you and store them in a vault".
You receive a share certificate, closest to the coin price. The recent 5 years' prices: BTC≈+1000%, ETH≈+1000%; the ETF listing time is shorter, just look at "since listing".
Who is it suitable for: Those who want to take a long-term approach, use a brokerage account, and do not want to store cryptocurrencies themselves.
Pitfalls: Management fees, trading spreads; the redemption and liquidity of different ETFs will also affect tracking.
US Stocks BTC ETF: IBIT, FBTC, ARKB, BITB, HODL, BTCO, EZBC, BRRR, BTCW, GBTC
US Stocks ETH ETF: ETHA, FETH, ETHE, ETH, ETHV, ETHW
Listed Crypto Exchanges/Brokers
This type is the ones selling shovels: relying on transaction fees, custody, and stablecoin revenue sharing to make a living.
Does not equal coin price, but more like a reflection of trading activity. COIN was listed in 2021, and GEMI is a newcomer in 2025/09; but when the market is hot, trading volume increases, and revenue/imagination space follows.
US Stocks: COIN, GEMI
Putting Bitcoin on the Balance Sheet
This type of company treats Bitcoin as a core asset, sometimes even leveraging to buy. The result is that when it rises, it rises more fiercely than BTC, and when it falls, it hurts more.
In the past 5 years, MSTR's cumulative total return ≈ +2,210%, which is a typical "amplifier".
US Stocks: MSTR
Miners & Industry ETFs
Miners are like those who dig gold out of the ground: affected by coin price, difficulty, electricity price, and expansion pace.
- MARA 5 years ≈ +773% (total return); RIOT 5 years ≈ +438%.
- BLOK this type of industry ETF helps you "bundle together", with a 5-year annualized ≈ +23.9%.
US Stocks: MARA, RIOT, BLOK, BKCH, DAPP, BITQ
Stablecoin-related Stocks
Stablecoins are like the dollar system running on-chain.
- CRCL (Circle) is the company behind USDC, listed in 2025/06, with long-term figures to observe.
- PayPal (PYPL) is related to Paxos' PYUSD; however, the stock price reflects the core payment business and interest rate environment, with a total return of about −65.6% over the past 5 years, which is a different world from pure cryptocurrency price trends.
- Coinbase (COIN) shares interest income from USDC with Circle, benefiting from USDC circulation.
Lazy Logic on 'How to Choose'
- Want to stay close to cryptocurrency prices: choose BTC/ETH spot ETFs (long-term peace of mind).
- Want to amplify gains and losses: MSTR or mining stocks (but make sure you can sleep at night).
- Want to benefit from trading activity: stocks like COIN/GEMI (bonus in bull markets, headwind in bear markets).
- Believe in dollar on-chain: research CRCL, PYPL, and other stablecoins/payment routes.
One Sentence on Risk
The closer you are to cryptocurrency prices, the simpler the logic; the farther away, the more you rely on business models and macro environments.
ETFs have fees, miners face electricity prices and difficulty, exchanges depend on volume, and payments are influenced by interest rates and competition; don't make decisions based solely on oneK line.