Four female crypto traders share their story

* Answers in this article have been edited for clarity.*

In honor of International Women’s Day celebrated annually in March, Obiex Finance spoke to four female crypto traders about their journey so far and how they are breaking the bias in the crypto trading industry.

Here's what they had to say.

Levinne

How did you discover Crypto and Crypto Trading
I discovered crypto from reading articles in 2014. I bought a bunch of coins including VET, HBAR and ETH.

What was the first coin you traded?
I can’t remember cos I bought a bunch. VET, ETH, HBAR are a few of them. ETH is probably my second favorite coin in terms of which cryptocurrency has made me more money.

How has crypto trading helped you financially?
Lol, crypto feeds me. I am financially in a really good place.

Seeing as the crypto space is heavily male dominated, are there any difficulties you face while trading as a woman?
As much as it’s heavily male dominated, the good thing about crypto for me is the anonymity. The exchange apps won’t hide certain coins from me because I’m a woman, and with P2P no one cares either so I don’t have any issues withdrawing my money.

There are two most important things when I sit behind my computer -Am I able to buy and am I able to withdraw?. And gender does not influence any of that. From my POV, crypto trading projects look at delivery, not gender.

What's the highest amount of money you've made and the highest you've lost from trading?
I’ll go with the highest money I’ve lost, which is probably $5000. It could be more but I wouldn't know. I’m very careful with crypto and it’s not my only investment so I rarely have FOMO(Fear of Missing Out) or try to hold on to a project that’s a lost cause.

What advice do you have for women who want to join the crypto space?
I think that women are sleeping on crypto and they need to get in. They need to get in like they would want to get the latest designer bag or shoes or like they would want to secure their dream job.
Crypto is something you can be very part time with and still eat good. You just need to tell yourself that you can trade and you can do the research. Most women would go to a guy and say show me how to trade or they’ll say give me coins to buy. I used to do that too because men talk about crypto more on social media. However, you can do a lot of research on your own. You don’t need to wait for anyone.

Lisafi

How did you discover Crypto and Crypto Trading?
Curiosity sparked my interest for Cryptocurrency. I started reading a lot of materials, watching videos and asking questions. The first money I made in the crypto space was through blogging. I used the money I earned to pay for my first DeFi course.

What was the first coin you traded?
Ether(Eth

How has crypto trading helped you financially?
I have made tremendous profits and some losses regardless. I am one of those people who would proudly say crypto trading has given them a great boost.

Seeing as the crypto space is heavily male dominated, are there any difficulties you face while trading as a woman?
I haven't faced any significant difficulties. In fact, men are willing to help with any materials available.

What's the highest amount of money you've made and the highest you've lost from trading?
The highest amount I have made is $2000 and the highest amount I've lost is about $400.

What advice do you have for women who want to join the crypto space? The Cryptocurrency space is for everyone irrespective of gender. Be consistent. Don't give up on the journey. It may seem difficult because you may have heard many stories of failure. You should know that failures are part of the process. You will go through it, come out successful and become a woman with a difference!

Blessing

How did you discover Crypto and Crypto Trading
A friend introduced it to me. I had previously heard about it online but didn’t really pay much attention to it till my friend properly explained it to me. He felt since I was in tech (front end development), I should also be involved in the crypto space.

What was the first coin you traded?
Bitcoin (BTC)

How has crypto trading helped you financially?
It changed a lot for me. Especially after my mom died, it really did help keep me afloat.

Seeing as the crypto space is heavily male dominated, are there any difficulties you face while trading as a woman?
There is this initial doubt that comes in when they first discover I'm a woman, but after one or two successful trades they become comfortable. In very few cases, I have traded with people who actually trusted me more immediately they found out I was a woman.

What's the highest amount of money you've made and the highest you've lost from trading?
I have made between $500 to $1000 and lost up to $400.

What advice do you have for women who want to join the crypto space?
It’s not easy. It is going to mess with your emotions and for someone like me who is really emotional, it was even harder to deal with. However, like it is for any woman trying to get into a male dominated field, you have to grow a tough skin. Never stop learning. Learn a new thing about crypto (and related fields like blockchain/Defi) everyday and make sure you are surrounded with people who would push you to do more.

Oyin

How did you discover Crypto and Crypto Trading?
I discovered it through some friends I met online in 2020 during the pandemic. Everyone was trying to make ends meet and I’d gotten into affiliate marketing during that period. That’s how I got to know about crypto.

What was the first coin you traded?
Ether (ETH) was the first crypto coin I heard of and traded.

How has crypto trading helped you financially?
It gave me the capacity to do things I ordinarily would not have been able to do with my meager salary. For example, with my job then, I’d need to save for at least 2 years to be able to get a decent gaming laptop. But I was able to do it within 6 months of going into trading.

Seeing as the crypto space is heavily male dominated, are there any difficulties you face while trading as a woman?
Well, most people I interact with for the first time think I’m a guy until I say otherwise. Sometimes people don’t trust that I know what I’m doing when they find out I’m a lady. They’d prefer to meet a guy for something I can do. Basically, you get undermined a lot.

What's the highest amount of money you've made and the highest you've lost from trading?
I've made a profit of $1000 and a loss of about $200.

What advice do you have for women who want to join the crypto space?Women have the potential to be a force to reckon with in the crypto space. All they need to do is be ready and open to learn. It may be tough but it’s worth it.

A 2021 study from brokerage eToro Ltd revealed that women make up only 15 percent of Bitcoin traders. Another source mentioned that only 8.5% of Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency traders are female.

This lack of significant female presence in the crypto space can be traced back to how few women can be found in the general tech and finance ecosystem. Crypto trading sits right at the intersection of both of the aforementioned fields, thus it combines the challenges of both when it comes to women breaking into crypto.

This years theme #breakthebias is focused on making intentional efforts in tearing down entry barriers and general sexism/misogyny based obstructions women face.

At Obiex, we are constantly championing and will continue to champion the inclusion of women in the journey towards achieving financial freedom.