Bitstamp review
Updated September 28, 2026 · HodlCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Bitstamp suits crypto buyers who prefer a custodial exchange with proof of reserves, several fiat deposit routes and regulation in the EU, UK, US and Singapore. The trade-off is cost: a taker fee of 0.4% sits above the buy-crypto median of 0.25%, so frequent traders should weigh it.
Key facts
- Best for
- A regulated custodial exchange for buying and trading a mid-sized coin list.
- Taker fee
- 0.4%↗
- Coins listed
- 98↗
- Regulators
- MiCA CASP authorisation (EU), Payment institution (PI) authorisation (EU), MiFID authorisation (EU), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) MLR registration, New York State Department of Financial Services (BitLicense), FinCEN Money Services Business (MSB) registration, Monetary Authority of Singapore - Major Payment Institution licence, Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF)↗
- Fiat deposit methods
- Card, ACH, Apple-pay, Bank↗
- Maker fee
- 0.3%↗
- Proof of reserves
- Yes↗
- Withdrawal fee
- 0.09% international wire transfer (minimum 15.00 USD/EUR); BTC free or 0.1% via BitGo Instant↗
- Derivatives
- No↗
- Exchange type
- Cex↗
- Legal entity
- Bitstamp Europe S.A.↗
- Headquarters
- Luxembourg↗
- Founded
- 2011↗
- Support channels
- Chat, Email, Community↗
- Features
- Custodial, Staking
- Official website
- bitstamp.net
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 4 sources
Pros and cons
Pros
- Proof of reserves: yes, so listed holdings can be set against published balances.
- The regulatory record spans the EU, UK, US and Singapore: MiCA CASP authorisation (EU), Payment institution (PI) authorisation (EU) and MiFID authorisation (EU).
- Fiat deposits run through card, ach and apple pay, giving several funding routes.
- Staking sits alongside custodial service in the listed features: custodial and staking.
Cons
- The taker fee of 0.4% is above the buy-crypto median of 0.25%.
- Derivatives: no.
- Support runs on chat, email and community only, with no phone line listed.
Who it suits
- Buyers who want a range of fiat deposit routes, card, ach and apple pay.
- Traders who put regulated status and proof of reserves ahead of the lowest possible fee.
- Holders comfortable letting a custodial exchange hold the coins, one of the features in custodial and staking.
Who should look elsewhere
- ActivTrades, where a taker fee of 0% suits traders focused on cost alone.
- bunq, whose taker fees run 0.25% to 1.99% for a different fee band.
- Bitpanda, if a coin list of from 650 matters more than an exchange with staking.
How Bitstamp compares
9.1 vs 9.5- 9.1 vs 9.3
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.7Its taker fee of 0% suits traders who want the cheapest way to trade.
9.1 vs 9.4
9.1 vs 9.6
9.1 vs 9.0
Bitstamp vs Gemini9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 8.9
9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 8.2
9.1 vs 8.2
9.1 vs 9.7
9.1 vs 9.4
9.1 vs 9.3
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.1
9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 8.7
9.1 vs 8.6
Where Bitstamp is available
- Licence in Luxembourg
- MiCA CASP authorisation (EU), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Luxembourg
- Payment institution (PI) authorisation (EU), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Luxembourg
- MiFID authorisation (EU), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in United Kingdom
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) MLR registration, checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in United States
- New York State Department of Financial Services (BitLicense), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in United States
- FinCEN Money Services Business (MSB) registration, checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Singapore
- Monetary Authority of Singapore - Major Payment Institution licence, checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Luxembourg
- Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) (MiCA CASP 549300XIBGTJ0PLIEO72), checked September 26, 2026, also valid in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
Frequently asked questions
What are Bitstamp's trading fees?+
On the standard custodial account, the taker fee is 0.4% and the maker fee is 0.3% on spot trading. That taker fee is above the buy-crypto median of 0.25%, so regular trading costs more here than at the cheaper end of the market.
How many coins are listed on Bitstamp?+
Bitstamp lists 98 coins, which sits above the buy-crypto median of 60 but well under the category maximum of 20,000. Buyers chasing long-tail tokens will find a shorter list than the largest venues on the comparison.
Which fiat deposit methods does Bitstamp accept?+
Fiat deposits are available through card, ach and apple pay, so an account can be funded by card, bank transfer and the other listed rails for the country of the payer. Because the account is custodial, coins bought this way are held by the exchange rather than in a wallet of your own.
Which regulators and licences are listed for Bitstamp?+
The record lists MiCA CASP authorisation, payment institution authorisation and MiFID authorisation in the EU, the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK, New York State Department of Financial Services and FinCEN in the US, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the CSSF in Luxembourg: MiCA CASP authorisation (EU), Payment institution (PI) authorisation (EU) and MiFID authorisation (EU). The Luxembourg entry reads MiCA CASP 549300XIBGTJ0PLIEO72.
Is Bitstamp custodial and does it offer staking?+
The exchange is a cex and the listed features in custodial and staking include custodial service and staking, so coins stay on the platform and can still earn a yield. Holders who want every coin in a wallet they control may prefer a self-custody setup instead.
What support does Bitstamp offer?+
Support runs through chat, email and community, which covers live chat, email and a community space. Account and transaction questions can be raised in those channels, though a phone line is not among the listed options, so urgent issues depend on written replies.
What do withdrawals cost on Bitstamp?+
The listed withdrawal fee sets international wire transfers at a percentage with a minimum, while BTC withdrawals are free or charged through BitGo Instant. Check which rail the withdrawal uses, because the charge follows the method rather than the account type.
Who is Bitstamp built for?+
Bitstamp suits buyers who want a regulated custodial venue and several funding routes rather than the lowest possible fee. It trades as a cex founded in 2011, and the regulated company is Bitstamp Europe S.A. in Luxembourg, so the entity behind the licences is named.
Sources
- coingecko.com/en/exchanges/bitstamp checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Coins listed, Founded, Derivatives, Exchange type, Withdrawal fee
“id=bitstamp; coins=98; pairs=191”
- defillama.com/cex/bitstamp checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Proof of reserves
“slug=bitstamp; category=CEX; tvl=3731859369.6536746”
- esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-12/CASPS.csv checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity, Licences
“ae_homeMemberState=LU”
- coinmarketcap.com/exchanges/bitstamp checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features, Fiat deposit methods, Maker fee, Regulators, Support channels, Taker fee
“The platform is accessible via web, mobile app, or APIs ... Customers can also earn rewards through staking and lending”
Compiled from 4 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
Bitstamp
A regulated custodial exchange for buying and trading a mid-sized coin list.