Bitstamp, now trading as Bitstamp by Robinhood, scores 3.3 out of 5 on our six-dimension scorecard as of September 2026, leading on security and custody and on fiat rails and trailing on fees, assetBitstamp, now trading as Bitstamp by Robinhood, scores 3.3 out of 5 on our six-dimension scorecard as of September 2026, leading on security and custody and on fiat rails and trailing on fees, asset
Bitstamp Review 2026: 3.3 Out of 5, Robinhood Owns It Now, and Here Is What Actually Changed
Bitstamp, now trading as Bitstamp by Robinhood, scores 3.3 out of 5 on our six-dimension scorecard as of September 2026, leading on security and custody and on fiat rails and trailing on fees, asset coverage and derivatives; it suits US, UK and EEA holders who want a licensed spot venue with bank rails, and it is the wrong pick for altcoin hunters and for anyone who trades futures outside the EU.
Key Takeaways
- Bitstamp scores 3.3 out of 5 overall, with 4.5 on security and custody and on deposits and withdrawals, and 2.0 on derivatives, which are offered only to eligible EU users at a 10x cap.
- Robinhood announced the acquisition on 6 June 2024, closed it on 2 June 2025 for about $200 million in cash, and began routing UK crypto trading through Bitstamp UK Ltd on 10 August 2026; no fee change and no asset-list expansion has been announced.
- Spot fees are 0% below $1,000 of 30-day volume, then 0.30% maker and 0.40% taker up to $10,000 and 0.20% and 0.30% up to $100,000, so $50,000 of monthly taker volume costs $1,800 a year against $300 at MEXC's 0.05% standard rate.
- Bitstamp holds a MiCA CASP licence from Luxembourg's CSSF dated 15 May 2025, a New York BitLicense, an FCA registration for Bitstamp UK Ltd and a Singapore major payment institution licence.
- Its only publicly reported breach was in January 2015, about 19,000 BTC absorbed by the exchange, and it states that about 95% of crypto assets sit in cold storage and that customer assets are held 1:1.
- Readers in the US, UK and EEA have a licensed option in Bitstamp and no account at MEXC; readers elsewhere who want 0% maker and a wide altcoin list can compare MEXC's published rates below.
What Did the Robinhood Acquisition Change at Bitstamp, and What Did It Not?
Robinhood's purchase of Bitstamp changed the brand, the owner and the routing of UK order flow, and so far it has not changed the fee schedule, the curated asset list or the licences, so the open question for a Bitstamp customer in 2026 is product direction rather than safety.
Bitstamp customers are not worried about an exchange failing.
They are waiting to find out what a fifteen-year-old European exchange becomes inside an American brokerage.
Robinhood announced the deal on 6 June 2024 and closed it on 2 June 2025 for total consideration of approximately $200 million in cash, disclosing more than 500,000 funded retail customers and roughly 5,000 institutional customers as of 30 April 2025.
The brand became Bitstamp by Robinhood, new listings continued through August 2026, and on 10 August 2026 Robinhood began offering crypto trading in the UK through Bitstamp UK Ltd.
What has not been announced is any change to the fee schedule, any plan to expand the asset list toward the hundreds, or any date for merging the two customer bases.
That is the frame for the scores below: a licensed, conservative spot venue with bank rails, priced for holders rather than for traders.
How We Scored Bitstamp
This review scores Bitstamp from 0 to 5 on six equally weighted dimensions: fees and costs, asset coverage, derivatives, security and custody, deposits and withdrawals, and customer support.
Every figure comes from Bitstamp's own fee schedule, help centre, announcements or terms, from a regulator, from CoinGecko exchange data, or from an established news organisation, and each carries a retrieval date.
Regional availability and regulatory standing are disclosed but never scored, because a platform is either usable where you live or it is not.
MEXC operates a competing exchange, and the full scoring rules, source hierarchy and conflict-of-interest policy are published in our exchange review methodology.
The support score is based on published channels only; our timed-ticket test for this platform is scheduled for the next review cycle.
Where Is Bitstamp Available, and Where Is MEXC?
Bitstamp serves the US, the UK, the EEA and Singapore through licensed entities, and MEXC does not onboard residents of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the EEA, Singapore or Hong Kong, so most Bitstamp customers cannot act on the MEXC comparisons in this review at all, and the sections that mention MEXC are information for readers elsewhere.
Bitstamp
Bitstamp Europe S.A. received its MiCA crypto-asset service provider authorisation from Luxembourg's CSSF on 15 May 2025, which the French regulator's AMF white list records with passporting rights across the EEA.
The group also holds a New York BitLicense, an FCA registration for Bitstamp UK Ltd, a Singapore major payment institution licence and a MiFID II multilateral trading facility.
Its terms exclude Russia, the occupied regions of Ukraine, China, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Cuba and Sudan, and Canada is an exit rather than a sanctions block.
MEXC
MEXC does not serve residents of the United States or the United Kingdom, and readers there should use a platform licensed by their local regulator.
As of 17 September 2026, MEXC is not authorised under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation and appears on ESMA's register of non-compliant entities following a September 2025 decision by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets; readers in the EU and EEA should treat a MiCA-authorised platform as the appropriate option.
MEXC's user agreement also prohibits Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China, and the full list is in our restricted countries guide.
The overlap where both platforms are open sits mostly in Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Asia, and every MEXC figure below is written for that audience.
Bitstamp Scorecard 2026: Six Scores and One Overall Figure
Bitstamp earns 3.3 out of 5 overall, with 4.5 on security and custody and on deposits and withdrawals, 3.5 on customer support, 2.5 on fees and on asset coverage, and 2.0 on derivatives, a profile built for licensed spot holders rather than for active traders.
Dimension | Score (out of 5) | What we measured | Verified against |
Fees and costs | 2.5 | 0% below $1,000 of 30-day volume, 0.30% maker and 0.40% taker to $10,000, 0.20% and 0.30% to $100,000, 0.10% and 0.20% to $500,000, 0.08% and 0.18% to $1.5 million, stablecoin and FX pairs 80% off, card and PayPal instant buys 4% plus spread | Published fee schedule |
Asset coverage | 2.5 | 102 coins and 184 pairs tracked on CoinGecko, listing batches of a handful of assets, no published listing count | CoinGecko exchange page and platform announcements |
Derivatives | 2 | Crypto perpetual futures for eligible EU users since April 2026 under MiFID II, ten assets at launch, leverage capped at 10x, multi-asset perpetuals added July 2026, no margin, no perpetuals for US or UK retail | Platform announcements |
Security and custody | 4.5 | One breach in January 2015 absorbed by the exchange, no later incident, about 95% of crypto assets stated in cold storage, customer assets stated held 1:1 with no lending, no third-party audited monthly proof-of-reserves report found | Mainstream reporting, platform statements, CoinGecko |
Deposits and withdrawals | 4.5 | SEPA deposits free and SEPA withdrawals 3 euros, ACH, Faster Payments, card and PayPal instant buys at 4% plus spread | Published fee schedule and help centre |
Customer support | 3.5 | Help centre, phone and email support channels; timed ticket test not yet run | Platform support pages |
Overall | 3.3 | Average of the six dimensions | Methodology page |
What Does Bitstamp Charge in Fees?
Fees and costs: 2.5 out of 5.
Bitstamp charges nothing below $1,000 of 30-day volume, then 0.30% maker and 0.40% taker up to $10,000, 0.20% and 0.30% up to $100,000, 0.10% and 0.20% up to $500,000, and 0.08% and 0.18% up to $1.5 million, with stablecoin and FX pairs discounted by 80% and a 4% processing fee plus spread on card and PayPal instant buys.
The free tier under $1,000 is real and unusual, and it is the reason a small holder who buys once a month may never pay a trading fee.
Above it the ladder starts at the high end of the market and falls with volume, and the taker rate stays above three times MEXC's flat 0.05% until 30-day volume passes $5 million.
The 80% reduction on stablecoin and FX pairs brings the entry-tier rate on those pairs to 0.06% and 0.08%, which is close to MEXC's taker rate and worth knowing for anyone who mostly moves between USD, EUR and stablecoins.
Our methodology prices the same monthly volume on every platform at the tier a new account actually reaches, so the table below runs three volumes as spot taker orders for a full year.
Monthly spot taker volume | Bitstamp at the tier reached | MEXC at 0.05% | MEXC with MX deduction at 0.04% |
$1,000 | $48 a year at 0.40%, and $0 for any month that stays under $1,000 | $6 a year | $4.80 a year |
$50,000 | $1,800 a year at 0.30% | $300 a year | $240 a year |
$500,000 | $10,800 a year at 0.18%, or $12,000 at 0.20% if the month closes just under $500,000 | $3,000 a year | $2,400 a year |
Annual cost at each platform's published tier, verified as of 3 September 2026; Bitstamp's tier follows its published 30-day volume bands; spreads, funding, card fees and network fees are excluded.
A maker at $50,000 a month pays $1,200 a year at Bitstamp's 0.20% and $0 at MEXC's published maker rate, which is the widest single line in this review.
Card and PayPal instant buys carry a 4% processing fee plus spread, so a $1,000 card purchase costs about $40 before the spread, and a SEPA deposit followed by a limit order costs nothing on the deposit and 0.30% or less on the trade.
How Broad Is Bitstamp's Asset Coverage?
Asset coverage: 2.5 out of 5.
CoinGecko tracked 102 coins across 184 pairs on Bitstamp by Robinhood as of 3 September 2026, its 2026 listing batches have added a handful of names at a time, including Quant in July and Billions Network, Worldcoin and Jito on 1 August, and it publishes no periodic listing count, which places it among the smallest catalogues in this series by design.
We do not score platforms on self-reported coin totals, and the tracked CoinGecko number is the one we cite.
The curation is deliberate, and it is the right answer for a reader who wants a licensed venue for a short list of majors.
It is the wrong answer for anyone hunting new listings, because a batch of three names a month cannot compete with venues that list daily.
Bitstamp is not among the eight platforms in our listing disclosure index, so its delisting notice periods and withdrawal windows have not been measured by us, and that gap is stated rather than filled with an estimate.
Does Bitstamp Offer Futures, and How Strong Is It for Derivatives?
Derivatives: 2.0 out of 5.
Bitstamp by Robinhood launched crypto perpetual futures on its web platform in April 2026 for eligible EU institutional and retail investors under its MiFID II venue, with ten assets at launch and leverage capped at 10x, added multi-asset perpetuals referencing FX, equity indices and commodities in July 2026, and offers no margin trading and no perpetuals to US or UK retail customers, which makes derivatives a region-gated side product rather than a core one.
The 10x cap is a feature for a conservative trader and a limit for an active one.
The score sits at 2.0 rather than 0.5 because the product exists and its rules are published, and rather than 3.0 because most Bitstamp customers, in the US and the UK, cannot use it.
A leverage number without its position band is marketing rather than a specification, and Bitstamp's published cap is one of the few in this series that needs no such caveat.
For comparison, MEXC runs roughly 1,000 USDT-margined perpetual pairs with leverage set per contract, priced at 0.010% maker and 0.040% taker on standard pairs, for readers outside its restricted markets.
Is Bitstamp Safe? Security, Custody and the 2015 Breach
Security and custody: 4.5 out of 5.
Bitstamp has one publicly reported breach in fifteen years, a January 2015 hot-wallet theft of roughly 19,000 BTC that the exchange absorbed without customer losses, it states that about 95% of crypto assets sit in cold storage and that customer assets are held 1:1 without lending or rehypothecation, and we did not find a third-party audited monthly proof-of-reserves report with a named auditor on its site, which is the half point it does not earn.
Bitstamp reported the January 2015 breach at about $5 million at the time and covered the loss itself.
No later breach has been publicly reported, and CoinGecko's twelve-month incident field for Bitstamp by Robinhood is clear, with a trust score of 9 out of 10.
Our rule for this dimension is consistent across the series: no incident in more than a decade, a licensed custody structure and a stated 1:1 policy earn the leading band, and the absence of an independently attested reserve report holds the score at 4.5 rather than 5.0.
For the full incident record across the industry, our crypto exchange hacks database lists 81 breaches with their reimbursement outcomes.
How Easy Are Deposits and Withdrawals on Bitstamp?
Deposits and withdrawals: 4.5 out of 5.
Bitstamp runs SEPA with free deposits and 3-euro withdrawals, ACH for US customers and Faster Payments for UK customers, in EUR, USD and GBP, alongside card and PayPal instant buys that carry a 4% processing fee plus spread, which is the widest set of first-party bank rails in this series and the reason a holder who funds weekly will find it hard to leave.
The half point it does not earn is the instant-buy pricing, because 4% plus spread on a card purchase is among the dearer routes in this comparison, and the answer is to fund by bank transfer and place a limit order instead.
Withdrawal limits and verification tiers are set per entity and shown inside the account, and identity verification is required before funding, as on every licensed venue in this series.
What Is Bitstamp Customer Support Like?
Customer support: 3.5 out of 5.
Bitstamp publishes a help centre and phone and email support channels, and we have capped the score below 4.0 until our own timed ticket test runs, because a published channel is a promise and a timed reply is a measurement.
Our rule is one non-urgent ticket per platform per review cycle, timed from submission to a reply that answers the question, and Bitstamp's test is scheduled for the next cycle.
Third-party review sites carry a large volume of complaints about verification delays and withdrawal processing times, and our methodology does not count aggregate star ratings, so those complaints are noted here rather than scored.
Bitstamp Benefits and Limitations
Benefits
- A licence set among the widest in this series: a MiCA CASP authorisation with an EEA passport, a New York BitLicense, an FCA registration, a Singapore major payment institution licence and a MiFID II trading venue.
- First-party bank rails through SEPA, ACH and Faster Payments, with free SEPA deposits and 3-euro SEPA withdrawals.
- Fifteen years of operation with one breach, in 2015, absorbed by the exchange, and a stated 1:1 custody policy with no lending of customer assets.
- A free tier below $1,000 of 30-day volume, and an 80% discount on stablecoin and FX pairs.
Limitations
- Entry-tier pricing of 0.30% maker and 0.40% taker, with a taker rate that stays above three times MEXC's until 30-day volume passes $5 million.
- A tracked catalogue of 102 coins that grows by a handful of names per listing batch.
- Derivatives limited to eligible EU users at a 10x cap, with no margin and no perpetuals for US or UK retail.
- No third-party audited monthly proof-of-reserves report found, and a 4% processing fee plus spread on card and PayPal instant buys.
Who Bitstamp Is For, and Who Should Look Elsewhere
Bitstamp is the right pick for US, UK and EEA holders who want a licensed spot venue with bank rails and a short list of majors, and it is the wrong pick for altcoin hunters, for makers who notice a 0.30% fee, and for futures traders outside the EU.
Bitstamp is the right pick if:
- You live in the US, the UK, the EEA or Singapore and want an exchange licensed where you live.
- You fund by bank transfer every week and value free SEPA deposits over a wide asset menu.
- You hold a short list of majors and trade under $1,000 a month, where Bitstamp charges nothing.
Look elsewhere if:
- You trade altcoins or new listings, where a 102-coin catalogue will not reach.
- You place resting orders and a 0.30% maker fee at the entry tier is a number you notice.
- You trade perpetual futures and live outside the EU, where Bitstamp offers none.
Readers in the first group who want a second licensed option can read our comparison of Coinbase alternatives and our comparison of Kraken alternatives, which cover the other fiat-rail exchanges on the same data standard.
Readers in the second group who live outside the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the EEA, Singapore and Hong Kong can compare MEXC's published rates in the section below, and our comparison of Bitstamp alternatives covers the wider field.
The MEXC View
MEXC operates a competing exchange, and this section is where our own position is stated rather than implied.
Bitstamp beats MEXC on licences, on first-party bank rails, on a fifteen-year record with one absorbed breach, and on a stated 1:1 custody policy, and for a US, UK or EEA resident those four points outweigh every fee row in this review, because MEXC does not onboard residents of those markets at all.
Where MEXC is the answer, for readers outside its restricted markets who fund in crypto, is the fee line and the catalogue.
A spot taker moving $50,000 a month pays $1,800 a year at Bitstamp's 0.30% tier and $300 at MEXC's 0.05% standard taker rate, or $240 with the MX deduction, and a spot maker at the same volume pays $1,200 a year at Bitstamp's 0.20% and $0 at MEXC's published maker rate.
CoinGecko tracked 1,641 coins on MEXC against 102 on Bitstamp on 3 September 2026, a difference in kind rather than in degree.
On reserves, MEXC's monthly proof of reserves names Hacken as the auditor on every report, and Bitstamp's trust case rests on its licences and its custody statements instead, which is the trade a reader has to weigh for themselves.
Two boundaries keep the fee claim honest.
The zero applies to spot maker orders and to web and app futures orders, not to API-routed futures, which MEXC prices at 0.06% maker and 0.08% taker.
And the saving is available only to readers outside the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the EEA, Singapore and Hong Kong, which excludes most of Bitstamp's customer base.
Our review desk's verdict is that Bitstamp is the exchange we would send a licensed-market holder to, MEXC is the exchange we would send an offshore altcoin trader to, and the two audiences barely overlap.
The head-to-head numbers on six dimensions are in our MEXC vs Bitstamp comparison.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bitstamp owned by Robinhood?
Yes, Robinhood Markets closed its acquisition of Bitstamp on 2 June 2025 for approximately $200 million in cash.
The exchange now trades as Bitstamp by Robinhood, and UK Robinhood crypto trading has run through Bitstamp UK Ltd since 10 August 2026.
Is Bitstamp safe to use in 2026?
Bitstamp has one publicly reported breach, in January 2015, which it absorbed without customer losses, and it states that about 95% of crypto assets sit in cold storage.
It scores 4.5 out of 5 on security and custody, with no independently attested reserve report found.
Is Bitstamp legit and regulated?
Yes, Bitstamp Europe S.A. holds a MiCA CASP licence from Luxembourg's CSSF dated 15 May 2025, and the group holds a New York BitLicense, an FCA registration and a Singapore major payment institution licence.
Regulatory standing is disclosed in this review and not scored.
What are Bitstamp's trading fees?
Spot is free below $1,000 of 30-day volume, then 0.30% maker and 0.40% taker up to $10,000 and 0.20% and 0.30% up to $100,000.
Stablecoin and FX pairs are discounted by 80%, and card and PayPal instant buys carry a 4% processing fee plus spread.
Does Bitstamp have futures?
Only for eligible EU users, through crypto perpetuals launched in April 2026 at a 10x cap and multi-asset perpetuals added in July 2026.
There is no margin trading and no futures product for US or UK retail customers.
Can I use Bitstamp in the US, the UK or the EU?
Yes, Bitstamp serves all three through licensed entities, and MEXC does not onboard residents of any of them.
Readers in those markets should treat the MEXC figures in this review as information only.
How does Bitstamp compare with MEXC?
Bitstamp leads on licences, bank rails and operating history, while MEXC publishes 0% maker and 0.05% taker on spot and tracks 1,641 coins on CoinGecko against 102.
Readers outside the US, UK, Canada, EEA, Singapore and Hong Kong can see the full MEXC vs Bitstamp comparison.
Risk and Compliance Notice
Trading cryptocurrencies involves substantial risk, and derivatives and leveraged products can produce losses greater than the amount deposited.
Nothing on this page is financial, investment, legal or tax advice.
MEXC operates a competing exchange; no platform can buy a score or a ranking position on MEXC Learn.
MEXC is not available in every jurisdiction and is not authorised under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation; readers in the European Union, the European Economic Area, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong should use a platform authorised by their local regulator.
Always confirm current terms on a platform's own official pages before opening an account or placing a trade.
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This article is provided by Sarah Chen for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency markets involve significant risk. Please conduct independent research or consult a qualified professional before making any investment decisions. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of MEXC or its affiliates.
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