Bitstamp Review (Crypto Exchange + Fees + Coin List)

whiteboard crypto logo
Published by:
Whiteboard Crypto
on

Bitstamp 10 yrs

Bitstamp is a major centralized cryptocurrency exchange created in 2011 and located in the UK and Luxembourg, making it one of the oldest established exchanges on the market.

Note that Bitstamp is a global exchange and US residents can use Bitstamp USA, a US-compliant exchange available to US residents. Bitstamp requires KYC (Know Your Customer) identity verification protocols to be completed for all accounts.

History of Bitstamp

Bitstamp was founded by Nejc Kodric in 2011 with co-founder Damijan Merlak in Slovenia. Its registration was moved to the UK in 2013 and Luxembourg was added in 2016. Bitstamp USA is based in New York and is licensed by the New York State Department of Financial Services. 

In April 2016, the Luxembourg government granted a license to Bitstamp to be regulated in the EU as a payment institution, allowing it to be compliant for business in all 28 EU member states. 

Today, Bitstamp has a global team of 400+ employees and a BitLicense in New York state in the USA, along with regular audits by Big Four accounting firms. Bitstamp is present in over 100 countries today, with offices in UK, Luxembourg, USA, Singapore, and Slovenia, and caters to over 4M customers across the world. 

The executive team members can be noted here; the CEO of Bitstamp today is Julian Sawyer, who has an extensive background in traditional banking as well as crypto. The CEO of Bitstamp USA is Robert Zagotta who focuses on the unique regulatory landscape of the USA.

Bitstamp is best for:

  • Beginner and intermediate cryptocurrency investors and traders who desire access to spot trading instruments on a US and EU-compliant exchange, only with a core offering of major coins, leading security and custody protocols, and strong support presence
  • Crypto-only traders (no stocks offered) who wish to obtain access to the entire Bitstamp suite of products—such as Bitstamp Earn (non-USA only), the advanced trading platform TradeView, the mobile app, and/or institutional trading services or Bitstamp’s crypto-as-a-service product tailored for institutions
  • Active traders who desire average fees with a clearly defined & tiered, trading volume based pricing structure

PROS

  • Powered by Nasdaq technology
  • Advanced custody and insurance
  • Strong cybersecurity controls
  • Institutional account option
  • Spot trading, interest (not available for US)
  • Advanced trading interface optional
  • API connectivity
  • Mobile and desktop options

CONS

  • No margin trading or leveraged products
  • Median fees
  • Few cryptocurrency offerings
  • Only two staking options w/ <6% APR
  • KYC required

Pros & Unique Features

The biggest perks of Bitstamp are its reliable order matching and execution powered by Nasdaq technology, advanced digital asset custody and insurance, transaction monitoring and strong cybersecurity controls, a strong support presence and dedicated account managers for institutional accounts, as well as access to leading banking and payment services. 

Bitstamp offers 49 cryptocurrency market offerings and over 130 pairs for only spot trading and investing. Bitstamp also offers a more advanced trading interface called TradeView with better liquidity, order book access, API connectivity, and uptime with a range of analytics tools and order types. Bitstamp’s fee schedule is average and similar to many other cryptocurrency exchanges on the market. 

Bitstamp’s order matching engine is a core infrastructure piece for institutional-grade exchange performance that allows Bitstamp to match orders up to 1250 times faster and increases exchange throughput significantly, with sub-millisecond order execution times. 

There is also an easy-to-use Bitstamp mobile app interface with full buy and sell functionality with order access, charting, and deposits and withdrawals. 

Like many other exchanges, Bitstamp allows users to obtain interest on earnings in their portfolio through a product called Bitstamp Earn. However, Bitstamp Earn is not available for US investors at this time.

For institutional investors and traders such as banks, hedge funds, proprietary traders, and family offices, Bitstamp offers institutional trading services with improved liquidity and security including crime insurance and cold storage, order execution, custody, realtime data, and API connectivity. There are partnerships with global nanking networks for fiat on and off ramps. Institutional users also have access to a premium support team available 24/7 with dedicated account managers and a tech team for custom solutions and expert support.

With its crypto-as-a-service product, Bitstamp enables any bank or financial institution to allow their customers to buy and sell cryptocurrencies. In this way, institutions can offer crypto exchange services using Bitstamp’s infrastructure on their existing apps and platforms. 

As for customer support for general users, Bitstamp offers constant support via phone or email 24/;7. Users can access support via the mobile app or the online interface. The Bitstamp team also runs a blog with industry-related updates and Bitstamp company news. 

Cons & Disadvantages

The main disadvantage of Bitstamp is that its ecosystem of products and crypto financial services is much more limited than its competitors such as Binance and FTX. 

Bitstamp’s fees are also not as low as those of competitors, however users do not need to use the most advanced trading platform offered to take advantage of lower fee tiers, unlike for Coinbase, and the fees on Bitstamp reduce fast with lower volume needed for fee reductions as compared to other exchanges. 

For example, as noted in the Fee Schedule section, while the first fee tier starts at a flat 0.5% fee for both makers and takers at a 30-day trading volume of <$10K USD, a trading volume of < $20K USD but higher than that of tier 1 brings the trading fee to 0.25% for both makers and takers.

The cryptocurrency offerings are also quite limited and only two cryptocurrencies are available for staking, with a top rate of less than 6% APR, so its staking program leaves much to be desired. Other exchanges offer more staking options and higher APR for staking as well as lending. 

Additionally, Bitstamp offers only spot trading and investing and no margin or leveraged products such as options, futures, or leveraged tokens, so advanced derivatives traders will prefer other exchanges that cater to a more active trading audience who desire margin and derivatives. The exchange only offers 49 cryptos and 130 pairs, so it is missing a large selection for users who value choice.

US users who wish to transact with more functionality without KYC may opt to use competitors like KuCoin, thereby gaining access to a much wider selection of trading instruments such as margin and futures. 

Bitstamp Markets

Bitstamp Fees

Bitstamp uses a flat fee schedule with tiers for the user’s trailing 30-day USD trading volume, instead of the common maker-taker model of many other exchanges to assign the fee schedule. 

Trading fees are incurred when an order is filled by the exchange’s matching engine. If an order does not execute, there is no fee charged until it does execute at a later point, or it can be canceled.

In general, for a maker-taker fee schedule, taker fees are charged on market orders that are filled immediately (takers of liquidity from the market), and maker fees are charged on orders that are not filled immediately but rather are placed in the orderbook as limit orders (adding to the market liquidity). 

Market orders are always charged taker fees since they take volume from the orderbook, while limit orders are always charged maker fees since they add liquidity and volume to the orderbook. 

At Bitstamp however, fees are the same for both makers and takers and this is a disadvantage for market makers, especially those trading high volumes, because exchanges usually provide much lower fees for the highest volume market makers, including market rebates and other incentives to drive higher liquidity on their platforms. 

The table below shows the tiered fee structure for Bitstamp’s spot markets and can be found here

Bitstamp Fee Schedule Based on 30-Day Trading Volume (USD)

Fee % 30-Day Volume (USD)
0.50% < $10K
0.25% < $20K
0.24% < $100K
0.22% < $200K
0.20% < $400K
0.15% < $600K
0.14% < $1M
0.13% < $2M
0.12% < $4M
0.11% < $20M
0.10% < $50M
0.07% < $100M
0.05% < $500M
0.03% < $2B
0.01% < $6B
0.005% < $20B
0.0% > $20B

Other Fees

Bitstamp charges the following deposit, withdrawal, and other fees:

  • Staking fees: 15% on ETH2.0 and 15% for staking ALGO
    • These are not direct fees for staking or unstaking crypto assets, but commission is taken in aggregate from the total reward pool of staking nodes before distributing rewards to individual users. This is currently 15% of total rewards collected by the staking nodes and staking can be opted out of, in which case the user’s entire staking rewards will go to Bitstamp.
  • SEPA deposits are free of charge; SEPA withdrawal fees are 3 EUR
  • ACH deposits and withdrawals have no fees; max ACH withdrawal limit of $50K USD per transaction
  • 5% fees for card purchase of any amount
  • 0.05% deposit fee for international wire, with a minimum fee of $7.5 USD or 7.5 EUR or 5 GBP, max fee of $300 USD/EUR or 250 GBP
  • 0.1% withdrawal fee for international wire, with a minimum fee of $25 USD/EUR/GBP
  • No deposit fees for crypto assets, the crypto blockchain networks themselves charge transaction fees
  • Withdrawal fees for crypto assets are noted here
  • BTC withdrawal fee using BitGo Instant is 0.1%

There are no fees for signing up or for having an inactive Bitstamp account, nor any fees for holding funds in a Bitstamp account, and users may hold assets as long as desired. 

Account Tiers & Limits

Bitstamp requires full KYC identity verification for all users wishing to participate in trading and investing on the exchange for regulatory reasons. Bitcoin and bank transfers are only available to verified customers.

Limits for purchasing crypto with a card are a daily limit of $2500 USD/EUR/GBP, a monthly limit of $20,000 USD/EUR/GBP, and a minimum purchase amount of $25 USD/EUR/GBP. It is not possible to increase or decrease these limits and the limits may vary depending on the user’s country of residence. 

The documents required for KYC verification include the user’s current and valid government identity document such as a passport or driver’s license and a proof of residency document such as a bank statement. 

Crypto Security

Bitstamp stores assets safely offline, provides protection through BitGo’s insurance policy, and offers additional crime insurance for online wallets. 

Bitstamp uses multi-sig technology for its hot wallets, where only a small portion of total crypto assets are kept, while the majority are kept safely stored offline in cold wallet storage systems. 

For securing user accounts, Bitstamp offers 2-FA (2-factor authentication), address whitelisting for withdrawals which is obligatory by default for customers of various jurisdictions, and withdrawal email confirmations turned on by default. 

Sub-accounts are also offered as a way to give users more advanced control over their trading, for example if dedicating some sub-account to a particular trading strategy, or bot, or third party management. 

As far as its security record, Bitstamp has been hacked once in 2015 for a $5M sum of BTC via a targeted phishing attack of some of its employees.

Bitstamp website

Bitstamp Review Conclusion

Bitstamp is an overall good to average choice of cryptocurrency exchange for all types of cryptocurrency investors and traders, though it caters to spot investors and traders over derivative traders, since only spot products are offered to trade and there are no margin or futures products on the exchange. 

Offering competitive fees with trading volume but with the same fee structure for both makers and takers, Bitstamp’s fee schedule may not be the most competitive, but the setup makes it easy for fees to be lowered with even small jumps in trading volume, though market makers will not enjoy the typically lower fees found in typical maker-taker fee schedules. 

Bitstamp also offers a long track record of being on the market since 2011, a high performance advanced platform with reliable execution and order matching, institutional custody and insurance options, dedicated account managers, and the standard level of service one would expect in a US-compliant exchange today, without the bells and whistles of a brand with an extensive product offering like Binance.

  • Bitstamp offers 49 cryptocurrencies and 130 trading pairs, so while its selection is not as extensive as that of Binance or KuCoin for example, it offers the core top cryptocurrencies for spot investors 
  • Investors and traders of all skill levels who desire the choice between both a simple and high-performance platform for both spot buy-and-hold investing, a mobile app and web interface, with a good user experience, and support, advanced charting functionality, and US and EU compliance will enjoy Bitstamp
  • Advanced traders who wish to use 20X leverage futures trading with a much larger selection of futures pairs and users who wish to participate in margin lending or borrowing will prefer FTX or Binance

Other Alternatives

For customers who desire access to an equally simple user interface with even more trading pairs, or those who do not desire to participate in cryptocurrency futures trading either Bittrex, Coinbase, and Voyager can make great alternatives with a more competitive amount of cryptocurrencies offered to trade and similarly competitive trading fees and functionality.

Beginners, buy-and-hold investors, and low volume traders may prefer the easy to use features and functionality of Coinbase with its brand presence, US regulatory approval, and cryptocurrency education that even provides the chance to earn free cryptocurrency for learning, an area where Bitstamp lacks.  

Coinbase is best designed for buy-and-hold investors or casual to intermediate cryptocurrency users though has a much larger selection of cryptocurrencies offered compared to Bitstamp – 402 pairs vs. Bitstamp’s 49 pairs – while active traders who need access to order books and advanced charting functionality will prefer using Coinbase Pro, FTX, Binance, or KuCoin though their fee structures and product offerings differ. 

Bitstamp’s order matching engine compares favorably in performance and liquidity, however the range of offerings cannot compete with other top exchanges.

For customers who desire to trade and invest in stocks in addition to top cryptocurrencies and do not mind having a smaller selection from which to choose or only desire access to the top 20 cryptos on the market, Webull and Robinhood are brokers that offers US equities and a small selection of cryptocurrencies. 

Other competitors to Bitstamp include Gemini, Crypto.com, and eToro.

Bitstamp vs Coinbase 

The only advantage Bitstamp offers over Coinbase is its faster-reducing fee schedule, but Coinbase differentiates between makers and takers, while Bitstamp has the same fee for both.

Coinbase’s fees start at 0.5% for both makers and takers for the lowest fee tier, while those of Bitstamp also start at 0.5% for <$10K in 30-day trading volume, but quickly reduce to 0.25% for < $20K in 30-day trading volume. Neither exchange offers other fee incentives.

Both exchanges offer the option of advanced charting and crypto-to-crypto trading pairs using Coinbase’s Coinbase Pro product and Bitstamp’s online advanced platform or mobile app. Neither Coinbase or Bitstamp offer any margin or leverage futures trading products.

Bitstamp only offers 49 coins and 137 pairs to trade, while Coinbase offers 139 coins and 402 pairs, so Coinbase’s selection is much more extensive.

Coinbase is a public US company and offers transparency into its industry-leading security along with its brand reputation, while Bitstamp USA is also regulated in the state of NY and US-compliant, but is not a public company.

Ultimately, advanced users who desire both competitive fees and a greater selection of trading products than what either FTX or Coinbase offer may find the choices below equally valuable.

Bitstamp vs FTX 

FTX International really shines against Bitstamp for advanced traders, offering 323 coins and 492 trading pairs. Derivatives traders who want to trade margin, futures pairs, or leveraged tokens and options will prefer FTX since Bitstamp does not offer any of those options.

FTX is known for its extensive futures pairs and top-class matching and liquidation engine for advanced derivatives traders, while Bitstamp does have a high performance order matching engine, but cannot compare in trade volume, nor selection of cryptos and trading products.

FTX cannot be used by US persons, and instead offers a US version of its exchange whose trade offerings are far more limited than its parent global exchange and do not at all compare to FTX International’s selection, and FTX International’s fees are more competitive than FTX US’s low fees. Bitstamp offers a greater selection of coins to trade than FTX US and is available for US persons to use.

Bitstamp vs Gemini

Bitstamp and Gemini are similar exchanges in terms of the ranges of their product offerings, though Gemini’s are a bit more developed.

There is a slight difference in fees: the minimum fee tier at Gemini starts at 0.35% for takers and 0.10% for makers, with a flat transaction fee between $0.99-$2.99 and 1.49% transaction fee for trades over $200, so there are extra fees per transaction and extra “auction” fees, which Bitstamp does not have due, but the minimum tier at Bitstamp starts at 0.50% for both makers and takers, albeit quickly reducing with a greater volume of trading. 

US investors and traders are allowed to use Gemini with KYC compliance since Gemini is regulated and based in the USA, however as a result, Gemini offers no margin or futures products, but neither does Bitstamp, and KYC is also required at Bitstamp. 

Gemini offers 62 coins and 86 trading pairs which is similar to that of Bitstamp, offering 49 coins and 137 pairs, so Bitstamp wins in the selection department, however Gemini’s Gemini Earn product has far more staking selection and higher APY offered than Bitstamp’s staking services.

Bitstamp vs Kraken

Kraken offers margin trading at up to 5X leverage even for US investors and several other margin offerings, while Bitstamp offers no margin or leverage trading at all. 

Kraken uses a maker-taker fee schedule, starting at 0.16% maker fees and 0.26% taker fees at the entry level which is more competitive than the fee schedule for Bitstamp. Kraken offers no other fee incentives such as rebates or reductions except for volume, which is typical of volume-based maker-taker fee schedules. The benefit market makers will have using Kraken is the reduced fees for makers, while Bitstamp charges the same trading fees for both market makers and takers.

Kraken also offers a large variety of cryptocurrencies and pairs (93 coins, over 400 pairs), so users who value a large selection and advanced traders who seek margin will prefer using Kraken.

Kraken is accessible in 48 US states with KYC and is regulated and licensed by FinCEN in the USA, while Bitstamp is also compliant in and regulated in the USA under Bitstamp USA. Kraken has never reported any large scale hacks and offers state-of-the-art security features, while Bitstamp has suffered one hack of $5M in value at time of the hack in 2015.

Bitstamp vs Binance

Binance is the leading global crypto established exchange by trading volume, offering a much larger selection of cryptocurrencies than Bitstamp—over 351 coins and over 1300 pairs, which is only beaten by KuCoin when it comes to centralized exchanges. 

Traders looking solely for the most advanced trading options such as high leverage margin and futures products may prefer FTX, however Binance Futures offers many USDT futures pairs that are not offered on FTX at the moment. Bitstamp offers none of these options so advanced traders who desire derivatives will prefer Binance over Bitstamp.

Binance’s base maker-taker fee is also far more competitive than that of Bitstamp, starting at 0.1%, and offering further 25% reduction in fees if paid in BNB. Bitstamp has the same fee for both makers and takers and offers no other fee reductions except for volume-based incentives.

The Bitstamp brand has existed since 2011 while the Binance brand is much newer since 2017, albeit with a much more extensive network of crypto financial services and product offerings. Binance offers a more extensive web and ecosystem of products, support, and liquidity, especially given its larger daily volume as compared to Binance.

Binance is the most popular and well-known futures market in the global cryptocurrency industry and well-known for its extensive futures pairs. The Binance exchange is not at all accessible to US persons and US customers will have to use Binance US which is a much more limited version of its global parent site, with only 64 coins and 130 pairs. 

Binance requires full KYC now to trade even spot products, and Bitstamp also requires full KYC.

In summary, advanced traders and intermediate users alike who value a large selection of cryptocurrencies, products like staking, lending, and more, competitive fee structures, and futures and margin products will prefer Binance, but traders who just desire a no-frills exchange with a simple selection yet advanced order matching engine and exchange technology will appreciate the simplicity of Bitstamp.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bitstamp Safe?

Yes, it is safe as Bitstamp employs best security practices in terms of utilizing advanced security technologies such as multi-signature wallets for the exchange’s hot wallets, where only a small amount of crypto assets are kept, while the rest are kept safely stored offline in cold storage systems. 

Bitstamp is also regulated in the US by the New York State Department of Financial Services, in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority, and in Luxembourg for the EU.

Bitstamp has only reported one hack since its creation. The hack happened in 2015 and amounted to a $5M USD loss at the time of the hack, due to phishing of employees. 

How long does Bitstamp Withdrawal take?

The usual timeframe for ACH withdrawals to reach the user’s bank is 2-5 business days, excluding weekends and holidays. The transfer is executed immediately on Bitstamp’s end, however the banking system might need a few additional days to credit the funds to the user’s bank account. 

SEPA payments can take 1-2 business days to be processed and arrive to the user’s bank account. International wire payments take 3-5 business days to be processed and arrive at the bank, depending on banking networks. 

Is Bitstamp a good exchange?

Yes, Bitstamp is an overall good choice of cryptocurrency exchange for all types of cryptocurrency investors and traders, though it caters to spot investors and traders over derivative traders, since only spot products are offered to trade and there are no margin or futures products on the exchange. 

It is best thought of as a no-frills exchange for beginner and advanced traders alike as it offers an advanced and state-of-the-art order matching engine and trade performance, but its selection of cryptocurrencies and trading instruments cannot compare with other exchanges that also offer more competitive fees, such as Binance, KuCoin, and FTX.

However, Bitstamp offers a long track record of being on the market since 2011, as well as institutional custody and insurance options, dedicated account managers, and the standard level of service one would expect in a US-compliant exchange today, without the bells and whistles of a larger offering.

Where is Bitstamp located?

Bitstamp maintains offices today in the UK, Luxembourg, USA, Singapore, and Slovenia, its original country of founding. Present in over 100 countries for use, Bitstamp today caters to over 4M customers around the entire world, ranging from retail traders and investors, to institutions and professionals leveraging Bitstamp’s institutional services. 

Does Bitstamp require KYC?Yes, due to its compliance with both US and EU regulations, Bitstamp requires full KYC to use all exchange services and products.

In addition, Bitcoin and bank transfers are only available to verified customers. The documents required for KYC verification include the user’s current and valid government identity document such as a passport or driver’s license and a proof of residency document such as a bank statement. 

What are the Deposit and Withdrawal Methods and Fees for Bitstamp?

Bitstamp offers the following deposit and withdrawal methods, with the corresponding fees:

  • Instant SEPA deposits (no fees) are available for users of a few European countries found here. Some banks support instant deposits
  • SEPA withdrawal fees of 3 EUR
  • Deposit via card purchase, fee of 0.05% of purchase amount
  • ACH: ACH deposits and withdrawals have no fees, max ACH withdrawal limit of $50K USD per transaction
  • International wire: 0.05% deposit fee for international wire, with a minimum fee of $7.5 USD or 7.5 EUR or 5 GBP, max fee of 300 USD/EUR or 250 GBP
    • 0.1% withdrawal fee for international wire, with a minimum fee of $25 USD/EUR/GBP
  • No deposit fees for crypto assets, the crypto blockchain networks themselves charge transaction fees
  • Withdrawal fees for crypto assets are noted here
  • BTC withdrawal fee using BitGo Instant is 0.1%

What is the Minimum Withdraw Amount for Bitstamp?

The minimum withdrawal amount for Bitstamp are not noted and may not apply, but there exist maximum withdrawal limits for the various transfer options, found here

How do you withdraw from Bitstamp?

Users can withdraw from Bitstamp by logging into their official website, navigating to the “Withdrawal” section, and choosing the method (e.g. Bank Transfer) from the left-hand menu. This is a direct line to do so.

From there, the user should select the currency and amount and choose the bank account or wallet address to withdraw the funds or crypto assets to, or add a new account if necessary.  

The withdrawal options including the blockchain network and any associated fees will then populate on the screen. Finally, the user enters in the exact amount he or she wishes to withdraw, the destination wallet address if applicable, and clicks the “Submit” button.

Is Bitstamp a wallet?

No, Bitstamp is a full-featured cryptocurrency exchange which provides a multicurrency wallet inside of the user’s exchange account for custody with the exchange.

How to use Bitstamp? Using Bitstamp can be done by going to bitstamp.com, creating an account on the platform, undergoing the required KYC procedures to use the account, deposit any trading funds into the account, and then get access to the spot market offerings and begin trading using either the advanced trading platform called TradeView or the simple trading setup.

Bitstamp User Reviews

  1. A Reddit user complains about Bitstamp’s KYC requirements, including that the exchange asks for annual income and net worth. “These really are intrusive and i believe its none of [B]itstamp’s business.”
  2. A user asks how the Bitstamp exchange works, specifically “When I buy bitcoins from bitstamp, where do they get the bitcoins from? From their own supply, or from someone else?” Like with most exchanges, “they’re coming from other users. BitStamp facilitates the transaction.”
  3. A user asks if she can trust Bitstamp with her money, fearful that they will “close my account and just keep my money?” Commenters believe that it is safe and regulated, noting “Bitstamp is registered with EU regulation so it is perfectly safe.” But of course, “No exchange is going to be 100% safe. IMO Bitstamp is perhaps the single most solid exchange out there, but there’s always a risk in letting other people hold your money for you.”
  4. Bitstamp runs an official subreddit where you can see all current complaints and commendations.
whiteboard crypto logo

WhiteboardCrypto is the #1 online resource for crypto education that explains topics of the cryptocurrency world using analogies, stories, and examples so that anyone can easily understand them. Growing to over 870,000 Youtube subscribers, the content has been shared around the world, played in public conferences and universities, and even in Congress.