KuCoin

CEXHQ: SC (Seychelles) / Singapore roots

Not licensed in any major jurisdiction. This exchange holds no active licence we could verify in the EU (MiCA), UK, US, Singapore, Japan or UAE. Listed for information only - no endorsement.

Regulation Score 0.0 / 10Trust Index 4.8 · Offering Index 8.7

hack historyblocks US usersno KYCoffshore onlyunlicensedhigh leveragespotderivativesmarginfiat onrampdemo modestakingapi

Regulation

No active licence we could verify.

Fees & products

Spot maker/taker: 0.1% / 0.1%
Crypto withdrawal (sample): BTC 0.0001, ETH 0.001
Spot assets: ~800
Max leverage: 100x
Fiat onramp: card, bank_transfer, P2P
KYC for trading: email

Geo-restrictions

Identity check: Your residence is what counts - documents and proof of address are verified at KYC. If you are not a resident of an accepted country, you cannot trade.

US market exit mandated by 2025 DOJ settlement (min 2 years)

Security & reserves

Proof of reserves: merkle_liabilities

2020-09-25: hack (resolved) — 2020 hot-wallet hack (~$280M); fully reimbursed, all funds covered

Known downsides

US market exit mandated by DOJ settlement (through ~2027) (high)
Offshore registration; no top-tier licence (med)
2020 hack history ($280M, reimbursed) (low)
Deep altcoin listings include many low-quality tokens (low)

Sources & verification

KuCoin terms & fees (archived) (OFF) · accessed 2026-10-02 · source
US DOJ - KuCoin guilty plea (2025) (REG) · accessed 2026-10-02 · source
KuCoin 2020 hack documentation (INC) · accessed 2026-10-02 · source

Verified: 2026-10-02 · Next review: 2027-01-02 · Reviewer: editor