Data reportTrust
Licences and registrations: 17 of 20 exchanges list at least one, across 24 jurisdictions; 7 hold a MiCA authorisation
Every licence or registration that 20 exchanges publish on their official domains, grouped by jurisdiction and by exchange. A registration is not a licence, and a count is not a safety score — the tables show what each exchange says, with a link to where it says it.
Published byGrace Hsu
Data reviewed byJason Lee About us → Key takeaways
- 17 of 20 exchanges publish at least one licence or registration: 54 entries across 24 jurisdictions.
- The widest footprint is Gate.io with 8 jurisdictions; the median exchange names 2. 6 exchange(s) name exactly one.
- 3 (HTX, MEXC, WhiteBIT) publish nothing we could confirm and are left out, not counted as zero.
- The jurisdiction that appears most often is United Arab Emirates (5 exchanges), followed by Australia (5).
- 7 exchanges hold a MiCA crypto-asset service provider authorisation, issued by Austria, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta; each passports across the EEA, so one entry covers the whole area.
01How many jurisdictions each exchange names
The strip counts entries per exchange as recorded in our data (one entity–regulator pair is one entry); 17 of 20 are confirmed. Unconfirmed exchanges are left out, not counted as zero. A large count can mean many registrations of the same light type, so read it with Exhibit 2.
Licenses & registrations
17 of 20 confirmedSource: CEX Compare, from official exchange sources (checked 2026-10-28)
02Which exchanges are present in each jurisdiction
Entries are grouped by the country of the regulator. 24 jurisdictions appear. United Arab Emirates is the most common (5 exchanges). Group names come from the exchange’s own wording; “EEA” entries are placed in the member state that issued them.
| Jurisdiction | Exchanges | Listed by |
|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | 5 | BinanceBybitDeribitGate.ioOKX |
| Australia | 5 | BingXBitgetGate.ioKrakenKuCoin |
| United States | 5 | BitstampBTCCGeminiKrakenPhemex |
| Lithuania | 4 | BinanceBingXBitgetBTCC |
| Malta | 3 | Crypto.comGate.ioOKX |
| Austria | 2 | BybitKuCoin |
| Canada | 2 | BTCCKraken |
| Cyprus | 2 | Gate.ioKraken |
| United Kingdom | 2 | BitstampKraken |
| Italy | 2 | BinanceBitget |
| Poland | 2 | BitgetPhemex |
| Singapore | 2 | BitstampOKX |
| El Salvador | 2 | BitfinexBitget |
| Taiwan | 2 | BitoProMAX Exchange |
| Bulgaria | 1 | Bitget |
| Bahrain | 1 | Binance |
| Bermuda | 1 | Kraken |
| Bahamas | 1 | Gate.io |
| France | 1 | Binance |
| Gibraltar | 1 | Gate.io |
| Hong Kong SAR China | 1 | Gate.io |
| Ireland | 1 | Kraken |
| Japan | 1 | Gate.io |
| Luxembourg | 1 | Bitstamp |
Source: CEX Compare, from official exchange sources (checked 2026-10-28)
03MiCA authorisations in the EEA
Under the EU Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, one crypto-asset service provider authorisation from a member state can be passported to the whole EEA. 7 of 17 exchanges describe such an authorisation on their official site. Older national VASP registrations (Lithuania, Italy, Poland) are not MiCA authorisations and are listed in Exhibit 4 instead.
| Exchanges | Jurisdiction | Authority (as stated) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitstamp | Luxembourg | Bitstamp Europe S.A. - CSSF crypto-asset service provider (MiCA CASP) licence N00000003 and payment institution licence Z00000012 | blog.bitstamp.net |
| Bybit | Austria | Bybit EU GmbH — MiCAR crypto-asset service provider authorisation, Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA), May 2025; passported to EEA | learn.bybit.com |
| Crypto.com | Malta | MiCA Crypto-Asset Service Provider licence (Malta Financial Services Authority) | crypto.com |
| Gate.io | Malta | Gate Technology Ltd — MFSA Crypto-Asset Service Provider (MiCA) licence, passported to 29 EEA states | gate.com |
| Kraken | Ireland | Payward Europe Solutions Limited - Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) under MiCA, Central Bank of Ireland (C468360); Payward Ireland Limited - E-Money Institution (C453020) | support.kraken.com |
| KuCoin | Austria | KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH - Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) under MiCAR, authorised by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA), 2025-11-28 | kucoin.com |
| OKX | Malta | MiCA crypto-asset service provider licence via EEA hub in Malta (Jan 2025), passported across the EEA | okx.com |
Source: CEX Compare, from official exchange sources (checked 2026-10-28)
04Full list by exchange
Each row quotes the jurisdiction and licence text as recorded from the exchange’s official page, with the source link. 3 (HTX, MEXC, WhiteBIT) publish nothing we could confirm and are left out, not counted as zero.
| Exchanges | Jurisdictions | Jurisdiction | Authority (as stated) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gate.io | 8 | Malta | Gate Technology Ltd — MFSA Crypto-Asset Service Provider (MiCA) licence, passported to 29 EEA states | gate.com |
| United Arab Emirates | Gate Technology FZE — VARA Virtual Asset Service Provider licence (exchange services) | gate.com | ||
| Gibraltar | Hippo Capital Co. Limited — GFSC Distributed Ledger Technology Provider | gate.com | ||
| Bahamas | Gate Global Limited — SCB Digital Asset Business operator | gate.com | ||
| Japan | Gate Japan K.K. — FSA Cryptocurrency Exchange Business Operator (No. 00018) | gate.com | ||
| Australia | Gate Information Pty Ltd — AUSTRAC Digital Currency Exchange registration | gate.com | ||
| Cyprus | Gate Securities (Cyprus) Ltd — CySEC Cyprus Investment Firm licence 395/20 | gate.com | ||
| Hong Kong SAR China | Hippo Financial Services Limited — Trust or Company Service Provider licence TC008572 (custody) | gate.com | ||
| Kraken | 7 | United States | Money Services Business registered with FinCEN (Payward Interactive, Inc., MSB No. 31000270997766); Kraken Financial is a Wyoming-chartered Special Purpose Depository Institution | support.kraken.com |
| United States | Kraken Derivatives US (NinjaTrader Clearing, LLC) - Futures Commission Merchant registered with the CFTC, NFA member | support.kraken.com | ||
| Ireland | Payward Europe Solutions Limited - Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) under MiCA, Central Bank of Ireland (C468360); Payward Ireland Limited - E-Money Institution (C453020) | support.kraken.com | ||
| United Kingdom | Payward Limited - FCA registered cryptoasset firm (FRN 928768); Crypto Facilities Limited - FCA authorised investment firm (FRN 757895) | support.kraken.com | ||
| Cyprus | Payward Europe Digital Solutions (CY) Limited - CySEC MiFID Investment Firm licence 342/17 | support.kraken.com | ||
| Canada | Payward Canada, Inc. - Restricted Dealer registered with the Ontario Securities Commission; FINTRAC MSB M19343731 | support.kraken.com | ||
| Australia | Bit Trade Pty Ltd - AUSTRAC registered Digital Currency Exchange; Beaufort Fiduciaries Pty Ltd - AFSL 545124 | support.kraken.com | ||
| Bermuda | Payward Digital Solutions Ltd - Class F Digital Asset Business licence, Bermuda Monetary Authority | support.kraken.com | ||
| Bitget | 6 | Bulgaria | Virtual Asset Service Provider licence — National Revenue Agency (Feb 2025) | bitget.com |
| Italy | OAM Virtual Currency Service Provider registration | bitget.com | ||
| Poland | VASP registration | bitget.com | ||
| Lithuania | VASP registration | bitget.com | ||
| El Salvador | Bitcoin Service Provider (BSP) licence | bitget.com | ||
| Australia | AUSTRAC Digital Currency Exchange registration | bitget.com | ||
| Binance | 5 | United Arab Emirates | Nest Exchange Limited — Recognised Investment Exchange (Derivatives); Nest Clearing and Custody Limited — Recognised Clearing House; Nest Trading Limited — FSRA authorised firm | binance.com |
| United Arab Emirates | Binance FZE — VARA full Virtual Asset Service Provider licence | binance.com | ||
| France | Binance France SAS — AMF Digital Asset Service Provider registration E2022-037 | binance.com | ||
| Italy | Binance Italy S.R.L. — OAM Digital Asset Service Provider registration PSV5 | binance.com | ||
| Lithuania | Bifinity UAB — VASP registration (Registry of Legal Entities) | binance.com | ||
| Bahrain | Binance Bahrain BSC(c) — Central Bank of Bahrain Crypto-Asset Service Provider licence | binance.com | ||
| Bitstamp | 4 | Luxembourg | Bitstamp Europe S.A. - CSSF crypto-asset service provider (MiCA CASP) licence N00000003 and payment institution licence Z00000012 | blog.bitstamp.net |
| Singapore | Bitstamp Asia Pte Ltd - MAS major payment institution licence PS20200667 | blog.bitstamp.net | ||
| United Kingdom | Bitstamp UK Ltd - FCA cryptoasset registration under the Money Laundering Regulations, FRN 978690 | blog.bitstamp.net | ||
| United States | Bitstamp USA, Inc. - licensed by NYDFS to engage in virtual currency business activity (NMLS 1905429) | blog.bitstamp.net | ||
| BTCC | 3 | United States | Crypto licence issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) — MSB registration | btcc.com |
| Canada | Crypto licence issued by the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) — MSB registration | btcc.com | ||
| Lithuania | Crypto exchange licence and crypto wallet & custodian service licence issued by the Registrar of Legal Entities of Lithuania (2022) | btcc.com | ||
| OKX | 3 | United Arab Emirates | OKX Middle East Fintech FZE — VARA Virtual Asset Service Provider licence (Exchange incl. VA derivatives, Broker-Dealer, Lending & Borrowing, Management & Investment); status Active | vara.ae |
| Singapore | OKX SG — Major Payment Institution (MPI) licence, Monetary Authority of Singapore (Sep 2024) | okx.com | ||
| Malta | MiCA crypto-asset service provider licence via EEA hub in Malta (Jan 2025), passported across the EEA | okx.com | ||
| BingX | 2 | Lithuania | BINGX EU UAB - registered virtual currency exchange operator, supervised by the Financial Crime Investigation Service (FCIS) | bingx.com |
| Australia | BINGX GLOBAL PTY LTD - AUSTRAC registered Digital Currency Exchange (DCE) provider | bingx.com | ||
| Bybit | 2 | United Arab Emirates | Virtual Asset Platform Operator licence — Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) | bybit.com |
| Austria | Bybit EU GmbH — MiCAR crypto-asset service provider authorisation, Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA), May 2025; passported to EEA | learn.bybit.com | ||
| KuCoin | 2 | Austria | KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH - Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) under MiCAR, authorised by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA), 2025-11-28 | kucoin.com |
| Australia | AUSTRAC Digital Currency Exchange registration | kucoin.com | ||
| Phemex | 2 | Poland | VASP registration (claimed by Phemex; other licenses stated as under application) | phemex.com |
| United States | FinCEN MSB registration (Phemex Ltd; registration letter hosted by Phemex) | static.phemex.com | ||
| Bitfinex | 1 | El Salvador | Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP) licence, Comision Nacional de Activos Digitales (CNAD), 12 May 2026 | blog.bitfinex.com |
| El Salvador | Bitfinex Derivatives El Salvador, S.A. de C.V. - DASP licence (CNAD), January 2025 | blog.bitfinex.com | ||
| BitoPro | 1 | Taiwan | FSC VASP anti-money-laundering registration, approval 金管證券字第1140350594號 (completed 22 Sep 2025; operator 幣託科技股份有限公司, tax ID 90577481) | bitopro.com |
| Taiwan | Listed on the SFB roster of VASPs that completed AML registration | sfb.gov.tw | ||
| Crypto.com | 1 | Malta | MiCA Crypto-Asset Service Provider licence (Malta Financial Services Authority) | crypto.com |
| Deribit | 1 | United Arab Emirates | Deribit FZE — VARA Virtual Asset Service Provider licence for VA Exchange Services (VARA reference VL/23/12/002); all activity migrated to Deribit FZE from 1 Jan 2025 | support.deribit.com |
| Gemini | 1 | United States | Gemini Trust Company, LLC - limited-purpose trust charter under the New York Banking Law (NYDFS), 5 Oct 2015 | dfs.ny.gov |
| MAX Exchange | 1 | Taiwan | FSC/SFB VASP anti-money-laundering registration (operator: 現代財富科技股份有限公司, tax ID 54687323; registration completed 22 Sep 2025) | sfb.gov.tw |
| HTX | — | Not confirmed | ||
| MEXC | — | Not confirmed | ||
| WhiteBIT | — | Not confirmed | ||
Source: CEX Compare, from official exchange sources (checked 2026-10-28)
05Method and limits
Entries are copied from each exchange’s official licence, legal or press page and are not verified against the regulator’s register unless the source is the register itself. A registration (for anti-money-laundering purposes) grants fewer rights than a full licence, and both apply only to the named entity and jurisdiction — users elsewhere are usually served by a different entity. Counting entries does not measure safety, and this report makes no safety judgement.
Frequently asked questions
Which exchanges hold a MiCA licence?
7 of the 17 exchanges that list licences state a MiCA crypto-asset service provider authorisation: Bitstamp, Bybit, Crypto.com +4, as checked 2026-10-28.
Which exchange lists the most jurisdictions?
Gate.io, with 8 jurisdictions named on its official licence page. The median across 17 exchanges is 2.
Does a licence mean an exchange is safe?
No. A licence or registration applies to one entity in one jurisdiction and says nothing about users served by other entities. This report lists what exchanges publish and makes no safety judgement.
Every answer is generated from the values above and their official sources — nothing is added that the data does not show.
About this report
This report is built only from the verified figures on this site. Every number links to an official source, and the data is reviewed by Jason Lee. It is information, not investment advice. About us →