KuCoin

Global crypto exchange founded in 2017 with 1,000+ listed tokens

Exchange Founded 2017 Seychelles
Visit kucoin.com
Our score
Fair
Coins listed 1,000
Accepts US customers No
Proof of reserves Yes

What is KuCoin?

KuCoin is a centralized cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2017 and based in Seychelles. It offers spot and futures markets, margin trading, P2P trading, copy trading, Earn products, payments and a Web3 wallet. The company says it serves more than 45 million users across over 200 countries and regions, with more than 1,000 listed tokens.

Company and backers

KuCoin was founded by Chun Gan, Ke Tang and Johnny Lyu. The exchange raised $27.5 million through its 2017 ICO, followed by a $20 million Series A in November 2018 led by IDG Capital, Matrix Partners and Neo Global Capital. Jump Crypto led a $150 million Series B in May 2022 at a reported $10 billion valuation. BC Wong became chief executive officer in January 2025 after serving as chief legal officer and leading regulatory engagement and licensing work.

How the exchange works

Users trade assets through KuCoin's custodial exchange accounts. Products include spot markets, futures, margin, P2P fiat trading and copy trading, where lead-trader leverage settings can affect copied positions. KuCoin also offers flexible Earn products including KCUSD, the KCS utility token, KuCoin Pay and KuCoin Web3 Wallet. Its listed network coverage includes Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, BNB Smart Chain, Tron, Base, Arbitrum, Polygon, Avalanche, Sui and KCC.

Availability and regulation

KuCoin says its platform serves more than 200 countries and regions. Its European entity, KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH, received an Austrian MiCAR authorization on 27 November 2025 covering digital-asset services across 29 EEA countries. KuCoin also secured AUSTRAC Digital Currency Exchange Registration in Australia in November 2025. The exchange has no operations in the United States, and trading operations were suspended in Austria. Account access and product availability vary by jurisdiction and may require identity verification.

Track record and risks

The exchange detected unauthorized hot-wallet withdrawals in September 2020 involving Bitcoin, ERC-20 assets and other tokens. In November 2020, it reported restored services and recovered or secured tokens for some affected projects. KuCoin agreed to pay $22 million in fines and refunds in a December 2023 settlement with the New York attorney general and discontinue trading operations in New York. In January 2025, it admitted to US charges involving an unlicensed money-transmitting business and agreed to pay nearly $300 million in fines and forfeitures. A March 2026 settlement with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission followed.

Users remain exposed to exchange custody, withdrawal restrictions, regulatory changes and futures liquidation. The broad token catalog also includes assets with different liquidity and counterparty risks. Proof of reserves and certifications including PCI DSS, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO 22301:2019, ISO/IEC 42001:2023 and SOC 2 Type II are part of KuCoin's stated security framework.

Founders

Chun GanCo-founder
Ke TangCo-founder
Johnny LyuCo-founder
Best for:Broad altcoin market accessFutures and margin tradersP2P crypto tradingKCS ecosystem participants

Pros and cons

Pros

  • More than 1,000 listed tokens
  • Spot, futures, margin, P2P and copy trading in one account
  • MiCAR authorization covers 29 EEA countries
  • AUSTRAC registration secured in November 2025
  • Proof of reserves and multiple security certifications

Cons

  • No operations in the United States
  • Trading operations suspended in Austria
  • Custodial exchange exposure remains
  • Unauthorized hot-wallet withdrawals occurred in September 2020
  • US charges led to nearly $300 million in fines and forfeitures

Our review

3.2/5
Fair

KuCoin offers a broad asset selection, but its custody, regulatory and legal record add material risk.

Fees3.0
Security & trust2.5
Asset selection4.5
Ease of use3.5
Support3.0

KuCoin is a Seychelles-based centralized exchange founded in 2017. Its main strength is breadth: the company lists more than 1,000 tokens, offers spot and futures trading, and says it serves 45 million users across more than 200 countries and regions.

KuCoin offers futures, margin, copy trading, P2P fiat trading, Earn products, payments and a Web3 wallet. Futures and lead-trader products bring leverage risk, while the exchange’s custody model means users depend on KuCoin to process withdrawals and safeguard assets.

Regulatory coverage is mixed by jurisdiction. KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH obtained an Austrian MiCAR authorization in November 2025 for services across 29 EEA countries, and KuCoin secured AUSTRAC digital-currency-exchange registration in Australia. The company has no operations in the United States, and trading operations were suspended in Austria. KYC and regional restrictions are part of the exchange model.

KuCoin reports proof of reserves and lists PCI DSS, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO 22301:2019, ISO/IEC 42001:2023 and SOC 2 Type II certifications. It also has a serious incident history: unauthorized hot-wallet withdrawals began in September 2020 and involved Bitcoin, ERC-20 and other tokens. KuCoin later reported recovered or secured assets. The company paid $22 million in a 2023 New York settlement, admitted US charges in 2025 and agreed to nearly $300 million in fines and forfeitures; a CFTC settlement followed in March 2026.

Listings are researched and drafted with AI assistance from public sources, then checked for accuracy and readability. Spot an error? Tell us. Editorial policy.
Sources (3)

Specs

Markets Spot, Futures, Margin, P2P, Copy trading · unverified
Coins listed 1,000 · unverified
Fiat deposit methods Card, P2P · unverified
Accepts US customers No · unverified
Proof of reserves Yes · unverified
Staking / earn Yes · unverified
Mobile app Yes · unverified
Licenses & registrations MiCAR crypto-asset service provider authorization in Austria, AUSTRAC Digital Currency Exchange Registration in Australia, Nigeria SEC Accelerated Regulatory Incubation Programme · unverified
Security features Proof of reserves, PCI DSS, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO 22301:2019, ISO/IEC 42001:2023, SOC 2 Type II · unverified
Futures & perpetuals Yes · unverified
Copy trading Yes · unverified
P2P market Yes · unverified
Earn / savings products Yes · unverified
Referral program Yes · unverified

Not disclosed by the provider: Maker fee, Taker fee, KYC required, Max leverage (x), User protection fund.

Data from the provider's website and public sources. Fees and availability change; confirm on the official site before you sign up.

Key features

Spot trading

KuCoin lists more than 1,000 tokens for spot trading across a large catalog of crypto markets.

Futures markets

The exchange offers futures trading alongside spot, margin and other leveraged products.

Copy trading

Users can copy lead traders, with leverage settings adjusted for lead traders in July 2026.

P2P trading

P2P fiat trading lets users transact directly through listed offers rather than a single order book.

Earn products

KuCoin Earn includes flexible products such as KCUSD for managing assets within the exchange.

Web3 wallet

KuCoin Web3 Wallet supports onchain swaps and limit orders, including networks such as Ethereum and Robinhood Chain.

Mobile trading

KuCoin provides mobile apps and added a Sell Crypto to Card option for Visa or Mastercard cards in February 2026.

KCS benefits

KCS holders can receive ecosystem benefits including lower trading fees, rewards and governance participation.

Inside KuCoin

Spot trading

KuCoin says its catalog contains more than 1,000 tokens.

Futures trading

The product adds leverage and liquidation risk beyond ordinary spot trading.

Copy Trading

Copy Trading lets users follow lead traders and use their trading settings. KuCoin adjusted lead-trader leverage limits on July 29, 2026.

KuCoin Web3 Wallet

KuCoin Web3 Wallet provides onchain swaps and limit orders across selected networks. The roadmap includes expanded swap routes and support for Robinhood Chain.

KuCoin Earn

KuCoin Earn provides flexible wealth-management products, including KCUSD. The products let users manage assets within the exchange ecosystem.

KuCoin Pay

KuCoin Pay provides payment services and stablecoin-related utility. Its product roadmap includes an enterprise gift-card solution.

KuMining

KuMining provides cloud-mining services. Its referral commissions program launched on February 27, 2026.

KuCoin Live

KuCoin Live is a live product launched on February 14, 2026.

KCS

KCS is KuCoin's utility token. Holding it can provide lower trading fees, rewards and participation in ecosystem governance.

KuCoin screenshots

KuCoin homepage showing a signup section, cryptocurrency prices, news feed, and cookie consent controls
KuCoin homepage showing a signup section, cryptocurrency prices, news feed, and cookie consent controls · Oct 20, 2026
Copy Trading: KuCoin's Copy Trading Hub lists traders with copy buttons, performance charts, and PNL statistics
Copy Trading: KuCoin's Copy Trading Hub lists traders with copy buttons, performance charts, and PNL statistics · Oct 20, 2026
KuMining: The KuMining product page shows a mining service hero section with a Start Mining button and mining-themed graphics
KuMining: The KuMining product page shows a mining service hero section with a Start Mining button and mining-themed graphics · Oct 20, 2026

What users say about KuCoin

Complaints substantially outweigh specific praise. The main concerns are locked accounts, held funds, slow or generic support, and problems with P2P transactions, KuCoin’s posts document coin listings and trading products.

Top goods

  1. Listings for DNA, VAYLA, EVAA, XDP and other tokens, plus spot, futures and Web3 wallet products 2 people 12

Top bads

  1. Slow or generic support 11 people 123
  2. Account locks and held funds 10 people 123
  3. P2P fraud handling problems 4 people 123
  4. Account-review issues 3 people 123
  5. Missing trade notifications 2 people 12

In their own words

“Just launched my lead trading strategy Hi everyone. Old bitcoin veteran & ex-Tesla engineer here. I’ve researched Bitcoin intensively since 2020.”
Reddit · r/kucoin · Aug 23, 2026 · View post
“KuCoin has locked my account (UID: [removed], Ticket: [removed]) for over two months after a standard, legal deposit from my other exchange account (CoinEx).”
Reddit · r/kucoin · Oct 5, 2026 · View post
“After they blocked my withdrawals they extracted documents from me and then frozen my account before I was even able to fill the form they sent me, so I can't even read the answers the support is sending me, because you have to be logged in to read the support answers, they're not sent via email…”
Reddit · r/kucoin · Sep 3, 2026 · View post
“You have such a BAD APP. 1 HOUR WAIT for the BUYER? Like what? And they can just send a bs photo and you take it as proof of payment????? And the seller cannot cancel?? WHY? Seriously WHY? These buyers keep on doing the same thing, they say they paid and keep us dangling for HOURS if not DAYS!!”
Reddit · r/kucoin · Aug 11, 2026 · View post
“The problem it’s I’m not receiving any notification for any trade I’m doing:(. I need to open the app and see the status if they were closed or not. And I’ve everything enabled!”
Reddit · r/kucoin · Aug 31, 2026 · View post
“Delisted tokens increased withdrawal limits Anyone else find that when kucoin delist tokens they massively increase the withdrawal limit meaning you cannot withdraw your tokens then they basically steal them from you which I find is an absolute joke.”
Reddit · r/kucoin · Aug 14, 2026 · View post

Scam warning: Fake KuCoin support accounts and impersonators may try to steal passwords, 2FA codes, private keys, or funds.

Scam warning: Users should be cautious about suspicious wallet permissions and unofficial trading sites.

Based on 200 Reddit posts and comments from the last 12 months, checked Oct 18, 2026. These are posts by users on other sites, not reviews submitted on CryptoReview.

User reviews

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Funding and investors

$237.5MTotal raised
3Rounds
5Investors
  1. Series B May 2022 $150M
  2. Series A Nov 2018 $20M
  3. ICO Jan 2017 $27.5M
    Initial coin offering

FAQ

Who founded KuCoin?

KuCoin was founded in 2017 by Chun Gan, Ke Tang and Johnny Lyu. BC Wong became chief executive officer in January 2025 after serving as chief legal officer and leading regulatory work.

What trading products does KuCoin offer?

KuCoin offers spot, futures, margin, P2P fiat and copy trading. It also has Earn products, payment services and a Web3 wallet.

Where is KuCoin available?

KuCoin says it serves more than 200 countries and regions, while its Austrian MiCAR authorization covers 29 EEA countries. The exchange has no operations in the United States, and trading operations were suspended in Austria.

Is KuCoin safe?

KuCoin reports proof of reserves and certifications including PCI DSS, ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type II. Unauthorized hot-wallet withdrawals began in September 2020, involving Bitcoin, ERC-20 and other tokens, and the exchange later reported recovered or secured assets.

How many coins does KuCoin list?

KuCoin says it lists more than 1,000 tokens. Its products include spot and futures markets, although the number of available assets and pairs can change.

Does KuCoin have a token?

Yes. KuCoin Token, or KCS, is the exchange ecosystem token. KCS holders can receive lower trading fees, rewards and governance participation.

Latest from KuCoin on X

KuCoin
@KuCoinCom · 3.5M followers
Follow
KuCoin 5.0. A more connected KuCoin experience.

Check out KuCoin 5.0 in the app: https://t.co/QBm1G7cgMK

#KuCoin #TrustBuiltIn https://t.co/nasopOJlZQ
Image attached to the post
1 1 10 14.7K View on X
Every asset has a different role. What’s your move:
1. DCA into BTC
2. Explore altcoins
3. Put assets to work with #KuCoin Earn
Tell us your strategy! 👇
#KuCoin https://t.co/mhW56Y5ZxZ
Image attached to the post
5 3 20 16.4K View on X
⏰ Last call, KuFam!

The reunion wraps up tomorrow, and the clock is ticking. 👇

https://t.co/ccL4MViQ9A

#KuCoin #UnitedAsKuFam https://t.co/5lM0SlAk0e
Image attached to the post
7 2 16 19.4K View on X
🛎️Trivia Quiz #1
How many upgrade dimensions does KuCoin 5.0 cover?
A) 3
B) 6
C) 10
Join the #TrustBuiltIn Social Giveaway now: https://t.co/oCdOG0soQk

#KuCoin https://t.co/3iOvtHUF9d
Image attached to the post
48 34 70 21K View on X
Difficulty: Easy
Find the KuCoin user.
Explore #KuCoin: https://t.co/XG6z2u1YHA https://t.co/II6DkvSx8h
Image attached to the post
4 2 19 20K View on X

Recent public posts from @KuCoinCom, shown as published. Not reviewed or endorsed by CryptoReview.

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