KuCoin Review
2.9/5 · Crypto exchange
KuCoin review: a huge altcoin selection — but a 2025 US guilty plea, Canadian penalties, and it's restricted in the Philippines and Canada.
Availability in our markets
- Philippines
- Restricted
- India
- Unclear
- Canada
- Restricted
Named in the Philippine SEC's August 2025 advisory and blocked by telcos. Registered with FIU-IND in 2024, but omitted from a later list of active platforms, so we mark India unclear. Banned in Ontario (2022) and penalised by FINTRAC (2025).
Rating breakdown
- Security & regulation (30%)
- 1.5/5
- Fees (25%)
- 3.5/5
- Coin selection (15%)
- 5/5
- Fiat access & payments (15%)
- 2/5
- Usability & support (15%)
- 3.5/5
Weighted per our exchange rubric.
Pros
- One of the widest altcoin selections
- EU MiCA licence (Austria, 2025)
- Registered with FIU-IND in India (2024)
Cons
- January 2025 US guilty plea; ~$297M in penalties and a 2-year US exit
- Ontario ban (2022) and FINTRAC penalty (2025, under appeal)
- Restricted in the Philippines and Canada
Key facts
- Spot fees (maker / taker)
- Not confirmed — see fee page
- Coins supported
- Not confirmed
- Regulation
- EU MiCA (Austria, 2025); India FIU-IND (2024)
- Founded
- 2017
- Operator
- PEKEN Global Ltd (Seychelles)
KuCoin prices spot trading by coin class (A, B, C — B and C cost more) and its public table doesn't show the regular-user rate, so we haven't quoted one.
Verdict
KuCoin's appeal is its altcoin catalogue, but its compliance record is the weakest in this ranking: a 2025 US guilty plea, Canadian enforcement, and restrictions in the Philippines. We'd only consider it where it's clearly licensed.
Who it's for
Experienced altcoin traders in jurisdictions where it's properly licensed. Not available in the Philippines or Canada; check India status first.
Safety, regulation & track record
In January 2025 KuCoin's operator PEKEN Global pleaded guilty in the US to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business (~$297M in penalties and a two-year US exit). Ontario's OSC banned it in 2022, and FINTRAC penalised it in 2025 (KuCoin is appealing). It obtained a MiCA licence in Austria in 2025.
How we researched this
Desk research on 2026-11-03 against the exchange's own fee and policy pages, regulator notices, and news reporting (listed under Sources). We did not deposit funds. Facts we couldn't confirm from a primary source are marked as such rather than guessed. Availability and fees change often — check the exchange and your local regulator before signing up.