Trading Education Platform SystemSubscribe for Free
Exchanges / KuCoin
RIGOR REPORT · EDITION 0 · VERIFIED 7 OCT 2026

Is KuCoin safe?

MiCA authorized Evidence 100%Red flag: criminal plea in the last five years, score capped at 60

60
Rigor score of the evidence we could verify
Key facts

What the sources say

MiCAAuthorizedKuCoin EU Exchange GmbH (LEI 529900B4G0EGK7Z9KT45) · Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) · 2025-11-27
Italian residentsNot verifiedRegistry check pending
Proof of reservesPublished2026-09-30
Spot fees (base tier)0.1% / 0.1%maker / taker
Score breakdown

Where the points come from

Regulation25 / 25
MiCA authorization found in the ESMA interim register or a national regulator list
Transparency16 / 20
Proof of reserves published: yes; Independent party: none named; Liabilities included: yes; Last report: 2026-09-30
Security record20 / 20
No incident found in our search of the last five years (not an exhaustive guarantee)
Compliance record5 / 25
3 regulator or court action(s) in the window; reports from press only are shown but not scored
Costs10 / 10
Spot taker 0.1% at the published base tier
Track record

Incidents and regulator actions

Security incidents

  • 2020-09-26 Hack of hot wallets, about $281 million stolen; attackers reportedly used a leaked private key. Outcome: KuCoin stated that as of 2020-11-11 about 84% (~$236m) of affected assets were recovered and that it had enough funds to cover all losses; no reimbursement confirmation in the cited source. source older than the five-year window: shown, not scored

Regulator and court actions

  • 2025-01-27 US DOJ, SDNY: Peken Global Limited pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Outcome: Over $297m in monetary penalties ($184.5m forfeiture, ~$112.9m fine); exit US market for at least two years; co-founders Gan and Tang under 2-year deferred prosecution. Official source Criminal plea or conviction source
  • 2025-09 FINTRAC (Canada): C$19.6m penalty on Peken Global for failing to report suspicious transactions and large virtual currency receipts, as reported by a secondary source. Outcome: KuCoin reportedly appealed. PRESS REPORT ONLY · official text not found · NOT SCORED source
  • 2026-02 FMA (Austria): New-business ban on KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH over unfilled money laundering and sanctions officer roles, per press report. Outcome: Reported as not yet legally binding on 2026-02-21; later status not verified. PRESS REPORT ONLY · official text not found · NOT SCORED source
Limits

What we could not verify

Not verified: OAM register status, whether Italians can currently onboard, outcome of the FMA ban, PoR auditor, KuCoin perpetual/staking in EU, live fee page, FinCEN/NYAG/CFTC details and dates (FINTRAC and FMA items rely on secondary press).

Facts are as of 7 Oct 2026. Searches are not exhaustive. If something here is wrong or out of date, send a correction with a source: corrections policy. Education only, not investment advice.

Sources

  1. [1] ESMA interim MiCA CASP register (CSV) accessed 2026-10-07
  2. [2] US DOJ SDNY press release KuCoin plea accessed 2026-10-07
  3. [3] Trending Topics: regulator bans KuCoin EU from onboarding accessed 2026-10-07
  4. [4] KuCoin proof of reserves accessed 2026-10-07
  5. [5] Decrypt: KuCoin recovers $236m accessed 2026-10-07
  6. [6] Fintelegram: KuCoin Austrian MiCA licence accessed 2026-10-07
  7. [7] KuCoin blog review accessed 2026-10-07
  8. [8] KuCoin EU Update accessed 2026-10-07
Questions

Common questions about KuCoin

Is KuCoin safe?

We do not give a yes or no, because safety depends on what you need to protect and on facts that change. In our Edition 0 audit KuCoin scored 60 out of 100 with 100% of the evidence verified. A red flag caps the score at 60. We found 0 security incidents in the last five years and 1 regulator or court action that was not dismissed. Read the sources on this page before you deposit.

Does KuCoin publish proof of reserves?

Yes. Latest date we found: 2026-09-30. Compare all exchanges: proof of reserves compared.

Is KuCoin authorized under MiCA?

Yes. Authorized by Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA) on 2025-11-27. Entity: KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH (LEI 529900B4G0EGK7Z9KT45). See all exchanges: MiCA authorized exchanges.

What are KuCoin's spot trading fees?

Base tier spot fees are 0.1% maker and 0.1% taker.

Can Italian residents use KuCoin?

Accepts Italian residents: Not verified. The registry check is pending.