KuCoin review
KuCoin is a centralized exchange featuring 808 listed assets, operated by Peken Global Limited. Since August 31, 2023, new users are required to complete identity verification using both an ID document and face verification to access any products. Those who opened accounts before that date without verifying can still sell, close positions, and withdraw, but they are unable to deposit or buy. KuCoin pleaded guilty in 2025 to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and left the US market. In our view, KuCoin suits verified traders who want a long coin list.
ID always
KuCoin always asks for ID, per its own pages.
Choose KuCoin if
Who KuCoin suits, from the values on this page.
KuCoin suits you if
- You want Monero: KuCoin lists it.
KuCoin might not be the right fit if
- You want to skip ID checks: KuCoin's terms let it ask for ID.
- You do not want an account: KuCoin needs one.
- You want Lightning: KuCoin does not support it.
- You want shielded Zcash: KuCoin accepts transparent addresses only.
- You live in the US: KuCoin is not available there.
- You want a service with no incident on record: KuCoin had one in 2026.
Inside KuCoin
Screenshots taken November 3, 2026
- Platforms
- Apps listed in the App Store and on Google Play (app_rating_ios and app_rating_android, checked today)
What you get with KuCoin
Yes, no or partly, from our dataPrivacy 0 of 6
- No IDNo
- No accountNo
- Tor built inNot statedNot statedKuCoin's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
- Onion addressNoNone published
- I2P addressNoNone published
- Works without JavaScriptNot statedNot statedKuCoin's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
Coins 2 of 4, 1 partly
- BitcoinYes
- MoneroYes
- LightningNo
- ZcashPartlyTransparent addresses only
Custody and code 0 of 3
- You hold the keysNo
- Open sourceNot statedNot statedKuCoin's own pages we checked do not say, checked Oct 14, 2026. This is not the same as no.
- Address screeningNot statedNot statedKuCoin's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
When can KuCoin ask for your ID?
Always, per KuCoin's own pages. Labels come from each provider's terms, never from our guess.
- 1Never, by designNo company holds your order, so nobody can ask
- 2Only if you chooseID only for extras you opt into
- 3If a payment is flaggedNo ID by default; checks when a risk system flags you
- 4Above a limitID once you pass a stated amount
- 5AlwaysKuCoin is on this stepID before you trade, deposit or withdraw
If a check comes and you do not pass it
Legacy unverified accounts keep a sell, close and withdraw path ("withdrawal services will not be affected"; the 24h limit is shown on the withdrawal page). If identity verification is not completed and the account is not logged into for a year, KuCoin may terminate services and suspend, close or delete the account and its materials without prior notice.
“2. For users who registered before August 31, 2023 (UTC) but have not completed standard Identity Verification before then, they will only be able to use the remaining services: selling cryptocurrencies, closing futures contracts, closing margin positions and redeeming from KuCoin Earn. During this time, they will not have access to deposit services (withdrawal services will not be affected). [...] Article 38 The User agrees that if the identity verification procedure for his/her/its User account fails to be completed, and the account fails to be logged into for a year in a row, the Platform has the right to terminate the supply of User account services without prior notice to the User, and the Platform may promptly suspend, close or delete the User account and all relevant materials and files in the User account.”
What triggers a check: Any product or service for accounts registered from 2023-08-31; crypto and fiat deposits, buy orders, P2P, API creation, sub-account trading (legacy unverified accounts); higher daily withdrawal limits and events
Not stated on KuCoin's pages: fee on refusal, refund policyKuCoin's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
Checked October 23, 2026
What KuCoin costs
| What | KuCoin |
|---|---|
| Trade fee | VIP 0 to VIP 12; Spot Class A from 0.1%/0.1% (VIP 0) to 0%/0.025% (VIP 12); no maker rebate at any level |
| No-ID limit | New accounts: nothing without KYC; legacy accounts registered before 2023-08-31: sell orders, closing positions, Earn and ETF redemption and crypto withdrawals up to the 24h limit shown on the withdrawal page; no deposits or buy orders |
What KuCoin knows about you
Who sees what during a trade, and who runs it.
During a trade
No ID check does not make a bank payment private.
Network and who runs it
- Requests from authorities
- A Law Enforcement Requests page is linked in the footer
- Warrant canary
- Not published
Checked October 22, 2026
Track record and code
One hack (2020, covered), a US criminal guilty plea (2025) and several regulator actions; further actions (Ontario 2022, India FIU 2024) in the repo fact file.
Incidents
- 2026Mar 30, 2026: SDNY consent order on CFTC claims: permanent injunction, $500,000 civil penalty.
- 2025Nov 14, 2025: Turks and Caicos FSC: Peken Global Limited not licensed for virtual asset activities in or from the islands.
- 2025Jul 28, 2025: FINTRAC penalty of CAD 19,552,000 (unregistered foreign MSB, unreported large and suspicious transactions); appealed.
- 2025Jan 27, 2025: Peken Global Limited (KuCoin) pleaded guilty in the SDNY to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business; penalties over $297 million; exit from the US market.
- 2023Dec 12, 2023: New York Attorney General consent order: refunds over $16.7 million, payment over $5.3 million, platform closed to New Yorkers.
- 2020Sep 26, 2020: Hot wallet hack (about $285 million); KuCoin recovered 84% and covered the rest from its insurance fund.
- Bug bounty
- Yes: Bug Bounty page linked in the service menu
- Support
- 24/7 online chat; support ticket
Checked October 14, 2026
Community
Discussions about KuCoin on Reddit (opens in a new tab) (r/kucoin)
We have not summarized these discussions yet.
More facts we checked on KuCoin
- Coins listed
- 808
- Onion address
- Not published
- I2P address
- Not published
KuCoin in the US and elsewhere
In the US
US availability: Not available
- Blocks US IPs
- Terms: the United States and its territories are Restricted Locations
- VPN clause in terms
- No: no proxy servers, VPNs or IP masking to get around restricted regions
If you are a US person, US sanctions rules apply to you whether or not a service asks for ID.
Outside the US
Where KuCoin does not serve
16 places in its terms- United States (including its territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa)
Singapore- mainland China
- Hong Kong
Malaysia- Kazakhstan
- Uzbekistan
- Ontario (Canada)
- British Columbia (Canada)
- France
- Netherlands
- Crimea
- Donetsk
- Luhansk
- Zaporizhzhia
- Kherson
Show all 16 places+10 moreShow fewer
Regional rule: Not statedKuCoin's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
- Site blocks by region
- Restricted Locations include the US, Singapore, mainland China and Hong Kong, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ontario and British Columbia, France, the Netherlands and occupied regions of Ukraine
Where you live and the provider's terms
Many services on this page do not serve every country. Some exclude people because of where they live or their citizenship, not only where they connect from. Read the provider's terms before you send funds. If the terms exclude you, do not use the service, and do not try to get around the restriction, for example with a VPN.
Taxes
A service that does not ask for ID does not change your taxes. In the US, the federal income tax return asks a yes-or-no question about digital assets, and you must report digital asset transactions whether or not they result in a gain or loss. In the UK, you may owe Capital Gains Tax when you sell, swap or spend crypto, and you must keep your own records. Rules in other countries differ.
No KYC is not anonymity
"No KYC" here means the provider says it does not ask for ID in the cases its terms describe. It does not make you anonymous. KuCoin's terms say it can ask for ID in these cases: Any product or service for accounts registered from 2023-08-31; crypto and fiat deposits, buy orders, P2P, API creation, sub-account trading (legacy unverified accounts); higher daily withdrawal limits and events. Regulated exchanges you send funds from or to may have to collect information about who sends and who receives a crypto transfer. Your tax duties stay the same.
Funds can be held
If a provider asks for more information during a swap or a withdrawal, it may hold your funds until it gets it. Its terms decide what happens next. In the UK, a crypto business that asks for information on a transfer to or from a self-custody wallet, and does not receive it, must not pass the funds on. Read what the provider's terms say before you send. KuCoin's terms say that if a check is requested and not completed: legacy unverified accounts keep a sell, close and withdraw path ("withdrawal services will not be affected"; the 24h limit is shown on the withdrawal page). If identity verification is not completed and the account is not logged into for a year, KuCoin may terminate services and suspend, close or delete the account and its materials without prior notice.
Checked October 22, 2026
Exchanges to compare with KuCoin
Other active services in this category from our list. The shield shows each one's ID rule from its own terms.
KuCoin side by side
From our privacy data, the same fields for every service| What | KuCoin | Crypton Exchange | NonKYC.io | BloFin | CoinEx | Pionex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ID rule | ID always | No ID, by design | No ID, by design | ID above a limit | ID above a limit | ID above a limit |
| Account | Needed | Not stated | Needed | Needed | Needed | Needed |
| You hold the keys | No | Not stated | No | No | Not stated | No |
| Monero | Yes | Not stated | Yes | No | Not stated | No |
| Lightning | No | Not stated | No | Not stated | Not stated | No |
| Open source | Not stated | Not stated | No | No | Not stated | Not stated |
Checked October 23, 2026
Short answers about KuCoin
From the data on this page.
Does KuCoin ask for ID?
KuCoin always asks for ID, per its own pages. You need an account.
How much can you trade on KuCoin without ID?
New accounts: nothing without KYC; legacy accounts registered before 2023-08-31: sell orders, closing positions, Earn and ETF redemption and crypto withdrawals up to the 24h limit shown on the withdrawal page; no deposits or buy orders.
Who holds your coins during a KuCoin trade?
Held by the provider. Custodial: assets are held in KuCoin accounts; withdrawals and transfers can be frozen for regulatory reasons.
Can you buy Monero on KuCoin?
Yes. KuCoin lists Monero.
What does KuCoin cost?
Trade fee: VIP 0 to VIP 12; Spot Class A from 0.1%/0.1% (VIP 0) to 0%/0.025% (VIP 12); no maker rebate at any level.
Who checked this page
Sources, how we read the terms and our process
Sources
- ag.ny.gov/press-release/2023/attorney-general-james-secures-more-22-million-cryptocurrency-platform-operating, for incidents, checked October 14, 2026
- api.kucoin.com/api/v2/symbols, for Zcash and coins listed, checked October 22, 2026
- api.kucoin.com/api/v3/currencies, for Zcash address type, checked October 22, 2026
- api.kucoin.com/api/v3/currencies/BTC, for bitcoin and Lightning, checked October 22, 2026
- api.kucoin.com/api/v3/currencies/XMR, for Monero, checked October 22, 2026
- cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/9203-26, for incidents, checked October 14, 2026
- cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/9203-26, for operator, checked October 22, 2026
- fintrac-canafe.canada.ca/pen/amps/pen-2025-09-25-eng, for incidents, checked October 14, 2026
- itunes.apple.com/lookup, for platforms, checked October 22, 2026
- justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/kucoin-pleads-guilty-unlicensed-money-transmission-charge-and-agrees-pay-penalties, for incidents, checked October 14, 2026
- kucoin.com, for status, checked October 5, 2026
- kucoin.com, for ways to pay, checked October 15, 2026
- kucoin.com, for I2P address, requests from authorities and bug bounty, checked October 22, 2026
- kucoin.com/announcement/en-kucoin-ceo-livestream-recap-latest-updates-about-security-incident, for incidents, checked October 14, 2026
- kucoin.com/legal/privacy-policy, for data collected, checked October 22, 2026
- kucoin.com/legal/terms-of-use, for custody, custody in detail, excluded countries, US availability, warrant canary and onion address, checked October 22, 2026
- kucoin.com/legal/terms-of-use, for what happens if a check fails, checked October 23, 2026
- kucoin.com/legal/terms-of-use, for blocks US IPs, VPN clause in terms and site blocks by region, checked October 28, 2026
- kucoin.com/support/4401857433241, for ID rule, what triggers a check, no-ID limit, account and support, checked October 22, 2026
- kucoin.com/vip/privilege/fee, for fees, checked October 22, 2026
- tcifsc.tc/assets/documents/1-of-2025-Public-Statement---Peken-Global-Limited-20251120095910.pdf, for incidents, checked October 14, 2026
How we read the terms
We do not give privacy services a score. We record what each provider's own pages say: when it asks for ID, the limits, who holds your coins and what it costs. Labels come from each provider's terms, never from our guess. How we read the terms
Our process
We take fees, availability, licenses and coin counts from primary sources: KuCoin's own fee schedules, terms and help pages, and the public registers kept by regulators. Every value carries the date we last checked it. The values on this page were checked between October 5, 2026 and October 28, 2026.
Not legal or tax advice. This page explains how these services work and what their own terms say. It is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ by country and change often. Check the rules where you live, or ask a qualified professional, before you use any service listed here.