A card-friendly exchange licensed across most of the US, but currently closed to deposits and trading in Europe.
Sydney exchange aimed at serious and self-managed-super buyers, and the first in Australia to publish regular proof-of-reserves attestations.
Independent Reserve rates higher on our rubric: 4.5 against 4.0 for CEX.IO.
Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.
| Fact | CEX.IO | Independent Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial rating | 4.0 | 4.5 (favoured on this row) |
| Published fees | Maker-taker; card costs more | From 0.5%, free bank funding |
| Maker fee | Not published | 0.50 percent, falling to 0.02 percent across nine volume tiers |
| Taker fee | Not published | 0.50 percent, falling to 0.02 percent across nine volume tiers |
| Identity verification | Required | Required |
| Bitcoin-only | No | No |
| Payment rails supported | 6 | 3 |
| Countries ranked in | 146 | 1 |
| Ranks first in | 0 | 0 |
| Countries shared | 1 | 1 |
| Security record | 6 dated events, 1 incident, latest 2026-08-27 | No record on file |
| Founded | 2013 | 2013 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Last reviewed | 2026-08-27 | 2026-08-23 |
Each country guide ranks its own roster on published fees, security record and local payment support, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.
| Country | Status | CEX.IO ranks | Independent Reserve ranks | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Legal | #11 | #5 | Best exchanges there |
Dated events from each review, newest first: breaches, enforcement actions, licences, audits and proof-of-reserves publications. 1 of the 2 carry no dated record on our reviews yet.
Deposits and trading unavailable in Europe, withdrawals still open
Money transmitter licences in 38 states and DC under NMLS 1804170
UK entity registered with the FCA under the money laundering rules
Independent Reserve rates higher on our rubric: 4.5 against 4.0 for CEX.IO. The rating weighs published fees, security record and local payment support; the table above sets each beside the other so you can check the score against the facts.
CEX.IO: Maker-taker; card costs more. Independent Reserve: From 0.5%, free bank funding. Those are each platform's published headline rates; card purchases and instant-buy widgets cost more than the order book on both, and each review carries the full schedule.
Both are ranked in our guides for Australia. CEX.IO is ranked in 146 countries in all and Independent Reserve in 1; each country guide ranks its own roster, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.
CEX.IO carries 1 incident among 6 dated events, the latest on 2026-08-27: Deposits and trading unavailable in Europe, withdrawals still open. Independent Reserve carries no dated security record on our review yet, a gap in our records rather than a clean bill. Both reviews list every event with its source.
CEX.IO: required; identity verification is required before purchasing.. Independent Reserve: required.
The full reviews: CEX.IO and Independent Reserve, each with its sources, and every exchange we review.
Every other head-to-head CEX.IO or Independent Reserve appears in.
Australia