A 2011-vintage exchange with one of the cleanest security records in the business, heading toward a US stock listing.
Africa's largest licensed crypto on-ramp, spanning more than 20 countries with local bank and mobile money rails.
Kraken rates higher on our rubric: 4.7 against 4.1 for Yellow Card.
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 | Kraken | Yellow Card |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial rating | 4.7 (favoured on this row) | 4.1 |
| Published fees | From 0.25% maker, 0.40% taker | Spread built into the price |
| Maker fee | 0.25% on Kraken Pro below $10,000 in 30-day volume, decreasing at higher tiers | Not published |
| Taker fee | 0.40% on Kraken Pro below $10,000 in 30-day volume, decreasing at higher tiers | Not published |
| Identity verification | Required | Required |
| Bitcoin-only | No | No |
| Payment rails supported | 14 | 13 |
| Countries ranked in | 127 | 20 |
| Ranks first in | 10 | 18 |
| Countries shared | 1 | 1 |
| Security record | 10 dated events, 2 incidents, latest 2026-06-30 | No record on file |
| Founded | 2011 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, United States | Not stated |
| Last reviewed | 2026-08-23 | 2026-08-12 |
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 | Kraken ranks | Yellow Card ranks | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | Legal | #4 | #2 | 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.
Latest proof of reserves shows bitcoin backed at 102.9%
Kraken refuses extortion after two support staff misused internal systems
Kraken wins a MiCA licence from the Central Bank of Ireland
Kraken rates higher on our rubric: 4.7 against 4.1 for Yellow Card. 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.
Kraken: From 0.25% maker, 0.40% taker. Yellow Card: Spread built into the price. 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 South Africa. Kraken is ranked in 127 countries in all and Yellow Card in 20; each country guide ranks its own roster, so the two can sit in a different order from one country to the next.
Kraken carries 2 incidents among 10 dated events, the latest on 2026-04-14: Kraken refuses extortion after two support staff misused internal systems. Yellow Card 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.
Kraken: required; identity verification is required to deposit fiat and trade.. Yellow Card: required; identity verification is required, with requirements varying by country..
The full reviews: Kraken and Yellow Card, each with its sources, and every exchange we review.
Every other head-to-head Kraken or Yellow Card appears in.
South Africa