CEX.IO review

4.0Last reviewed 2026-08-27

CEX.IO is a card-friendly mid-tier exchange, easiest to recommend in the United States and the UK, and currently not usable in the European Economic Area at all: a service notice on its own site says deposits and trading are unavailable there while regulatory work continues, leaving European accounts able to withdraw and nothing else.

In the US it is one of the more thoroughly licensed platforms on this site. CEX.IO Corp is registered with FinCEN as a money services business and holds money transmitter licences in 38 states and the District of Columbia under NMLS 1804170. Four of those licences carry an explicit carve-out: in Alaska, Louisiana, Tennessee and Virginia the state licence does not cover the transmission of virtual currency. Ten states, including New York and California, are absent from its licence table altogether.

Elsewhere it publishes exclusions rather than a list of countries it serves. Twenty nine countries and territories are unsupported outright, among them Canada, Japan and Singapore, and India was cut off separately in October 2025. A further set of countries can open an account but cannot pay by card, and since CEX.IO offers no international wire, that leaves them no way to fund one.

The platform has run since 2013 and reports more than 15 million users. Its bank rails are strictly regional: SEPA in Europe, ACH in the US, and Faster Payments in the UK for withdrawals only. Everywhere else a card is the only way in, at 0.49% to 4.99% plus a service charge set by your provider. Liquidity is thinner than at Binance or Kraken, and it does not publish a maker-taker table, so the spot fee you pay is not knowable before you sign up.

Visit CEX.IOOpens cex.io

Founded: 2013
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Fees: Instant card buys carry a processing fee and a premium over the spot price; the spot exchange uses maker-taker pricing that falls with volume.
KYC: Required
Payment methods: Credit or debit card, Local bank transfer, Faster Payments, Open banking payment
Status: Operating

How you can pay on CEX.IO

Every deposit rail CEX.IO supports in at least one market. Which of them you can use depends on your country; the country guides below list the exact methods per market.

Domestic bank rail: Faster Payments Local bank transfer Open banking payment
SEPA (euro area): SEPA transfer
ACH (United States): ACH transfer
Card: Credit or debit card

As published by CEX.IO: Debit and credit cards, Google Pay and Apple Pay (deposits only), ACH transfer (US only), SEPA transfer (Europe only, suspended), Faster Payments (UK only, withdrawals only), PayPal (US only).

Pros and cons

What works

Money transmitter licences in 38 US states and DC, published with licence numbers under NMLS 1804170
Free deposits by SEPA in Europe and ACH in the US, so the bank route costs nothing to fund
Operating since 2013 with more than 15 million reported users
UK entity registered with the FCA under the money laundering regulations in March 2026

What to watch

Deposits and trading are unavailable to customers in Europe while a regulatory service notice stands
No international wire, so outside the UK, US and Europe a card is the only way to fund an account
Publishes no maker-taker fee table, so the trading fee is not knowable before signing up
Card deposits run from 0.49% to 4.99% plus a service charge set by the provider
Unsupported in 29 countries including Canada, Japan and Singapore, and closed to India since October 2025
In Alaska, Louisiana, Tennessee and Virginia the state licence does not cover virtual currency

Fees in detail

spread note: Instant buy quotes include a premium over the spot exchange price.
deposit note: Faster Payments, SEPA and ACH deposits are free of charge; card deposits cost 0.49% to 4.99% plus a provider service charge.
withdrawal note: Bitcoin withdrawals pay a network fee. Fiat withdrawals cost 2.99 pounds by Faster Payments, 2.99 euro by SEPA and 5 dollars by ACH.

What it costs to use CEX.IO

CEX.IO costs by action, with conditions where they apply.
What you do	What it costs
Deposit by Visa or Mastercard	0.49% to 4.99%, plus a service charge that varies by provider and country
Withdraw to Visa or Mastercard	0.49% to 4.99%, plus a service charge that varies by provider and country
Deposit by Google Pay or Apple Pay	0.49% to 4.99% plus a service chargeDeposits only, capped at 1,000 dollars a day. No withdrawals to these methods.
Deposit by Faster Payments (UK)	Not acceptedCEX.IO states Faster Payments is currently available for withdrawal only.
Withdraw by Faster Payments (UK)	2.99 pounds
Deposit by SEPA	Free of chargeMinimum 5 euro. Unavailable while the European service notice stands.
Withdraw by SEPA	2.99 euro
Deposit by open banking	1.99 euroMinimum 20 euro.
Deposit by ACH (US)	No fee
Withdraw by ACH (US)	5 dollars
Deposit or withdraw by PayPal	3.99% plus 5 dollarsUS customers only.
Spot trading	Not publishedCEX.IO states maker-taker pricing that falls with volume but publishes no fee table.

CEX.IO's security and regulatory record

Everything on the record we could date and source, newest first, including the parts that count against it.

2026-08-27Outage
Deposits and trading unavailable in Europe, withdrawals still open
A service notice on CEX.IO's own site states that certain account functionalities, including deposits and trading, are not available because of ongoing regulatory updates, and that funds remain available to withdraw. The MiCA transition period for EU crypto platforms ended on 1 July 2026. Dated to the day this page recorded the notice, since CEX.IO does not date it.
CEX.IO: service notice on the homepage
2026-08-27Licence
Money transmitter licences in 38 states and DC under NMLS 1804170
CEX.IO Corp publishes a state-by-state licence table covering 38 states and the District of Columbia, alongside its FinCEN money services business registration. In Alaska, Louisiana, Tennessee and Virginia the licence explicitly does not cover the transmission of virtual currency. Dated to the day the table was read, as CEX.IO publishes no revision date.
CEX.IO: US licenses and registrations
2026-03-12Licence
UK entity registered with the FCA under the money laundering rules
CEX.IO Markets UK Limited secured registration with the Financial Conduct Authority under the UK money laundering regulations on 12 March 2026, so UK customers are served through a registered firm. This is an anti-money-laundering registration rather than authorisation of the trading service itself.
CEX.IO: FCA registration in the UK
2025-10-09Enforcement
Cut off accounts in India at two days notice
A notice published on 7 October 2025 told residents of India to withdraw everything by 3pm UK time on 9 October, after which they would no longer be able to access their accounts. CEX.IO attributed the change to recent regulatory developments. India is not named on the exclusion list the support site publishes, so that list understates where the platform cannot be used.
CEX.IO: withdrawal deadline for users in India
2025-03-31Enforcement
Removed USDT and DAI for users in the EEA to comply with MiCA
Spot trading in USDT and DAI pairs closed on 1 March 2025 for customers in the European Economic Area, savings on 28 March, and wallet, savings and trading on 31 March. Remaining balances were converted to USDC between 1 and 5 April 2025. The change followed the stablecoin rules in the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation.
CEX.IO: MiCA compliance, USDT and DAI for EEA users
2023-07-15Enforcement
Withdrew from Canada, then blocked Canadian access entirely
CEX.IO stopped serving Canadian customers on 15 July 2023 as Canada tightened its rules for crypto platforms. It later ceased withdrawal functionality on 5 October 2023 and blocked access from Canadian IP addresses, following a request from the Autorite des marches financiers and other members of the Canadian Securities Administrators.
CEX.IO: update regarding our services in Canada

Where we recommend CEX.IO

Countries where CEX.IO ranks in our local guide. Availability beyond these is possible but unverified by us.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use CEX.IO in Europe right now?

No. A service notice on CEX.IO's site says deposits and trading are unavailable because of ongoing regulatory updates, and that funds remain available to withdraw. European customers can take money out and little else. The MiCA transition period for EU platforms ended on 1 July 2026.

Which US states does CEX.IO serve?

CEX.IO Corp publishes money transmitter licences in 38 states and the District of Columbia under NMLS 1804170, plus FinCEN registration. Ten states including New York and California are absent from that table. In Alaska, Louisiana, Tennessee and Virginia the licence does not cover virtual currency.

Which countries can't use CEX.IO?

Twenty nine countries and territories are unsupported outright, including Canada, Japan, Singapore, Russia, Guam and Puerto Rico. India was cut off separately in October 2025. A further group can open an account but cannot pay by card, leaving an international wire as the only funding route.

What is the cheapest way to buy on CEX.IO?

A bank transfer, if you can use one. SEPA in Europe and ACH in the US deposit free of charge, but Faster Payments in the UK is withdrawal only and there is no international wire, so everywhere else a card is the only route, at 0.49% to 4.99% plus a provider service charge.

Is CEX.IO regulated in the UK?

CEX.IO Markets UK Limited registered with the Financial Conduct Authority under the UK money laundering regulations on 12 March 2026. That is an anti-money-laundering registration, not authorisation or approval of the trading service, and it does not protect you if the platform fails.