Sell Bitcoin in the United Kingdom (2026)

Status: Legal
Pays out in: Pound sterling (GBP)
Exchanges paying out: 4 of 4
Last reviewed: 2026-08-12

All of the 4 exchanges we recommend in the United Kingdom pay out in GBP: Kraken, Coinbase, CEX.IO and Bitstamp. The rails are Faster Payments, SWIFT transfer and Instant card cashout. The order below is the same ranking the buying guide uses; an exchange that appears there and not here publishes no GBP payout rail we could verify.

Where to sell and how the money comes out

Each recommended exchange that pays out in the United Kingdom, the rails it pays out on, and the fee and speed it publishes for each.
Exchange	Withdraw to	Fee	Speed	Note
Kraken#1 in the buying guide	Faster Payments	1.95 GBP per withdrawal, 5 GBP minimum	near-instant	Banking Circle covers the UK and Gibraltar, Openpayd the UK only.
Kraken#1 in the buying guide	SWIFT transfer	13 GBP per withdrawal, 100 GBP minimum	2 to 5 business days	Listed as worldwide, through Bank Frick. Kraken lists this rail for GBP payouts rather than for United Kingdom by name.
Coinbase#2 in the buying guide	Instant card cashout	Not recorded	Typically around 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours	The card must be connected to the Coinbase account and verified; Coinbase sets no limit but the card provider may.
CEX.IO#3 in the buying guide	Faster Payments	GBP 2.99 per withdrawal	Not recorded	Minimum withdrawal GBP 10, and at least Identity verification is required. CEX.IO lists this rail for GBP payouts rather than for United Kingdom by name.
Bitstamp#4 in the buying guide	Faster Payments	2.00 GBP per withdrawal (fee schedule valid from 1 September 2026)	1 business day	Your bank must be included in the Faster Payments Service scheme; upper limit 250,000 GBP.

"Not recorded" means the exchange's page we read carries no figure for that cell; the fee on the sale itself is separate and is on each review.

The payout rails in the United Kingdom

Faster Payments

Paid out by Kraken, CEX.IO, Bitstamp.

Faster Payments is the United Kingdom's near real time sterling transfer scheme, operated by Pay.UK and regulated by the Payment Systems Regulator. Almost all internet and mobile banking payments between UK accounts run over it, which is why a pound deposit to an exchange normally arrives this way rather than by CHAPS. It moves money account to account using a sort code and account number, and it runs every day of the year including weekends and bank holidays.

The rail itself: Payments are processed in near real time and can be sent and received 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so a deposit usually lands within seconds.

More about Faster Payments Buying with Faster Payments in the United Kingdom

SWIFT transfer

Paid out by Kraken.

A wire transfer is a bank to bank push payment sent over a high value settlement system, Fedwire in the United States and its equivalents elsewhere, routed through correspondent banks when it crosses a border. There is no chargeback: once the sending bank releases it the payment is effectively final, which is why exchanges accept wires for large deposits. A cross border wire can pass through one or more intermediary banks, each able to deduct its own charge before the money arrives.

The rail itself: A domestic wire clears the same business day, with Fedwire open from 9pm eastern the previous calendar day until 7pm eastern and closed on weekends and Federal Reserve holidays, while a cross border wire can take several business days.

More about Wire transfer

Instant card cashout

Paid out by Coinbase.

Credit and debit card payments run over the international card networks, mainly Visa and Mastercard, alongside American Express and domestic schemes such as Cartes Bancaires in France or RuPay in India. Your issuing bank authorises each payment in real time, so the funds are committed the moment the transaction is approved. Visa alone says it connects businesses, banks and governments in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, which is why this is the most widely available way to fund an exchange account. It is also the rail most likely to be repriced or blocked by your own bank.

The rail itself: Authorisation is real time, so a card deposit normally lands within seconds and rarely takes more than a few minutes.

More about Credit or debit card Buying with Instant card cashout in the United Kingdom

How a sale settles

Sell on Kraken, or any exchange in the table
Kraken ranks first in the the United Kingdom buying guide and pays out on Faster Payments and SWIFT transfer.
Withdraw GBP to Faster Payments
Kraken publishes 1.95 GBP per withdrawal, 5 GBP minimum for this rail.
Wait for the rail to clear
Kraken states near-instant for Faster Payments.

Frequently asked questions

Which exchanges let me cash out bitcoin to a bank in the United Kingdom?

All of the 4 exchanges we recommend in the United Kingdom pay out in GBP: Kraken, Coinbase, CEX.IO and Bitstamp. The rails are Faster Payments, SWIFT transfer and Instant card cashout.

How long does a withdrawal take in the United Kingdom?

It depends on the exchange and the rail. Kraken on Faster Payments: near-instant; Kraken on SWIFT transfer: 2 to 5 business days; Coinbase on Instant card cashout: Typically around 30 minutes, and up to 24 hours. Each figure is the exchange's own, read from the page linked under sources.

What does it cost to withdraw GBP after selling?

Kraken on Faster Payments: 1.95 GBP per withdrawal, 5 GBP minimum; Kraken on SWIFT transfer: 13 GBP per withdrawal, 100 GBP minimum; CEX.IO on Faster Payments: GBP 2.99 per withdrawal. The trading fee on the sale itself is separate and is on each exchange's review.

Is selling bitcoin legal in the United Kingdom?

Bitcoin is fully legal in the United Kingdom. Crypto firms serving UK customers must register with the Financial Conduct Authority under the Money Laundering Regulations, and financial promotions rules in force since October 2023 govern how platforms market to consumers. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2026, made in February 2026, will bring core crypto activities inside the FCA's authorisation perimeter from October 2027. HMRC treats disposals of bitcoin as capital gains events.

Do I pay tax when I sell bitcoin in the United Kingdom?

Capital Gains Tax, or Income Tax for trading. The full position, rates and the reporting duty are on the the United Kingdom bitcoin tax guide.

Sources

Buying is the other direction: how to buy bitcoin in United Kingdom covers the same exchanges with their deposit rails, fees and KYC. What you owe on the sale is a third question: Bitcoin Tax in the United Kingdom (2026).