Binance
The largest crypto exchange in the world by trading volume. It was created in 2017 and in just six months became a market leader. The creators of the platform are considered to be Chinese businessmen Changpeng Zhao and Yi He. The platform is prohibited only in three countries: the USA (a separate company Binance.US operates here), Singapore and the Canadian province of Ontario. In some countries, for example in China, there is no access to only part of the functionality. The platform provides access to more than 350 cryptocurrencies. The commission for regular users here does not exceed 0.1%.
Coinbase
The largest American exchange with a market capitalization of over $60 billion. Created in 2012 in San Francisco by Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam. An interesting feature of the site is the absence of a main office: all employees work remotely. The trading platform supports more than 150 crypto assets. Coinbase is available worldwide, although functionality is limited in some countries. For example, in Russia you cannot use the platform. Exchange commissions range from 0% to 0.6%.
Bybit
The exchange was founded in 2018 by Ben Zhou. Registered in the British Virgin Islands and headquartered in Dubai. In a number of countries, access to the site is limited, for example, in the USA, Cuba, mainland China, and Crimea. In addition to cryptocurrencies, the platform provides access to many other services, including derivatives, for which 100 leverage is available. Site commissions range from 0.1% to 0%. Bybit supports over 100 cryptocurrencies and over 300 trading pairs.
OKX
The exchange has been operating since 2017. Founded by Chinese businessman Xu Mingxing. The headquarters is located in Seychelles. OKX is available to almost everyone, with the exception of US citizens. The exchange supports more than 350 cryptocurrencies and 500 trading pairs. The maximum commission is 0.1%. At the same time, with an increase in trading volume or the number of OKB (the native currency of the exchange), the interest falls. OKX, in addition to regular trading, provides the possibility of margin trading: the maximum leverage for cryptocurrencies is 10 to 1, and for derivatives 125 to 1.
Upbit
This is a South Korean exchange created by Sung Chi Hyun ( Song Chi-hyung) in 2017. The platform has a relatively small commission of 0.05%. In total, about 180 cryptocurrencies and 300 trading pairs are available here. In terms of daily trading volume, the exchange is in the top 5 among all platforms. Upbit does not provide margin trading services. The Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore operations are independently managed and regulated.
Kraken
Kraken is an American exchange based in San Francisco. It was launched in the fall of 2013. Rights to the platform belong to Payward. The exchange is banned in a number of countries in Asia and Africa: Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Mali and others. Kraken supports over 120 cryptocurrencies. Exchange commissions range from 0% to 1.5%. Margin trading is only available to advanced users. The amount of leverage provided by Kraken depends on the trading pair.
Gate.io
Chinese centralized exchange. It was established in 2013 by Lin Han. Originally had a different name: Bter. After the site was acquired by Gate Technology. in 2017, there was a rebranding to Gate.io. The platform supports about 1 400 cryptocurrencies and 2 500 trading pairs. Although the exchange is formally Chinese, it is based in the Cayman Islands. In a number of countries (Sudan, Cuba, Syria and others) Gate.io does not work. Also, representatives of the American District of Washington and the State of New York cannot trade on it.
KuCoin
KuCoin is an exchange founded in 2017. The headquarters is located in Seychelles. The platform has representative offices in more than 200 countries around the world. KuCoin currently has more than 30 million users. The exchange offers a wide range of services: margin trading, derivatives, trust management. KuCoin has its own non-custodial wallet, Halo Wallet.
HTX
The exchange was founded by Leon Li in 2013 in Beijing as Huobi. Currently based in Seychelles. Not valid everywhere. In China, USA, Sudan, Canada, Singapore and some other territories, you will not be able to trade through HTX. The platform supports over 400 cryptocurrencies. Commissions range from 0.2% to 0.0362%. HTX provides the opportunity to trade both with your own money and with borrowed money with a leverage of 3 to 1. For Bitcoin and Ethereum futures, you can borrow up to 200 times the amount you have in hand.
Bitfinex
The platform is registered in the British Virgin Islands and is based in Hong Kong. It was founded in 2012 by Raphael Nicolle and Giancarlo Devasini. Platform access is limited in a number of countries: Cuba, North Korea, for American and Canadian residents. Bitfinex supports over 270 cryptocurrencies. Exchange commissions range from 0.02% to 0.2%. By the way, if you hold the UNUS SED LEO utility token, you can count on a 15%-25% discount. The maximum leverage available on Bitfinex is 10 to 1.
MEXC
The exchange was registered in 2018. Despite its relatively short history, 10 million people have already become clients. The platform offers over 1 700 cryptocurrencies and 2 600 trading pairs for trading. There are low commissions for trading: the maximum is 0.01%. At the same time, you will be charged quite high interest rates for depositing and withdrawing cryptocurrency, for example, for USDT the maximum is 4%.
Bitget
The exchange began operating in 2018. Registered in Seychelles. The founders are Sandra Lou and Gracy Chen. The main areas are copy trading and various tools for trading cryptocurrencies. The exchange is limited to the USA, Singapore and Sudan. The platform supports more than 500 cryptocurrencies and the same number of trading pairs. Exchange commissions range from 0.1% to 0.02%. Margin trading is available on Bitget with a maximum leverage of 10 to 1 for cryptocurrencies, and 125 to 1 for derivatives.
Bitstamp
One of the oldest crypto exchanges, which began operating in 2011. The company was founded in the Slovenian city of Kranj by Damian Merlak and Nejc Kodrič. In 2018, 80% of the site was bought by the Belgian holding company NXMH. As of 2024, Bitstamp has offices around the world: from the USA and Singapore to Luxembourg and the UK. An interesting feature is that the commission for transactions decreases with increasing trading volume. Moreover, in the first month, with a volume of $1,000, there is no need to pay interest on transactions at all. Bitstamp is one of the most highly regulated platforms in the world.
Crypto.com Exchange
This site is registered in Singapore. It was formed by a group of enthusiasts consisting of: Kris Marszalek, Gary Or, Rafael Melo and Bobby Bao. The platform has a fairly strict restriction policy, so is unavailable in many places, including Russia. The platform gives access to more than 250 cryptocurrencies. Commissions on Crypto.com typically do not exceed 0.1%. Margin trading is available with leverage up to 10:1 for cryptocurrencies and up to 100:1 for derivatives.
Binance TR
A division of Binance based in Turkey. Was founded in 2020. The operator is fintech company BN Teknoloji from Istanbul. The platform is available to almost everyone, with the exception of representatives of Canada, the USA and Japan. The exchange has a standard commission for transactions = 0.1%. There is no need to pay for deposit/withdrawal of money, as well as transfer to Binance. Binance TR provides margin trading of cryptocurrencies and futures with a maximum leverage of 10 to 1.
Gemini
This is an American exchange based in New York State. It is available throughout the United States and in more than 60 countries around the world. The founders are Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. Gemini was launched in October 2015. There are over 80 cryptocurrencies available on the exchange. Gemini provides its clients with a fairly large range of commissions, which range from 0.4% to 0%. Margin trading available. The maximum leverage of 100 to 1 is given on perpetual futures for Bitcoin, Ethereum and PEPE.
Binance US
American division of the Binance exchange. It was created in response to the ban on the activities of the parent company in the United States. Unlike the parent Binance, the American division has less functionality, cutting off the number of tradable cryptocurrencies. The platform is registered in the Californian city of Palo Alto. Officially independently operated by BAM Trading Services. A distinctive feature of the site is the lack of access to margin trading and futures.
Tokocrypto
Indonesian exchange founded in 2018. The exchange's clients are more than 3 million people. The site has its own coin called Toko Token. Commissions on Tokocrypto are quite high: from 0.1% to 2%. One of the most important partners of the exchange is Binance.
BingX
The exchange was born in 2018, the founder is listed as businessman Josh Lu. The exchange is international, with headquarters in Australia and the European Union, among others. BingX is banned in the USA, Canada, China, Macau, Hong Kong and Singapore. Supports over 550 cryptocurrencies and 600 trading pairs. BingX commissions: from 0.1% to 0.02%. The platform provides margin trading services with a maximum leverage of 125 to 1.
bitFlyer
Japanese crypto trading platform, formed in 2014 by Yuzo Kano, Masuda Rikiya and Takafumi Komiyama. The headquarters is located in Tokyo, and the American division of bitFlyer is based in San Francisco. The platform is not available in many countries in Asia and Africa. Doesn't work in Russia either. bitFlyer supports a small number of cryptocurrencies - 11. Exchange commissions are 0.1% -0.2%. The maximum leverage on the site is 2 to 1 for private clients; conditions may differ for legal entities.
Conclusion
The most popular crypto exchanges in the world are the result of the efforts of representatives of the United States or Asia, in particular China. However, they can often be registered in other places, often offshore. There is not a single exchange whose operation would be permitted by absolutely any state in the world.