This Bitstamp review comes with a deadline that most write-ups miss. Bitstamp, founded in 2011 and owned by Robinhood since 2 June 2025, is still one of the most widely licensed crypto exchanges. As of October 2026, however, Robinhood is moving Bitstamp retail customers into the Robinhood app. Its help centre says that from 1 February 2027, Bitstamp by Robinhood accounts can no longer deposit, buy or open new positions, though holders can still view, sell and withdraw. The review below follows Bitstamp’s 15-year record, its licences, fees and custody, and what has and has not changed under Robinhood.
Key takeaways
- Robinhood completed its roughly $200 million all-cash purchase of Bitstamp on 2 June 2025. The retail app is now branded “Bitstamp by Robinhood”.
- From 1 February 2027, retail Bitstamp accounts become sell-and-withdraw only. Robinhood offers a free one-time transfer, but only for assets it supports and only in regions where Robinhood operates.
- Bitstamp Europe S.A. holds a MiCA crypto-asset service provider (CASP) authorisation from Luxembourg’s CSSF, granted in May 2025. Bitstamp UK is FCA-registered (June 2023). Bitstamp USA holds a New York BitLicense, according to licence trackers.
- The worst incident on record is the January 2015 hot-wallet theft of roughly 18,866–19,000 BTC, about $5 million at the time.
- Crypto held through Bitstamp UK is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), per Robinhood UK’s own disclosure. This is not legal or financial advice.
Bitstamp in 2026: what it is after the Robinhood deal
Robinhood announced the deal in June 2024 and closed it on 2 June 2025. In its announcement, Robinhood said Bitstamp brought about 500,000 funded retail customers and around 5,000 institutional clients, with trading volume mostly institutional. Robinhood also said Bitstamp gave it its first institutional crypto business and more than 50 licences and registrations worldwide.
For retail users, the main change is consolidation. Robinhood’s help page “Moving from Bitstamp to Robinhood” sets out the following:
- A no-fee, one-time transfer moves USD and supported crypto to a Robinhood account. You cannot choose individual assets: everything eligible moves together. The transfer usually finishes in under five minutes.
- Assets Robinhood does not support stay on Bitstamp, where you can sell or withdraw them.
- Recurring buys and linked payment methods do not transfer. Sub-accounts are merged into one balance.
- If you live where Robinhood does not operate, your account moves to close-only mode on 1 February 2027. Withdraw to an external wallet or cash out before then.
Institutional services, the trading engine and Bitstamp’s licences continue. Robinhood UK, for example, introduces UK customers to Bitstamp UK Ltd for crypto trading. The practical question for an individual is therefore less “should I open a Bitstamp account?” and more “do I move to Robinhood, or withdraw?”. Our Robinhood crypto review covers the destination app. The official domain is bitstamp.net. Type it yourself or use a bookmark. Fake “Bitstamp login” pages hosted on free website builders do circulate, so never sign in through a search ad or an emailed link.
Bitstamp review of the record since 2011
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Founded in Slovenia by Nejc Kodrič and Damijan Merlak as a European alternative to Mt. Gox |
| January 2015 | Hot-wallet theft: a leaked internal report said 18,866 BTC was taken after staff were phished and an administrator’s PC was infected. Bitstamp said the loss was under 19,000 BTC. Trading was halted for several days. |
| 2015–2016 | Moved to multi-signature controls and third-party cold custody. Obtained a Luxembourg payment-institution licence in 2016. |
| April 2019 | Bitstamp USA receives a New York BitLicense notification, per licence trackers |
| October 2020 | Adds a Lloyd’s crime insurance policy covering online and offline assets, alongside custodian cover |
| June 2023 | Bitstamp UK registered with the FCA under the money-laundering regulations |
| July 2024 | Begins distributing Mt. Gox repayments (BTC and BCH) to creditors who chose Bitstamp. UK customers were paid in a later round. |
| May 2025 | Bitstamp Europe S.A. becomes Luxembourg’s first MiCA-authorised CASP |
| June 2025 | Robinhood closes the acquisition |
| 1 February 2027 | Retail accounts become sell-and-withdraw only, per Robinhood |
Two things stand out. The 2015 breach was an operational failure, phishing plus a compromised administrator machine, not a flaw in Bitcoin. Since then, no theft of customer funds on a similar scale has been publicly reported. And Bitstamp’s role in Mt. Gox repayments a decade after Mt. Gox’s collapse says something about its standing with court-appointed trustees.
Where Bitstamp is licensed
| Region | Entity | Status (October 2026) | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Economic Area | Bitstamp Europe S.A. | MiCA CASP authorisation, 15 May 2025 per the ESMA interim register. It covers operating a trading platform, executing orders and custody, and is passported across the EEA. A separate MiFID MTF licence (2024) supports derivatives. | CSSF (Luxembourg) |
| United Kingdom | Bitstamp UK Ltd | Registered cryptoasset firm under the Money Laundering Regulations since June 2023. This is an AML registration, not full FSMA authorisation. | FCA |
| United States | Bitstamp USA, Inc. | State money-transmitter licences. Licence trackers list a New York BitLicense. Check NMLS Consumer Access and the NYDFS list of regulated entities. | State regulators / NYDFS |
| Singapore | Bitstamp Asia | Listed by trackers as a MAS digital payment token licensee. Check the MAS Financial Institutions Directory. | MAS |
No regulator warnings, sanctions or bans against Bitstamp appeared in the registers and reporting reviewed for this article. “Licensed” means different things in each row, though. MiCA authorisation brings conduct, custody and capital rules. A UK MLR registration is mainly an anti-money-laundering check. Our EU crypto regulation guide explains what MiCA does and does not require, and our US crypto exchanges guide shows how state licensing works.
Bitstamp fees by trading volume
Bitstamp uses a maker-taker schedule that falls as your 30-day trading volume rises. As of October 2026, independent summaries of the official fee schedule give these entry and top tiers. The entry tier is the most consistently reported. The top tier comes from an older summary.
| 30-day volume (USD) | Maker | Taker |
|---|---|---|
| Under $10,000 (entry tier) | 0.30% | 0.40% |
| Intermediate tiers (about $10k to $1bn) | Falls step by step | Falls step by step |
| Above $1 billion (top tier) | 0.00% | 0.03% |
One older review lists a flat 0.5% entry fee, which no longer matches the tiered schedule. Card purchases, instant buys in the app and fiat withdrawals carry separate charges that vary by region and method. Open bitstamp.net/fee-schedule while logged in to see the rates for your entity and region. For context against peers, see our comparison of lowest-fee crypto exchanges. Staking is offered for some assets in some regions. Its terms and availability depend on jurisdiction, and Robinhood says staking availability varies after migration.
Bitstamp vs the Robinhood app: which one you’d use
- Retail investors in a Robinhood-supported country: after 1 February 2027 you will in effect be a Robinhood customer. Check that your coins are on Robinhood’s list before moving, because unsupported coins stay behind in sell-only mode.
- Retail investors elsewhere: you cannot migrate, so plan withdrawals before the deadline.
- Institutions and API traders: Bitstamp’s institutional business and order books continue, and these clients are not covered by the retail migration page.
- Self-custody users: withdrawing to your own wallet avoids dependence on either platform’s product decisions.
If you are comparing regulated venues more broadly, our how to buy crypto hub collects exchange reviews by region.
Is Bitstamp safe? Custody, cold storage and what is protected
Bitstamp has said that the large majority of customer crypto is held offline. Reports put the figure at about 98% in 2020 and about 95% in 2021, with BitGo as a custodian. Treat these as company statements from those years, not a current audit. In October 2020 Bitstamp added a crime insurance policy placed at Lloyd’s of London covering theft from online and offline storage. The policy’s limits and exclusions are not public, so it is not a promise to repay every customer in every scenario.
What is not protected:
- Crypto held through Bitstamp UK Ltd is not covered by the FSCS, according to Robinhood UK’s disclosures.
- Crypto in the US is not covered by FDIC or SIPC insurance.
- Losses from your own account being phished are generally not covered by exchange insurance.
- Regulated status is not the same as a public proof of reserves. Bitstamp’s oversight comes from audits and supervision of each entity. If you want on-chain reserve evidence, check whether Bitstamp currently publishes any, and note that a snapshot of reserves never shows liabilities.
Bitstamp supports two-factor authentication. Turn it on with an authenticator app rather than SMS, and check the security settings for any withdrawal-confirmation options.
FAQ
Is Bitstamp safe and legit?
Bitstamp has operated since 2011, is owned by Robinhood (a US-listed company), and holds MiCA, FCA and US state authorisations or registrations through separate entities. Its main security incident was a hot-wallet theft of about 19,000 BTC in January 2015. Customer crypto is not covered by FSCS, FDIC or SIPC schemes, so the risks of holding coins on any exchange still apply.
Is Bitstamp shutting down for retail customers?
Not shutting down, but changing. Robinhood’s help centre says that from 1 February 2027, Bitstamp by Robinhood accounts cannot deposit, buy or open new positions, while selling, withdrawing and viewing history stay available. Eligible users can move supported assets to Robinhood free of charge. Users where Robinhood does not operate should withdraw before then.
Is Bitstamp licensed under MiCA?
Yes. Bitstamp Europe S.A. received a MiCA crypto-asset service provider authorisation from Luxembourg’s CSSF in May 2025, listed on ESMA’s interim register on 15 May 2025. That authorisation covers the trading platform, order execution and custody, and can be passported across the European Economic Area.
What are Bitstamp’s fees?
As of October 2026, summaries of Bitstamp’s tiered schedule list 0.30% maker and 0.40% taker for under $10,000 of monthly volume, falling to 0% maker and 0.03% taker above $1 billion. Instant buys, card payments and withdrawals have separate charges. Check the official fee schedule for your region.
Crypto is volatile and risky; this is education, not financial advice. Do your own research.
