Bitpanda Fusion vs KuCoin Comparison

Bitpanda Fusion is the pro trading platform within the Bitpanda ecosystem and is aimed at active traders with higher volume. Instead of the flat 0.99% fee on the standard app, a tiered fee applies here that falls in seven steps from 0.25% to 0.02% as your trading volume over the last 30 days grows. Account, verification, and custody are shared with the regular Bitpanda platform, so no separate onboarding is required.

According to Bitpanda, Fusion compares the order books of more than twelve trading venues in real time and offers the best aggregated price. Fusion does not run an order book of its own: every order is executed directly with Bitpanda, which is why Bitpanda describes Fusion as a broker rather than an exchange. The interface integrates TradingView natively and supports market, limit, stop-limit, stop-market, and take-profit limit orders. According to Bitpanda, more than 2,000 trading pairs are available, including against CHF and GBP, and Bitpanda itself charges no deposit or withdrawal fees. For automated trading there is a public REST API and Fusion MCP, a free open-source tool that lets AI assistants place orders on your instruction; the API documentation does not yet list a WebSocket interface. Fusion also runs with its full feature set in the app for iOS and Android. Margin and leveraged trading are not available through Fusion; Bitpanda offers a separate margin product with leverage of up to 10x instead. The learning curve compared to the standard Bitpanda app is occasionally criticized in user comments, as is the absence of the savings plan feature.

Bitpanda Fusion is considered particularly suitable for traders who value low volume-based fees, pro order types, and API access. Those who mainly use savings plans, precious metals, or simple direct purchase are better served on the standard platform. This comparison does not constitute investment advice.

In short: KuCoin is popular with altcoin traders: more than 800 coins worldwide, spot trading from 0.1%, plus futures, trading bots and earn products. For investors in the EU, KuCoin EU is responsible, the European company with a MiCA licence from Austria. Trading and deposits there have been paused since 4 February 2026. If you are looking for an account to trade today, choose an exchange that is fully operating.

Is KuCoin safe and licensed in the EU?

The licence is in place, trading at KuCoin EU is paused. KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH, based in Vienna, has been authorised as a crypto-asset service provider under Article 63 of MiCA since 27 November 2025, granted by Austria's Financial Market Authority (FMA). Through the EU passport the licence covers 29 EEA countries, including Germany, France and Spain (ESMA register, file of 30 October 2026). It covers custody, exchanging crypto-assets for funds and for other crypto-assets, placing and transfers.

Why trading is paused: On its website, KuCoin EU states that trading and deposits have been suspended since 4 February 2026 (as of 1 November 2026). The FMA ordered a ban on new business on 19 February 2026 because the money laundering and sanctions officer posts were no longer filled, and lifted it on 18 May 2026. Under a decision of 18 February 2026, however, KuCoin EU may only start operating once all supervisory requirements are met, in particular on governance and on filling further key positions in management (FMA notice). The FMA had not published any newer decision by 1 November 2026.

Track record: In January 2025, KuCoin's parent company Peken Global pleaded guilty in the US to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, paid $297 million and withdrew from the US for at least two years (our report). In October 2026 South Korea blocked access to KuCoin because the exchange is not registered there (South Korea blocks 27 exchanges).

What you can do yourself: if you still hold funds at KuCoin, read the notices in your account, turn on two-factor authentication and a withdrawal address whitelist, and keep larger amounts in your own wallet, for example a hardware wallet.

Who is KuCoin for?

KuCoin suits experienced altcoin traders who want a very large choice of small coins and who live in a country where KuCoin accepts customers. For trading from the EU, exchanges with a MiCA licence and full operations are the better fit, such as Bybit EU, OKX, Kraken or Bitvavo. All licensed providers are listed in our comparison of regulated crypto exchanges.