Coinbase vs finanzen.net ZERO Comparison

In short: Coinbase is one of the best-known crypto exchanges in the world and is licensed under MiCA for customers in the EU. More than 400 crypto assets, a simple app, staking and a Nasdaq-listed parent company speak for the platform. The simple buy flow costs more than at many other exchanges, with a Coinbase fee of up to 1.875% plus spread; frequent traders therefore use Coinbase Advanced with maker and taker fees.

Is Coinbase safe and licensed in the EU?

Yes, Coinbase may serve customers across the EU. Crypto services are provided by Coinbase Luxembourg S.A., licensed under MiCA since 20 June 2025 and supervised by Luxembourg's financial regulator CSSF. Through the EU passport the licence covers 30 EEA countries, including Germany, France and Spain (ESMA register, file of 30 October 2026). Euro balances are held as e-money by Coinbase Ireland Limited, supervised by the Central Bank of Ireland. According to the Coinbase user agreement for the EEA, crypto assets and e-money are not covered by a deposit guarantee or an investor compensation scheme. The parent company Coinbase Global has been listed on Nasdaq since 2021 and publishes its results there regularly.

Fines from the Central Bank of Ireland: On 22 October 2026 the Central Bank of Ireland announced a fine of €3.25 million against Coinbase Ireland Limited. Between November 2020 and August 2025 the company did not adequately safeguard client funds, and the safeguarding account was under-funded for extended periods. The regulator does not allege any loss of client money; Coinbase admitted the breaches, and the sanction takes effect once confirmed by the Irish High Court. In November 2025 the same authority fined Coinbase Europe Limited €21.46 million over gaps in transaction monitoring. Details in our report on the Coinbase Ireland fine.

Data leak in 2025 and scam calls: In May 2025 Coinbase disclosed that bribed overseas support agents had copied customer data of less than 1% of monthly transacting users to enable scams in Coinbase's name. According to Coinbase, passwords, private keys and funds were not affected, and the company pledged to reimburse customers who were tricked into sending funds to the attackers (Coinbase statement). Coinbase never asks for your password or 2FA codes and never asks you to move crypto to a new address or another account: anyone pushing you to do so on the phone is a scammer.

Stablecoins under MiCA: For customers in the EEA, USDT, DAI, PYUSD and other stablecoins without MiCA authorisation can no longer be traded on Coinbase; according to Coinbase, balances still held on the cut-off date of 30 October 2026 are converted once into USDC at the market rate, and deposits of these coins after that date are no longer credited. Background in our report on the switch.

What you can do yourself: turn on two-factor authentication, never share codes on the phone and keep larger amounts on your own hardware wallet.

Who is Coinbase for?

Coinbase suits beginners who want a well-known platform with a simple app and a listed parent company, and investors who want buying, savings plans and staking in one place. Frequent traders save with Coinbase Advanced in the order book. For euro trading, Bitvavo and Kraken are cheaper. All licensed providers are listed in our comparison of regulated crypto exchanges.

In the DACH region, finanzen.net ZERO benefits from the strong brand recognition of the finanzen.net financial portal and advertises as a neobroker without order fees. Since 31 October 2026 the service has been called Finanzen invest; the provider is still finanzen.net zero GmbH, and according to the company the account, conditions and login stay the same, with Baader Bank remaining the custodian bank. The no-fee promise does not hold for crypto assets: the price and services list sets out a brokerage fee of 0.5 % and a settlement fee of 0.5 %, together 1 % of the market value per single order. With 59 tradable cryptocurrencies, the broker offers a comparatively broad coin range among German neobrokers. Crypto custody is handled by the BaFin-licensed Tangany GmbH, which is valued by security-conscious investors.

Crypto orders are transmitted by DonauCapital Wertpapier GmbH and executed by Baader Bank as commission agent outside a trading platform. In ESMA’s MiCA register (file dated 30 October 2026), Tangany has been authorised as a crypto custodian since 8 August 2025, while Baader Bank and DonauCapital are notified for their crypto services under Article 60 MiCAR.

Particularly noteworthy are the savings plans starting at €1, which allow a low entry; crypto savings plans are free of charge. The dedicated TAN app is considered a solid security feature. For investors who want to manage crypto alongside stocks and ETFs on one platform, finanzen.net ZERO is seen as an accessible option.

Savings plan executions are free of these fees, and single orders below €500 incur an additional €1 small-order surcharge. The provider does not quantify the spread, so actual total costs are higher than the stated one percent. Only market orders are possible for crypto, and the broker does not offer crypto staking. Wallet transfers to personal wallets are also not possible and deposits are limited to SEPA transfers, both of which are occasionally criticised by users. finanzen.net ZERO is therefore mainly suited to investors who prefer a well-known German brand with BaFin-regulated custody and value low entry amounts for savings plans.