KuCoin vs Traders Place Comparison

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.

Traders Place is a comparatively young German broker (founded in 2023) that offers 59 cryptocurrencies in addition to stocks and ETFs. Crypto custody is handled by Tangany GmbH, which is licensed by BaFin and is regarded as regulatorily reliable in the DACH region. Savings plans start at €1 with no order fee, but for crypto they only cover 13 crypto ETPs from 21Shares, not the crypto assets themselves.

How crypto trading works: Traders Place takes the order and passes it to Baader Bank, which buys or sells as a commission agent via Hyphe, currently the only trading venue. The coins are held in custody by Tangany GmbH. All three parties appear in ESMA's MiCA register: Tangany with its own BaFin licence for custody and transfers since 8 August 2025, Traders Place (since 21 July 2025) and Baader Bank with a MiCA notification to BaFin. Trading runs around the clock, and the execution price can differ from the displayed price when markets move sharply. Crypto trading is only open to customers resident in Germany; the majority owner of Traders Place is the Austrian GRAWE Group.

For investors who prefer a German broker based in Germany and want to use crypto as a supplement to a classic securities account, Traders Place is seen as one of the newer alternatives. The platform can be used via app and web and covers a solid range of cryptocurrencies with 59 coins. Trading fees of 0.9 % of the trade value, plus €1 below €500, are in the middle to upper range among the compared German brokers.

However, wallet transfers to your own wallets are not possible, and staking is currently not offered; both are occasionally criticized by users. The SMS-based 2FA and the limited deposit methods (SEPA transfer only) are also seen as room for improvement. Traders Place is therefore especially suitable for investors who want to try a young German broker with regulated custody and a broad coin offering and can do without wallet functionality.