8 Oldest Crypto Exchanges (2026)

Why an exchange’s age matters

BTCC is our top pick for futures traders who want an exchange that has run since 2011 without ever being hacked. Age is only the start. You also want to know how an exchange handled any hacks it did suffer, whether it publishes proof of reserves today and which regulators oversee it now.

An exchange that has kept running through years of price crashes, security incidents and new rules has shown it can look after customer money under pressure. That still isn’t a guarantee. Some long-running names here have been hacked, and some younger ones offer more products and lower fees.

1. BTCC

BBTCC7.5/10Read reviewVisit ↗

BTCC has been trading since 2011 and has never been hacked. That gives it more than a decade of holding customer deposits without a major breach, which is a record you can judge rather than a promise from a new platform. Over those years it has become a futures-focused exchange, with up to 500x leverage on futures, copy trading and a free demo mode.

BTCC publishes proof of reserves showing a reserve ratio of at least 100%, so you can check that customer assets are fully backed. It also uses cold storage and offers two-factor authentication, a withdrawal password and an address whitelist. It is registered as a money services business with FinCEN and FINTRAC and holds a VASP registration in Lithuania.

Spot trades cost 0.2% for makers and 0.3% for takers, and futures start at 0.03% and 0.06%. KYC is optional, and unverified accounts can withdraw up to $10,000 a day. Bobby Lee co-founded BTCC in 2011; it is based in London and run by CEO Mark Lee. You can deposit by card, bank transfer, SEPA, Skrill, Apple Pay or Google Pay, but withdrawals are crypto only, so cashing out to your bank means moving coins to another platform first.

Key points

• BTCC has run since 2011 without ever being hacked.
• It publishes proof of reserves with a ratio of at least 100%, so you can check that customer assets are fully backed.
• The catch is that you can only withdraw crypto, so you need a second platform to get money back to your bank.

2. Kraken

KKraken9.3/10Read reviewVisit ↗

Kraken combines a record going back to 2011 with oversight from the FCA, FINTRAC, AUSTRAC and the FSRA, plus a MiCA licence. You get both a long history and active supervision today. It began as a crypto exchange and now offers 679 spot coins, futures on 177 coins with up to 50x leverage, staking, and tokenized stocks, ETFs and commodities.

Its one security scare was contained. In June 2024 the security firm CertiK used a bug to withdraw $3 million from Kraken's own treasury, and the money came back in full with no customer assets affected. Kraken publishes proof of reserves, keeps crypto in cold storage and holds ISO/IEC 27001 certification, so outsiders check both the backing and the security.

Kraken's spot pricing begins at 0.4% if you add liquidity and 0.8% if you take it; on futures the starting rates are 0.02% and 0.05%. KYC is required, and you can fund and cash out by bank transfer, SEPA, ACH, card or PayPal. Kraken was co-founded by Jesse Powell in 2011, has its headquarters in San Francisco, USA, and David Ripley is its chief executive. The drawback is spot cost: Kraken has the highest taker fee in this ranking, so regular spot buyers pay noticeably more per trade.

Key points

• Kraken has operated since 2011 and holds a MiCA licence alongside approvals from several other financial regulators.
• Its 2024 incident drained Kraken's own treasury, and the full $3 million was returned with no customer assets touched.
• Spot fees of 0.4% for makers and 0.8% for takers are the main cost to weigh if you buy often.

3. Coinbase

CCoinbase7.7/10Read reviewVisit ↗

Few exchanges pair a long record with public-company scrutiny the way Coinbase does. It has run since 2012 and is one of the few crypto exchanges listed on a stock market, which brings an extra layer of oversight. It started as a simple way to buy and sell a handful of coins and has grown into a platform with 402 spot coins, futures on 131 coins with a leverage cap of 10x, staking and prediction markets.

Its worst moment came in spring 2021, when more than 6,000 customers had their accounts compromised. That is a good reason to turn on two-factor authentication and an address whitelist from day one. Coinbase now holds a MiCA licence, publishes proof of reserves and keeps most user assets offline in cold storage, which limits what an online attacker could reach.

Coinbase's spot fees start at 0.4% for limit orders that sit on the book and 0.6% for orders that fill immediately, while futures carry a flat 0.05% whichever side you're on. You'll need to verify your identity; deposits work by card, PayPal or SEPA, and withdrawals go out by bank transfer, SEPA, ACH or SWIFT. Brian Armstrong co-founded Coinbase in 2012 and still leads it as CEO, running the company remotely without a fixed head office. The main catch is that its default spot fees are among the highest here and eat into small, frequent trades.

Key points

• Coinbase has run since 2012, is publicly listed and holds a MiCA licence.
• Its 2021 incident left more than 6,000 customer accounts compromised, so your own account security settings matter here.
• Default spot fees of 0.4% for makers and 0.6% for takers make it an expensive place to trade often.

4. Bitfinex

BBitfinex6.3/10Read reviewVisit ↗

Trading since 2012, Bitfinex charges 0% on spot trades for makers and takers and 0% on perpetual futures for both. That makes it the cheapest exchange here to trade on, and it has more than a decade of history behind it. It began as a peer-to-peer Bitcoin exchange and now offers margin, futures on 141 coins leveraged as far as 100x, lending, loans, staking and options through its Thalex partnership.

Its history includes two hacks. In 2015, 1,500 Bitcoin were stolen, and in 2016 about $72 million in Bitcoin was taken; Bitfinex compensated affected users with BFX tokens that it later redeemed. Since then it has invested in cold storage and multi-factor authentication, lets you check its holdings through published proof of reserves, and is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, which means an outside auditor has reviewed its security controls.

KYC is required before you can deposit. Crypto, card, bank transfer and SEPA all work for deposits, while cash comes back out via bank transfer or SEPA. Co-founder Raphael Nicolle set up Bitfinex in 2012; the company's headquarters are in the British Virgin Islands, with JL van der Velde as CEO. Coin choice is the main limit: only 82 coins trade on spot, so if you want smaller altcoins you'll need a second exchange.

Key points

• Bitfinex has traded since 2012 and charges 0% on both spot and perpetual futures trades.
• It was hacked in 2015 and 2016, compensated affected users, and has since added cold storage and proof of reserves.
• Its spot list of 82 coins is short, so it suits traders of major coins more than altcoin hunters.

5. Binance

BBinance8.9/10Read reviewVisit ↗

No exchange here offers more products than Binance. Spot, futures, options, trading bots, copy trading, loans and a debit card all sit in one account, so you rarely need a second platform. It is younger than the pioneers, having launched in 2017, but in that time it has become the biggest crypto exchange by users, with 507 spot coins and futures on 525 coins at up to 150x leverage.

In October 2022 a hack led to outflows of BNB coins worth over $500 million. Binance has also faced regulatory issues, which matters if you want a clean compliance record and not just a long one. It now publishes proof of reserves, uses cold storage and keeps a $1 billion security fund set aside for incidents.

Binance charges 0.1% on spot whether you place a limit or market order, while futures begin at 0.02% for makers and 0.05% for takers, and paying fees in BNB brings them down. Verification is compulsory, and funding options include bank transfer, card, SEPA, SWIFT, Google Pay and P2P. Binance dates from 2017, when Changpeng Zhao co-founded it; its head office is in the Cayman Islands and Richard Teng leads it as CEO. The platform is built for experienced traders and can slow down in volatile markets, so beginners may struggle exactly when prices move fastest.

Key points

• Binance has the broadest product range here and low spot fees of 0.1% for makers and takers.
• It launched in 2017, so its record is shorter than the oldest names in this ranking, and it was hacked in 2022.
• Proof of reserves and a $1 billion security fund support customer balances, though past regulatory issues remain a concern.

6. Bybit

BBybit9/10Read reviewVisit ↗

A crisis is the real test of an exchange, and Bybit came through a big one. When hackers took over $1.5 billion in February 2025, it recovered all users' funds within 72 hours, which shows it can absorb a huge loss without leaving customers short. Launched in 2018 as a derivatives exchange, it now offers 380 spot coins, futures on 577 coins at leverage as high as 100x, options, bots, copy trading, and stock, forex and commodity contracts.

Bybit keeps assets in cold storage and lets you verify its holdings through proof of reserves. It also lets you add two-factor authentication, a fund password, an anti-phishing code and a withdrawal whitelist. KYC has been mandatory since May 2023, a sign it has moved toward stricter rules as regulation tightened.

Bybit's spot fee is 0.1% on every order type, and its futures fees begin at 0.02% for limit orders and 0.055% for market orders. Funding methods include bank transfer, SEPA, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and others, and you can cash out through bank transfer, SEPA or Pix. Ben Zhou co-founded Bybit in 2018 and still runs it as CEO from Dubai. The trade-off is age: with fewer years behind it than most names here, it has seen fewer market cycles, so you are relying more on how it performs from here.

Key points

• Bybit launched in 2018, so it has a shorter record than most exchanges in this ranking.
• After the February 2025 hack of over $1.5 billion, it recovered all users' funds within 72 hours.
• It publishes proof of reserves and charges low spot fees of 0.1% for makers and takers.

7. OKX

OOKX7.8/10Read reviewVisit ↗

Since launching in 2017, OKX has never had its centralised exchange directly hacked, and that is where your deposits sit when you trade. The one attack came in 2023 on its separate decentralised exchange, where hackers drained $2.7 million through a compromised proxy admin key. The damage fell on its DeFi product, not on the exchange you would trade on.

OKX now offers 299 spot coins and futures on 485 coins, where leverage reaches 125x, plus options, copy trading, P2P, staking and demo trading. It publishes on-chain proof of reserves and uses cold storage, so you can check for yourself that customer balances are backed.

OKX charges spot makers 0.2% and spot takers 0.35%; on futures the rates are 0.02% and 0.05% respectively, and OKB can lower them. Accounts must pass KYC; you can top up by bank transfer, SEPA, card or P2P, and PayPal is among the withdrawal options. Based in Seychelles, OKX was co-founded in 2017 by Star Xu, who still runs it as CEO. The platform is complex for beginners, so if you're new, expect a learning curve before you're comfortable placing trades.

Key points

• OKX's centralised exchange has not been directly hacked since it launched in 2017.
• The 2023 exploit hit its decentralised exchange, where $2.7 million was drained through a compromised admin key.
• Spot trades cost 0.35% for takers, more than several rivals here, and the platform is complex for beginners.

8. Bitget

BBitget7.8/10Read reviewVisit ↗

If you'd rather copy experienced traders than place every order yourself, Bitget runs the world's largest copy trading platform. It launched in 2018 without identity checks and made KYC mandatory in 2023 to comply with regulations. Today it lists 507 spot coins and futures on 478 coins that allow up to 125x leverage, along with bots, loans and staking.

In September 2026 Bitget reported unauthorized transfers of about $351.6 million from some hot and warm wallets. It says cold wallets and user balances are secure and that its $464+ million User Protection Fund covers the loss. Withdrawals are temporarily suspended during the investigation, so you can't move money out for now.

Every spot trade on Bitget costs 0.1%, limit or market, while futures run from 0.02% on maker orders to 0.06% on taker orders. Identity checks are mandatory, deposits can come from card, bank transfer, SEPA, Pix, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and cash-outs go through SEPA or Pix. Bitget, co-founded by Sandra Lou in 2018, operates from Singapore under CEO Gracy Chen. Until the investigation closes, deposit only money you can manage without for a while.

Key points

• Bitget is the world's largest copy trading platform and lists 507 spot coins.
• In September 2026 it reported unauthorized transfers of about $351.6 million from hot and warm wallets and suspended withdrawals during the investigation.
• It says cold wallets and user balances are secure and that its User Protection Fund covers the loss.

How we ranked these exchanges

Our editorial team selected, tested and ranked the oldest crypto exchanges. We looked at how long each has operated, how it came through hacks and market crashes, how it is regulated today and what it offers now. The order is our editorial judgment of the whole package, while the CWR Score on each card rates that exchange on its own, so an exchange placed lower can carry a higher score.

• Years in operation and how the exchange has changed since launch
• Record through hacks and market crashes, and how customers were treated afterwards
• Regulation and licences today
• Coins, fees and products on offer now
• How customer funds are protected, including proof of reserves and cold storage

What a long track record does and doesn’t tell you

Age is useful evidence, but it is only one part of the picture.

• Survival shows resilience. An exchange that has run for more than a decade, as BTCC and Kraken have, has handled years of crashes, security threats and new rules without closing its doors.
• A long record can still include hacks. Bitfinex lost about $72 million in Bitcoin in 2016. Age tells you an exchange survived, not that it was never breached, so look at how it treated customers afterwards.
• Leadership changes over time. Kraken, Binance, Bitfinex and Bitget are now run by CEOs other than their founders, so the people making decisions today may not be the ones who built the early record.
• Older systems need upkeep. A platform built years ago has to keep updating its technology and security, so a long history is only reassuring if the exchange has kept investing.
• Check proof of reserves and regulation today. Every exchange here publishes proof of reserves, and Kraken and Coinbase hold a MiCA licence. Those tell you more about current safety than a founding date does.

Bottom line

For the longest clean security record, BTCC is the pick, as long as crypto-only withdrawals suit you. Kraken and Coinbase add strong regulation and bank cash-outs but charge more on spot trades. Bitfinex charges no trading fees but carries a hack history. Binance, Bybit, OKX and Bitget offer broad product ranges with shorter records, and with Bitget’s withdrawals suspended, it makes sense to wait before sending it new money.