Compare the best crypto exchanges in France for 2026: MiCA licences, SEPA deposits and withdrawals, fees, coins, futures and each exchange's main catch.
Accepts clients from France Accepts clients from France Accepts clients from France Accepts clients from France Accepts clients from France Accepts clients from France Accepts clients from France| Exchange | Spot assetscrypto | Futures assets | Spot feesmaker/taker | Futures feesmaker/taker | Max leverage | France |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. CoinbaseVisit | 402 | 131 | 0.25% / 0.5% | 0.05% / 0.05% | 10× | Yes |
| 2. BitpandaVisit | 575 | — | 1.49% / 1.49% | — | — | Yes |
| 3. PhemexVisit | 1,027 | 816 | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.01% / 0.06% | 100× | Yes |
| 4. KrakenVisit | 679 | 177 | 0.4% / 0.8% | 0.02% / 0.05% | 10× | Yes |
| 5. BitvavoVisit | 427 | — | 0.15% / 0.25% | — | — | Yes |
| 6. Bit2MeVisit | 192 | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| 7. BitstampVisit | 118 | — | 0.3% / 0.4% | — | 10× | Yes |
| Exchange | Spot | Futures | Options | P2P | Demo Trading | Copy Trading | Trading Bots | Loans | Lending | Staking | Debit card | France |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. CoinbaseVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 2. BitpandaVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 3. PhemexVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 4. KrakenVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 5. BitvavoVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 6. Bit2MeVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 7. BitstampVisit | Yes |
| Exchange | Score | Founded | Headquarters | Founder | CEO | KYC | France |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. CoinbaseVisit | 7.7 | 2012 | Remote | Brian Armstrong | Brian Armstrong | Required | Yes |
| 2. BitpandaVisit | 6.4 | 2014 | Vienna | Christian Trummer | Eric Demuth | Required | Yes |
| 3. PhemexVisit | 7 | 2019 | Singapore | Jack Tao | Jack Tao | No KYC | Yes |
| 4. KrakenVisit | 9.3 | 2011 | San Francisco, USA | Jesse Powell | David Ripley | Required | Yes |
| 5. BitvavoVisit | 8.9 | 2018 | Amsterdam | Mark Nuvelstijn | Mark Nuvelstijn | Required | Yes |
| 6. Bit2MeVisit | 6.1 | 2014 | Elche, Spain | Leif Ferreira, Andrei Manuel (co-founders) | Leif Ferreira, Koh Onozawa Martinez (co-CEOs since 2024) | Required | Yes |
| 7. BitstampVisit | 7.2 | 2011 | Luxembourg | Nejc Kodrič | Jean-Baptiste Graftieau | Required | Yes |
The France column is checked live against each exchange's restricted-country list.
Coinbase is our top pick for people in France who want a simple, well-known app with a MiCA licence, euro transfers by SEPA in both directions, and futures alongside spot trading. Beyond that, compare four things: the licence, how you get euros in and out, what each trade costs, and which coins and products you can actually use from France.
A MiCA licence means an EU regulator supervises the company that holds your money, and MiCA’s investor protections apply to you. A licence from any EU country lets an exchange serve customers in France. Every exchange below holds one except Phemex, so weigh that against its low fees.
Coinbase serves customers in France through Coinbase Luxembourg S.A., which is licensed under MiCA by Luxembourg's CSSF, and its app is simple enough for a first purchase. Futures run through a separate CySEC-licensed company with up to 10x leverage. MiCA also means you can't trade USDT or other non-MiCA stablecoins or earn USDC rewards, so you'll trade against euros or USDC instead.
You can deposit euros by SEPA, card or PayPal, and cash out by SEPA or bank transfer. Customers in France pay 0.25% on limit orders and 0.5% on market orders, which is expensive for regular buying. Futures cost 0.05% for makers and takers across 131 markets, and spot covers 402 coins.
You must verify your identity to use the account fully. Coinbase publishes proof of reserves and keeps assets in cold storage. It launched in 2012, has no fixed head office and works as a remote company, and co-founder Brian Armstrong runs it as CEO. The main risk is account takeover: in 2021 over 6,000 customers had their accounts compromised, so turn on two-factor authentication and address whitelisting before you deposit much.
Key points
Crypto, stocks, ETFs and metals all sit in one Bitpanda account, which suits you if you'd rather build one portfolio than juggle several apps. Bitpanda GmbH holds a MiCA licence from Austria's Financial Market Authority (FMA). Alongside 575 coins you'll find 7,758 stocks and 2,638 ETFs.
Funding is flexible. You can pay in by SEPA, bank transfer, card, Skrill, Neteller, Klarna or iDEAL, and withdrawals go out by bank transfer or crypto. The downside is price: the standard app charges 1.49% for makers and takers, so frequent trading eats into returns quickly. Bitpanda Fusion, the advanced interface, has its own volume-based schedule that starts at 0.25%, and there are no futures for customers in France.
You must pass verification before you deposit. Savings plans and the Bitpanda Crypto Index handle hands-off investing for you. Co-founded by Christian Trummer in 2014, it is based in Vienna and led by CEO Eric Demuth. Bitpanda publishes no proof of reserves, so you can't check for yourself that customer holdings are fully backed.
Key points
Low fees and a huge market list are Phemex's draw. It offers 1,027 spot coins and futures on 816 coins with up to 100x leverage. Phemex holds no MiCA licence, which means no EU regulator supervises the company holding your money and MiCA's investor protections don't apply to you.
Spot trades cost 0.1% for makers and takers. Futures cost 0.01% on limit orders and 0.06% on market orders. You can deposit euros by SEPA, card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, or through providers such as MoonPay and Banxa, and withdraw by bank transfer or crypto. Copy trading, trading bots and a demo account are there if you want them.
New users must verify their identity, and Phemex publishes proof of reserves. It launched in 2019, is based in Singapore, and was co-founded by Jack Tao, who is also CEO. The biggest concern is its security record: in January 2025 about $85 million in crypto was stolen from its hot wallets, so leave only the balance you're trading on the exchange.
Key points
Kraken gives traders in France the broadest crypto menu among the licensed exchanges here, through Payward Europe Solutions Limited, which the Central Bank of Ireland supervises under MiCA. You get 679 spot coins, margin up to 10x, and futures on 177 markets through a CySEC-licensed company, capped at 10x leverage. USDT and eight other stablecoins can't be traded, so if you're used to USDT pairs elsewhere, you'll trade against euros here.
Euros move in and out by SEPA, bank transfer, card, PayPal or Apple Pay, and Google Pay also works for deposits. Spot costs 0.4% for makers and 0.8% for takers. Futures are cheap at 0.02% and 0.05%.
Verification is required, and Kraken publishes proof of reserves and supports withdrawal whitelisting. Co-founded by Jesse Powell in 2011, it is based in San Francisco, USA and run by CEO David Ripley. Watch the spot taker fee: buying at market price costs noticeably more over time, so use limit orders wherever you can.
Key points
If you mainly buy and hold crypto in euros, Bitvavo keeps spot trading cheap on a plain, euro-first exchange. Bitvavo B.V. holds its MiCA licence from the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). Most of its 427 coins trade directly against the euro.
SEPA deposits are free. You can also pay by card, PayPal, Bancontact, Apple Pay or EPS, though card and PayPal deposits carry a fee, and withdrawals go out by SEPA or crypto. Customers in France pay 0.15% maker and 0.25% taker. There are no futures or margin, so Bitvavo suits spot buying rather than leveraged trading.
You must verify your identity, and Bitvavo publishes proof of reserves. Its staking and lending run outside MiCA's scope, so the licence doesn't cover those services. Bitvavo launched in 2018 in Amsterdam and is run by co-founder and CEO Mark Nuvelstijn. The main limit is a daily withdrawal cap of €25,000, so moving a large sum out can take several days.
Key points
Licensed under MiCA by Spain's CNMV through Bitcoinforme S.L., Bit2Me is a Spanish exchange you can use from France under an EU licence. It lists 192 coins on spot, fewer than most exchanges in this ranking, so check that your coins are there before you sign up.
Customers in France get no futures, so anyone who wants leverage will need another exchange. Bit2Me offers a debit card for spending your balance and has its own token, B2M.
Identity verification is required, and Bit2Me keeps assets in cold storage. It was founded in 2014 in Elche, Spain by Leif Ferreira and Andrei Manuel, and co-CEOs Leif Ferreira and Koh Onozawa Martinez run it today. Bit2Me doesn't publish proof of reserves, which leaves you relying on its word that every customer balance is covered.
Key points
One of the oldest names in crypto, Bitstamp serves France through Bitstamp Europe S.A., which holds a MiCA licence under Luxembourg's CSSF. Customers in France can trade 20 perpetual futures markets through a Slovenian MiFID company, with up to 10x leverage. USDT, DAI, PYUSD and WBTC can't be traded under MiCA, so you'll use euro pairs instead.
SEPA deposits are free and SEPA withdrawals cost €3. You can also fund by card, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Spot costs 0.3% maker and 0.4% taker, more than Bitvavo charges, across 118 coins, the shortest list in this ranking.
Verification is mandatory, and Bitstamp publishes no proof of reserves, so there's no public check that its reserves match customer balances. Co-founded by Nejc Kodrič in 2011 and based in Luxembourg, it is run by CEO Jean-Baptiste Graftieau and has been owned by Robinhood since June 2025. In 2015 roughly 19,000 BTC were stolen from its hot wallet in a phishing attack; that was long ago, but it shows why moving long-term coins to your own wallet makes sense.
Key points
Our editorial team selected, tested and ranked the best crypto exchanges for traders in France. We started with exchanges that accept users in France and judged each one on the whole package it offers. The order is our editors’ overall judgment of that package. The CWR Score on each card rates the exchange on its own, which is why some exchanges placed lower have a higher score.
Yes. Buying, holding and trading crypto is legal in France. The AMF (Autorité des marchés financiers) is France’s authority for MiCA licences. Before MiCA, crypto firms registered with the AMF as digital asset service providers (PSAN), and MiCA licensing has replaced that registration.
An exchange with a MiCA licence from any EU country can serve customers in France. That is how Coinbase, Bitpanda, Kraken, Bitvavo, Bit2Me and Bitstamp operate here. Exchanges without a MiCA licence, such as Phemex, are not supervised by an EU regulator.
In France, profits from selling crypto for euros or spending it on goods and services are taxed at a flat 31.4%: 12.8% income tax plus 18.6% social contributions. You can choose the progressive income tax scale instead. Swapping one crypto for another is not taxed at the time.
If your household’s total crypto sales in a year come to €305 or less, the gains are exempt; above that, all gains are taxable. You report gains and losses on form 2086 with your income tax return, and accounts on crypto platforms abroad must be declared on form 3916-bis. Under the EU’s DAC8 rules, crypto providers record their customers’ transactions from 2026 and report them to tax authorities, with the first reports due in 2027.
This is a general overview, not tax advice. Tax rules change and depend on your situation, so check with the French tax office (impots.gouv.fr) or a tax adviser before you file.
Official sources, checked September 2026: impots.gouv.fr: how to declare gains on digital assets (updated July 2026); impots.gouv.fr: form 2086 for 2025 income; impots.gouv.fr: main changes for 2025 income; European Commission: DAC8 crypto-asset reporting.
Getting your first Bitcoin or Ethereum in France takes an ID, a French bank account and a few minutes once you’ve picked an exchange.
For most people in France, Coinbase is the easiest place to start. It holds a MiCA licence, handles SEPA in both directions and offers futures alongside spot, though its spot fees are high. Bitvavo is the cheaper choice if you only buy and hold. Kraken gives you the widest licensed choice of coins and futures. Bitpanda suits you if you want stocks and ETFs in the same account. Phemex has low fees and a huge market list, but only consider it if you accept trading without MiCA protection.
Yes. Buying, holding and trading crypto is legal in France. The AMF is France's authority for MiCA licences, and any exchange with a MiCA licence from an EU country can serve customers in France.
Coinbase is the simplest to start with. It has an easy app, a MiCA licence from Luxembourg's CSSF, and euro deposits and withdrawals by SEPA. Its spot fees are high, so use limit orders when you can.
Bitvavo has some of the lowest spot fees among the MiCA-licensed exchanges here, and its SEPA deposits are free. It offers spot trading only, with no futures or margin.
Yes. Coinbase, Kraken and Bitstamp offer futures to customers in France through EU-licensed companies, with leverage capped at ten times. Phemex offers much higher leverage, but it has no MiCA licence.
MiCA restricts stablecoins that don't meet its rules. That is why Coinbase, Kraken and Bitstamp don't let customers in France trade USDT, and you trade against euros or approved stablecoins instead.
Phemex publishes proof of reserves, but it holds no MiCA licence, so no EU regulator supervises it. It also lost about 85 million dollars from its hot wallets in January 2025, so keep only your active trading balance there.
