Kraken
- MiCA licence from the Central Bank of Ireland
- SEPA, card and PayPal in both directions
- Futures through a CySEC-licensed company
Compare the best crypto exchanges in Romania for 2026: MiCA licences, SEPA deposits and withdrawals, fees, coins, futures and each exchange's main catch.
| Exchange | Spot assetscrypto | Futures assets | Spot feesmaker/taker | Futures feesmaker/taker | Max leverage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. KrakenVisit | 679 | 177 | 0.4% / 0.8% | 0.02% / 0.05% | 10× | Yes |
| 2. PhemexVisit | 1,027 | 816 | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.01% / 0.06% | 100× | Yes |
| 3. OKX EUVisit | 290 | 155 | 0.1% / 0.2% | 0.02% / 0.05% | 10× | Yes |
| 4. CoinbaseVisit | 402 | 131 | 0.25% / 0.5% | 0.05% / 0.05% | 10× | Yes |
| 5. BitvavoVisit | 427 | — | 0.15% / 0.25% | — | — | Yes |
| 6. BitpandaVisit | 575 | — | 1.49% / 1.49% | — | — | Yes |
| 7. Bit2MeVisit | 192 | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| 8. BitunixVisit | 546 | 520 | 0.08% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.06% | 200× | Yes |
| Exchange | Spot | Futures | Options | P2P | Demo Trading | Copy Trading | Trading Bots | Loans | Lending | Staking | Debit card | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. KrakenVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 2. PhemexVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 3. OKX EUVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 4. CoinbaseVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 5. BitvavoVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 6. BitpandaVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 7. Bit2MeVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 8. BitunixVisit | Yes |
| Exchange | Score | Founded | Headquarters | Founder | CEO | KYC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. KrakenVisit | 9.3 | 2011 | San Francisco, USA | Jesse Powell | David Ripley | Required | Yes |
| 2. PhemexVisit | 7 | 2019 | Singapore | Jack Tao | Jack Tao | No KYC | Yes |
| 3. OKX EUVisit | 7.9 | 2018 | Sliema, Malta | Star Xu | Erald Ghoos | Required | Yes |
| 4. CoinbaseVisit | 7.7 | 2012 | Remote | Brian Armstrong | Brian Armstrong | Required | Yes |
| 5. BitvavoVisit | 8.9 | 2018 | Amsterdam | Mark Nuvelstijn | Mark Nuvelstijn | Required | Yes |
| 6. BitpandaVisit | 6.4 | 2014 | Vienna | Christian Trummer | Eric Demuth | Required | Yes |
| 7. Bit2MeVisit | 6.1 | 2014 | Elche, Spain | Leif Ferreira, Andrei Manuel (co-founders) | Leif Ferreira, Koh Onozawa Martinez (co-CEOs since 2024) | Required | Yes |
| 8. BitunixVisit | 8.4 | 2021 | Seychelles | Arron Lee | Arron Lee | No KYC | Yes |
The
Romania column is checked live against each exchange's restricted-country list.
Kraken is our top pick for Romania, best for people who want an EU-licensed exchange with easy euro deposits and withdrawals and a choice of spot and futures trading. After that, the main questions are whether an exchange holds a MiCA licence, how you move euros in and out, what each trade costs, and which coins and products you can actually use from Romania.
A MiCA licence means an EU regulator supervises the company holding your money and MiCA’s investor protections apply to you. The Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) is Romania’s authority under MiCA, and a licence issued in any EU country lets an exchange serve customers in Romania. Most exchanges here accept euros by SEPA, but fees and product ranges vary widely, and two of them hold no MiCA licence at all.
Kraken gives you in Romania a MiCA licence plus two-way euro banking, which makes moving money in and out simple. Payward Europe Solutions Limited holds the licence from the Central Bank of Ireland, and you can deposit by SEPA, card, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay, then withdraw by SEPA, card or PayPal.
EU customers get 679 spot coins at 0.4% for makers and 0.8% for takers, which gets expensive if you often buy at market price. Futures run through a CySEC-licensed company at 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker, with up to 10x leverage. USDT and eight other stablecoins can't be traded, so you'll mostly trade against euros.
KYC is required, and Kraken publishes proof of reserves. Launched in 2011 and based in San Francisco, USA, it was co-founded by Jesse Powell and is run by CEO David Ripley. In 2024 a security firm used a bug to pull $3 million from its treasury. The money was returned and no customer assets were touched, but the incident is a reason to switch on withdrawal whitelisting.
Key points
Phemex draws active traders with low fees and a huge futures menu, but it holds no MiCA licence. For you in Romania, that means no EU regulator supervises the company holding your money, and MiCA's investor protections don't apply. Funding works through SEPA, card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or providers such as MoonPay, and cash-outs go by bank transfer or crypto.
Spot trades cost 0.1% for makers and takers across 1,027 coins. Futures cover 816 coins with leverage reaching 100x, charging 0.01% on maker orders and 0.06% on taker orders. Copy trading and free trading bots help if you'd rather follow others or automate your strategy.
New accounts must pass KYC, and Phemex publishes proof of reserves. It launched in 2019, is based in Singapore, and is run by co-founder and CEO Jack Tao. In January 2025, roughly $85 million in crypto was stolen from its hot wallets, so keep only what you're actively trading on the platform.
Key points
OKX's European service, run by OKX Europe Limited, pairs a MiCA licence from the Malta Financial Services Authority with plenty of ways to add euros. Money goes in by SEPA, card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, iDEAL or bank transfer, and comes back out by SEPA or crypto.
EU customers pay 0.1% maker and 0.2% taker on 290 spot coins, with spot margin up to 10x. Futures come as five-year X-Perps through OKX Europe Markets under MiFID II, with leverage capped at 10x; makers pay 0.02% while takers pay 0.05%. Trading bots, staking and a debit card are also available.
You must complete KYC before trading. OKX's European service launched in 2018 and operates from Sliema, Malta under CEO Erald Ghoos, while the wider OKX group was founded by Star Xu. The main catch is that USDT can't be traded, so if your strategy relies on USDT, you'll need to switch to euros or another stablecoin.
Key points
Coinbase is a familiar, beginner-friendly name, and its EU arm, Coinbase Luxembourg S.A., holds a MiCA licence from Luxembourg's CSSF. SEPA, card, PayPal and crypto all work for deposits, and withdrawals reach your bank by SEPA or SWIFT.
As an EU customer, you pay 0.25% maker and 0.5% taker on 402 spot coins, which adds up if you trade often. Futures run through a CySEC-licensed company at 0.05% for makers and takers on 131 markets, with up to 10x leverage. USDT and other non-MiCA stablecoins aren't offered, and there are no USDC rewards.
KYC is required, and Coinbase publishes proof of reserves and uses cold storage. Coinbase, which launched in 2012, operates as a remote-first company with co-founder Brian Armstrong at the helm as CEO. In spring 2021, attackers compromised more than 6,000 customer accounts, so turn on two-factor authentication and address whitelisting from day one.
Key points
Bitvavo is built around euros, which keeps things simple if you just want to buy and sell crypto from Romania. Bitvavo B.V. holds a MiCA licence from the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM). SEPA deposits are free, and you can also pay by card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Bancontact, iDEAL or EPS, then withdraw by SEPA or crypto.
Across 427 coins, spot makers are charged 0.15% and takers 0.25%, cheaper than Kraken, OKX EU, Coinbase or Bitpanda on their standard rates. There are no futures or margin, so it suits buying and holding rather than leveraged trading. Staking lets you earn on coins you already hold, with weekly payouts.
KYC is required, and Bitvavo publishes proof of reserves and uses cold storage. Bitvavo started in 2018, has its headquarters in Amsterdam, and is led by co-founder Mark Nuvelstijn, who serves as CEO. Withdrawals are capped at €25,000 a day, so moving a large balance out can take several days.
Key points
If you want crypto next to stocks and ETFs in one EU-regulated app, Bitpanda does that from Romania. Bitpanda GmbH holds its MiCA licence from the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA), and you can fund your account by SEPA, bank transfer, card, Skrill, Neteller, Klarna or iDEAL, then cash out by bank transfer or crypto.
The trade-off is cost: the standard app charges 1.49% for makers and takers, the steepest rate here, though its advanced Fusion interface starts at 0.25% and falls with volume. You get 575 coins plus 7,758 stock tokens, 2,638 ETFs and 149 commodities. Margin goes up to 10x, but there are no futures.
KYC is required, and Bitpanda keeps assets in cold storage. Co-founded by Christian Trummer, it launched in 2014 in Vienna and today has Eric Demuth as its CEO. Bitpanda doesn't publish proof of reserves, so you can't independently check that customer holdings are fully backed.
Key points
Bit2Me is a straightforward Spanish option for buying crypto from Romania under an EU licence. Bitcoinforme S.L., the company behind it, is MiCA-licensed by Spain's Comision Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV).
You can trade 192 coins on the spot market, but there are no futures, so it fits people who buy and hold rather than leveraged traders. It also offers a debit card for spending and its own token, B2M.
KYC is required, and Bit2Me keeps assets in cold storage. Leif Ferreira and Andrei Manuel founded it in 2014 with headquarters in Elche, Spain, and today Leif Ferreira shares the co-CEO role with Koh Onozawa Martinez. Bit2Me doesn't publish proof of reserves, so there's no public way to confirm that customer deposits are fully backed.
Key points
Bitunix has the lowest spot fees and the highest leverage here, but it holds no MiCA licence. That leaves you in Romania without an EU regulator watching the company that holds your funds, and without MiCA's investor protections. Deposits accept SEPA, card, bank transfer, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay, but withdrawals are crypto only, so getting euros back means sending coins to another exchange first.
Spot trades across 546 coins cost 0.08% when your order adds liquidity and 0.1% when it takes liquidity. Futures cover 520 coins at 0.02% maker and 0.06% taker, and copy trading lets you mirror other traders. You can also trade 175 stock tokens, plus forex, index and commodity markets.
KYC is optional, unverified accounts can withdraw up to $500,000 a day, and Bitunix publishes proof of reserves. Bitunix dates from 2021, is headquartered in the Seychelles, and has its founder, Arron Lee, in the CEO seat. The biggest danger is the leverage itself: at up to 200x, a small price move against you can liquidate your whole position.
Key points
Our editorial team selected, tested and ranked the best crypto exchanges for traders in Romania. We picked exchanges that accept users in Romania, then weighed each one on the whole package rather than a single number. The order reflects our editors’ judgment of that package, while the CWR Score on each card rates each exchange on its own, so an exchange placed lower can carry a higher score.
Yes, buying, holding and trading crypto is legal in Romania. The Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) is Romania’s authority under MiCA, the EU’s crypto rules. An exchange licensed under MiCA in any EU country may serve customers in Romania, while exchanges without a MiCA licence are not supervised by an EU regulator, and MiCA’s protections don’t apply to them.
Romania taxes profits from selling crypto as income from other sources, at 16% on gains made from 1 January 2026 (10% before). The gain is the sale price minus the purchase price and direct transaction costs, and gains under 200 lei per transaction aren’t taxed as long as your total gains for the year stay within 600 lei.
You declare the gains on the annual single return (Declarația unică) and pay the tax by 25 May of the following year. The 10% health insurance contribution (CASS) can also apply if certain income other than salary, including crypto gains, adds up to at least six gross minimum wages in the year. 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 National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) or a tax adviser before you file.
Official sources, checked September 2026: Law 239/2025, which raised the rate to 16% (ANAF copy); ANAF: Fiscal Code with its implementing rules (updated December 2025); European Commission: DAC8 crypto-asset reporting.
Getting Bitcoin or Ethereum in Romania takes only a few steps once you’ve settled on an exchange.
For most people in Romania, Kraken offers the best mix: a MiCA licence, euro deposits and withdrawals by SEPA, card or PayPal, and futures alongside a large spot market, although its standard spot fees are high. Bitvavo is the cheaper licensed choice if you only want to buy and hold, and OKX EU and Coinbase are solid licensed alternatives. Bitpanda suits investors who want stocks and ETFs next to crypto and don’t mind paying more. Bit2Me covers the basics under an EU licence. Phemex and Bitunix have lower fees and far more leverage, but neither holds a MiCA licence, so you give up EU supervision to use them.
Yes. Buying, holding and trading crypto is legal in Romania. The Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) is Romania's authority under MiCA, and any exchange with a MiCA licence from an EU country can serve you.
Kraken and Coinbase both have simple apps and MiCA licences. Bitvavo is a good low-cost choice if you only want to buy and hold with euros.
SEPA transfers in euros are the most common route. Kraken, Coinbase and OKX EU also accept cards and PayPal, and Bitvavo doesn't charge for SEPA deposits.
Yes. Kraken and Coinbase offer futures to EU customers through CySEC-licensed companies, and OKX EU offers X-Perps, all with capped leverage. Phemex and Bitunix offer much higher leverage but hold no MiCA licence.
Under MiCA, USDT and several other stablecoins can't be traded on EU-licensed exchanges such as Kraken, Coinbase and OKX EU. You'll trade against euros or the stablecoins that are still allowed.
No EU regulator supervises the company holding your money, and MiCA's investor protections don't apply. That's the case for Phemex and Bitunix.