Bitpanda vs Kraken

Bitpanda and Kraken are both centralized exchanges that hold a MiCA licence and ask every user to complete identity checks. The main difference is their focus: Bitpanda pairs crypto with a huge range of tokenized stocks, while Kraken offers cheaper trading plus futures with leverage.

Bitpanda vs Kraken

Category	BBitpanda6.4/10	KKraken9.3/10
Overview
CryptoWinRate score	6.4/10	9.3/10 (higher)
Founded	2014	2011
Headquarters	Vienna	San Francisco, USA
Founder	Christian Trummer	Jesse Powell
CEO	Eric Demuth	David Ripley
KYC	Required	Required
MiCA licence	Yes	Yes
Regulator	Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA)	Central Bank of Ireland (CBI)
Availability
Available in your country	—	—
Restricted countries	157 countries	6 countries
Deposits and withdrawals
Deposit methods	11 methods	9 methods
Withdrawal methods	3 methods	7 methods
24-hour withdrawal limitKYC 1	€5,000,000	$500,000
24-hour withdrawal limitKYC 2	—	$10,000,000
Trading fees
Spot maker fee	1.49%	0.4% (lower)
Spot taker fee	1.49%	0.8% (lower)
EU spot feesmaker/taker	1.49% / 1.49%	0.4% / 0.8% (lower)
Futures maker fee	—	0.02%
Futures taker fee	—	0.05%
Coins and markets
Spot assetscrypto	575	679 (higher)
EU coins	575	679 (higher)
Futures contractscrypto	—	199
Stocks	7,758 (higher)	13
ETFs	2,638 (higher)	5
FX pairs	—	3
Indices	7	—
Commodities	149 (higher)	6
Leverage and margin
Max leverage	—	50×
EU max leverage	—	10×
Spot margin	10×	10×
Features
Spot	Yes	Yes
Futures	No	Yes
Demo Trading	No	Yes
Staking	Yes	Yes
Debit card	Yes	Yes
Security
Proof of reserves	No	YesAttestation ↗
Cold storage	Yes	Yes
Two-factor authentication	Yes	Yes
Withdrawal address whitelist	Yes	Yes
Anti-phishing passphrase	Yes	No
Reported hacks	—	YesSource ↗
Sign-up bonus
Bonus	100€	—
Fee cashback	—	10%
	Visit Bitpanda ↗Read review →	Visit Kraken ↗Read review →

Availability in your country is checked live against each exchange's restricted-country list.

Who should choose Bitpanda

Bitpanda suits someone who wants crypto and stock exposure in one place. It carries 7,758 tokenized stocks against Kraken’s 13, so it works well if you want to spread money across shares as well as coins. It offers spot trading, staking and a debit card. The trade-off is cost: its maker and taker fees are both 1.49%, a flat rate that fits occasional buyers more than active traders. It holds a MiCA licence for EU customers.

Who should choose Kraken

Kraken fits active traders and anyone who wants futures. Spot fees run 0.4% maker and 0.8% taker, well below Bitpanda’s flat rate, so frequent trading costs much less. It lists 679 spot coins and adds futures across 177 coins over 199 markets, with leverage up to 50x and low futures fees of 0.02% and 0.05%. A demo mode lets you practise first. It holds a MiCA licence for EU customers.

Verdict

Pick Bitpanda if you want to hold crypto alongside a wide range of tokenized stocks in one account. Pick Kraken if you trade often, want lower spot fees, or want futures with leverage and a demo mode to practise.