About CoinEx

CoinEx launched in December 2017 as a spin-off from ViaBTC, the Bitcoin mining pool founded by Haipo Yang, and operates under a Seychelles holding structure. It published proof of reserves years before the FTX collapse made reserve reporting an industry expectation.

CoinMarketCap data shows more than 1,300 listed cryptocurrencies, over 1,900 spot pairs, and a user base above 10 million, with the interface translated into 18 languages. Daily spot turnover places it in the mid-tier of global venues, below Binance or Bybit.

CoinEx has pitched the same strengths for years, listing small-cap tokens faster than most regulated competitors, keeping identity checks optional below set withdrawal limits, and serving markets where larger exchanges never built a presence. Our CoinEx supported and restricted countries page tracks where that access applies.

CoinEx Features

The range covers most of what a mid-size derivatives exchange offers, plus a few tools rare at this tier.

1. Spot and margin trading: More than 1,900 pairs trade against USDT, BTC, and other quote assets, with leverage on the most liquid markets.
2. Perpetual futures: Close to 200 contracts support leverage up to 100x, a lineup our guide to the best crypto futures exchanges measures against specialist venues.
3. AMM liquidity pools: Over 700 automated pools let depositors collect a share of trading fees, a hybrid that brings a DEX mechanic inside a centralized order book.
4. Copy trading: Users can mirror around 200 vetted lead traders with position caps and stop settings, sharing between 10% and 50% of profits.
5. Pre-token and OnChain markets: Users can speculate on tokens before official listing and reach DEX-listed assets from the exchange interface without a separate wallet.
6. Earn products: Flexible savings, fixed terms, staking, and collateralized loans cover passive income, with SOL staking near 4.9% before a 10% service charge that drops to zero for CET.
7. Demo accounts: Spot and futures demo modes run on virtual USDT balances, a useful way to test leverage before committing funds.
8. Ecosystem tools: A non-custodial CoinEx Wallet, the EVM-compatible CoinEx Smart Chain, and an API for automated strategies round out the stack.

CoinEx Fees Explained

The entry spot rate is 0.20% on both sides of the book, per the official fee schedule. That sits well above the 0.10% baseline at larger venues, so the discount system matters more here than on most exchanges.

Paying fees in CET, the native token, cuts the effective entry cost to roughly 0.16%. The VIP ladder, graded on CET holdings, total account value, or 30-day volume, lowers the schedule further, down to about 0.08% maker and 0.10% taker at the top tier with CET deduction active.

• Futures contracts: Base rates of 0.03% maker and 0.05% taker are competitive from the first trade and fall with VIP level.
• AMM markets: Pool trades charge makers nothing and takers 0.30%, reduced to 0.10% on stablecoin pools, under a separate schedule where CET deduction does not apply.
• Deposits and withdrawals: Crypto deposits are free, withdrawal charges vary by asset and network, and fiat purchases pass through third-party gateways that set their own margins.

The whole schedule turns on whether an order adds or removes liquidity, and our explainer on maker vs taker fees shows how to stay on the cheaper side of that line. Traders unwilling to hold CET will find better entry pricing among the best low-fee crypto exchanges.

Is CoinEx Regulated?

No. As of August 2026, CoinEx holds no license from a major financial regulator, and its early registrations in Estonia, the US, and Poland have lapsed or ended through enforcement. The record over the past three years reads as a steady retreat from supervised markets.

• United States: The New York Attorney General sued CoinEx in February 2023 for operating as an unregistered broker-dealer, and the June 2023 settlement recovered $1.7 million, refunded over $1.1 million to 4,691 New York investors, and barred the platform from the state. CoinEx then withdrew from the US entirely.
• Canada: The exchange no longer appears as a registered money services business with FINTRAC, closing off lawful access for Canadian residents.
• Thailand: The Thai SEC ordered CoinEx blocked from 28 June 2025 alongside OKX, Bybit, and two smaller platforms, citing unlicensed operation under the Digital Asset Business Act.
• European Economic Area: With the MiCA transition period closing, CoinEx discontinued all EEA services on or before 1 July 2026 rather than seek CASP authorization, leaving withdrawals open for affected accounts.

The UK, Switzerland, mainland China, and Hong Kong also sit on the prohibited list. For residents of supervised markets, this is the most important fact in this review, since no regulator stands behind customer funds if something goes wrong.

CoinEx and the Iran Sanctions Report

June 2026 brought the most serious allegations in the company's history. On 2 June, the US Treasury sanctioned four Iranian exchanges, including the country's largest, Nobitex. Three weeks later, blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs published research, amplified by The Wall Street Journal, tracing $3.84 billion in transfers between CoinEx and sanctioned Iranian entities since 2019.

The report attributed around $2.7 billion of the total to activity with Nobitex and claimed roughly $67 million from the Central Bank of Iran reached CoinEx addresses between June 2025 and June 2026. TRM framed the pattern as coordinated rather than incidental, pointing to exposure across more than 60 Iranian platforms.

CoinEx rejected the findings the same week, saying it has never held a commercial relationship with Iranian exchanges or state bodies, that its domain has been blocked inside Iran since 2021, and that onchain transfers alone cannot prove a platform knew about or assisted illicit activity. It announced tighter geo-fencing, expanded sanctions screening, and off-boarding of Iran-linked exposure.

As of this writing, regulators have taken no public action against CoinEx over the report, and tracing research amounts to an allegation rather than a legal finding. Even so, US sanctions liability does not require intent, and any future action could disrupt deposits and withdrawals for every customer. Weigh that scenario before parking significant balances on the exchange.

Is CoinEx Safe?

The technical security record is stronger than the regulatory one. Most customer assets sit in cold storage, hot wallets run on MPC dual-signature controls developed after 2023, and the exchange runs a threat intelligence partnership with SlowMist alongside passkey and hardware-key login support.

Transparency separates CoinEx from most exchanges at this tier, with a proof of reserves page publishing reserve ratios above 100% for BTC, ETH, USDT, and CET, and a Shield Fund built from 10% of every trading fee to compensate users after extreme events.

The fund faced its test in September 2023 when attackers linked by researchers to North Korea's Lazarus Group drained hot wallets in a breach CoinEx placed near $70 million, with Elliptic estimating $54 million. The exchange pledged 100% compensation, rebuilt its wallet architecture, and restored deposits and withdrawals in stages within weeks.

Handling an eight-figure breach without customer losses demonstrates operational resilience. Yet, the company publishes no audited financial statements, and its offshore structure offers no deposit protection or legal recourse comparable to a supervised exchange.

KYC and Withdrawal Limits on CoinEx

Optional verification is the feature that defines CoinEx for many users. An unverified account can trade spot, margin, and futures in full, with withdrawals capped at $10,000 per day and $50,000 per month. Primary ID verification raises the daily ceiling to $1 million and unlocks fiat services, and advanced verification extends it to $5 million.

Those caps are generous by current standards, which is why the platform appears in our best no-KYC crypto exchange roundup and our comparison of the highest no-KYC withdrawal limit exchanges.

CoinEx's AML rules attach conditions to that freedom, letting the compliance team demand verification from any account at any time, and the screening upgrades promised after the TRM Labs report make such requests more likely for accounts touching high-risk counterparties. Treat no-KYC access as a convenience the platform can revoke at any point.

CoinEx User Reviews

Public sentiment splits sharply by platform, starting with Trustpilot, where CoinEx scores 3.8/5 across roughly 480 reviews, half awarding five stars and close to a third awarding one. Trustpilot also flags the company as having received regulatory attention.

Mobile ratings run warmer, with the Android app at 4.7/5 from around 90,000 Google Play reviews, among the better scores for a mid-tier exchange, and the iOS version at 4.2/5 on a far smaller sample.

Satisfied users cite fast withdrawals, a clean interface, and reliable uptime. Critical reviews cluster around frozen accounts during compliance checks, slow ticket responses on complex cases, and wide spreads on thinly traded small-cap pairs.

Final Thoughts

CoinEx’s altcoin catalog is deep, futures pricing is fair from the first trade, the demo and copy trading tools work well, and the 2023 breach response showed more accountability than several larger rivals have managed under pressure.

That said, its supported markets shrank again in 2026 with the EEA exit, no major regulator supervises the business, and the Iran allegations, whatever their final resolution, place the platform in the sights of US sanctions authorities.

CoinEx therefore suits traders in supported regions who want early altcoin access or private trading within the no-KYC limits, hold modest balances, and self-custody once positions close. For a similar altcoin range with different trade-offs, compare our MEXC review and Gate review before deciding.