Compare the best crypto exchanges in Austria for 2026: MiCA licences, SEPA deposits and withdrawals, fees, coins, futures and each exchange's main catch.
Accepts clients from Austria Accepts clients from Austria Accepts clients from Austria Accepts clients from Austria Accepts clients from Austria Accepts clients from Austria Accepts clients from Austria Accepts clients from Austria| Exchange | Spot assetscrypto | Futures assets | Spot feesmaker/taker | Futures feesmaker/taker | Max leverage | Austria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. BitpandaVisit | 568 | — | 1.49% / 1.49% | — | — | Yes |
| 2. KrakenVisit | 662 | 168 | 0.4% / 0.8% | 0.02% / 0.05% | 10× | Yes |
| 3. BitunixVisit | 536 | 538 | 0.08% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.06% | 200× | Yes |
| 4. CoinbaseVisit | 404 | 131 | 0.25% / 0.5% | 0.05% / 0.05% | 10× | Yes |
| 5. BitvavoVisit | 426 | — | 0.15% / 0.25% | — | — | Yes |
| 6. Bit2MeVisit | 192 | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| 7. BitstampVisit | 118 | — | 0.3% / 0.4% | — | 10× | Yes |
| 8. PhemexVisit | 1,028 | 816 | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.01% / 0.06% | 100× | Yes |
| Exchange | Spot | Futures | Options | P2P | Demo Trading | Copy Trading | Trading Bots | Loans | Lending | Staking | Debit card | Austria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. BitpandaVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 2. KrakenVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 3. BitunixVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 4. CoinbaseVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 5. BitvavoVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 6. Bit2MeVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 7. BitstampVisit | Yes | |||||||||||
| 8. PhemexVisit | Yes |
| Exchange | Score | Founded | Headquarters | Founder | CEO | KYC | Austria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. BitpandaVisit | 6.4 | 2014 | Vienna | Christian Trummer | Eric Demuth | Required | Yes |
| 2. KrakenVisit | 9.3 | 2011 | San Francisco, USA | Jesse Powell | David Ripley | Required | Yes |
| 3. BitunixVisit | 8.4 | 2021 | Seychelles | Arron Lee | Arron Lee | No KYC | 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. 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 |
| 8. PhemexVisit | 7 | 2019 | Singapore | Jack Tao | Jack Tao | Required | Yes |
The Austria column is checked live against each exchange's restricted-country list.
Bitpanda is our top pick for Austria, and it suits beginners and long-term investors who want crypto, stocks and ETFs in one simple app run from Vienna. For anyone in Austria, the first thing to check is a MiCA licence. MiCA is the EU’s crypto licence: a licensed exchange is supervised by an EU regulator and has to follow MiCA’s investor protection rules, and a licence from any EU country lets it serve you here.
Next, look at how you move euros in and out, because SEPA transfers and EPS are the easiest routes from an Austrian bank account. Then compare what each trade costs. Fees range from flat premiums on simple buy screens to low maker and taker rates on full exchanges, and only some platforms offer futures to EU customers.
Bitpanda's appeal is breadth in one regulated app. Alongside 568 coins, the same account lets you buy 7,772 stock tokens, 2,630 ETFs and precious metals. Crypto Indices and savings plans let you buy a basket of top coins on a schedule without picking each one yourself.
It holds a MiCA licence, so an EU regulator supervises the company holding your money. Funding from an Austrian bank is easy: you can deposit by SEPA, EPS, card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Klarna, Skrill or Neteller, and cash out by SEPA or bank transfer. EU customers get no futures, so active traders will find little beyond spot buying and staking with weekly rewards.
Simple buys cost 1.49% for makers and takers, which makes frequent trading expensive. The Bitpanda Fusion interface on the same account starts at 0.25%, and ID verification is required before you deposit. Bitpanda launched in 2014 in Vienna, was co-founded by Christian Trummer and is run by CEO Eric Demuth. Its main weakness is that it publishes no proof of reserves, so you can't check for yourself that customer holdings are fully backed.
Key points
Kraken pairs a MiCA licence with published proof of reserves. That means an EU regulator supervises it and you can check that customer deposits are backed. It is also among the licensed options here that offer futures to customers in Austria, with 168 markets and up to 10x leverage for EU customers.
EU customers pay 0.02% for makers and 0.05% for takers on futures, and the spot side lists 662 coins with plenty of liquidity. Euros go in and out by SEPA or bank transfer. You can also deposit with card, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and staking is available.
Spot trades cost 0.4% for makers and 0.8% for takers, higher than several rivals, so frequent market orders add up; KYC is required. Kraken dates from 2011 and has its headquarters in San Francisco, USA; Jesse Powell is one of its co-founders, and David Ripley runs it as CEO. In 2024 security firm CertiK used a bug to take money from Kraken's treasury and returned it in full after a public dispute; no customer assets were affected, but it shows even large exchanges have flaws, so protect your account with two-factor authentication.
Key points
Low costs and big leverage are the draw at Bitunix. On spot, a maker order costs 0.08% and a taker order 0.1%, while futures go up to 200x leverage, with 536 coins on both spot and futures. Copy trading and a demo account come on top.
Bitunix holds no MiCA licence, which means no EU regulator oversees the firm that keeps your deposits, and MiCA's investor protections don't cover you in Austria. Deposits work by SEPA, card, PayPal and the Apple and Google mobile wallets. Withdrawals are crypto or P2P only, so turning profits back into euros means selling to another user or moving coins to a licensed exchange first.
Futures cost 0.02% for makers and 0.06% for takers, and ID checks are optional, with up to $500,000 a day withdrawable without KYC. Bitunix started in 2021 and is headquartered in the Seychelles; its co-founder Arron Lee also serves as CEO. Its main risk is regulatory: with a base outside the EU and no EU licence, there is no EU authority to turn to if a dispute over your funds arises.
Key points
Coinbase suits someone who wants a simple app now and room to grow into futures later. It holds a MiCA licence and publishes proof of reserves. EU customers can trade 404 coins on spot plus 131 futures markets with up to 10x leverage.
For EU customers, spot trades cost 0.25% as a maker and 0.5% as a taker, while a single futures rate of 0.05% applies whether you add or take liquidity. You can deposit euros by SEPA, card or PayPal and withdraw by SEPA, bank transfer or SWIFT.
ID checks are mandatory, and EU accounts must reach Level 3 before they can send or receive crypto, which slows you down if you want coins in your own wallet straight away. Coinbase launched in 2012, runs as a remote company without a single head office and is led by co-founder and CEO Brian Armstrong. In 2021 more than 6,000 customers had their accounts compromised, a reminder to use two-factor authentication and a unique password.
Key points
Among the licensed exchanges here, Bitvavo has the cheapest spot trading, charging makers 0.15% and takers 0.25%. You trade 426 coins, mostly paired with the euro. It is regulated in the Netherlands, has held a MiCA licence since June 2025 and publishes proof of reserves.
SEPA deposits are free, and you can also pay with EPS, card, PayPal or Apple Pay, though card and PayPal cost around 1% or more. Withdrawals go out by SEPA or crypto. It's spot only, with no futures or margin, but Bitvavo Earn offers staking and lending on more than 70 coins with weekly payouts.
KYC is required, and basic verification caps withdrawals at €25,000 a day, which slows down cashing out a large balance. Bitvavo launched in 2018 in Amsterdam and is run by co-founder and CEO Mark Nuvelstijn. Its staking and lending sit outside MiCA, so coins you put into Earn don't get the protections that cover your regular balance.
Key points
Bit2Me offers a plain spot account under a MiCA licence, so an EU regulator watches over the business that looks after your cash and crypto while you trade from Austria. You get 192 coins and no futures, which keeps things simple if you want to buy and hold.
Bit2Me has its own token, B2M, and a debit card for spending your balance, and it keeps assets in cold storage. It doesn't publish proof of reserves, though, so you can't independently check that customer holdings are fully backed.
Identity verification is required before you trade. Bit2Me launched in 2014 and is based in Elche, Spain; Leif Ferreira and Andrei Manuel co-founded it, and Leif Ferreira and Koh Onozawa Martinez have run it as co-CEOs since 2024. With fewer coins than most exchanges here and no futures, you may need a second account if your plans grow beyond basic spot buying.
Key points
Bitstamp combines a long track record with futures for EU customers. Besides MiCA and MiFID licences, it offers EU customers perpetual futures through its EU investment firm, with 20 markets and up to 10x leverage. A Big Four accounting firm has audited it every year since 2016, and Robinhood bought it in 2024.
Spot covers 118 coins with euro pairs, the smallest range here, so check that your coins are listed before you sign up. SEPA deposits are free and SEPA withdrawals cost €3. Card, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay also work for both deposits and withdrawals.
Spot maker orders start at 0.3% and taker orders at 0.4%; KYC is required before funding, with daily withdrawals up to $50,000 after ID checks and $250,000 with proof of residence. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Luxembourg, Bitstamp counts Nejc Kodrič among its co-founders and has Jean-Baptiste Graftieau as CEO. It publishes no proof of reserves, so you rely on its annual audits rather than checking customer backing yourself.
Key points
Phemex is built for active traders. It lists 1,028 spot coins and futures on 816 coins with up to 100x leverage, plus copy trading, free trading bots and a demo account. Spot costs 0.1% whichever side of the trade you're on, while a futures maker order costs 0.01% and a taker order 0.06%.
Phemex holds no MiCA licence: no EU regulator checks on the platform your funds sit with, and you get none of MiCA's investor protections in Austria. You can fund the account by SEPA transfer, card, Google Pay and Apple Pay, then take money out by bank transfer, crypto or P2P. It publishes proof of reserves, which lets you check the backing of customer balances.
KYC became mandatory for new users in 2026, and unverified accounts can't withdraw. Set up in 2019, Phemex operates from Singapore, and co-founder Jack Tao is also its CEO. In January 2025 attackers stole about $85 million in crypto from its hot wallets, so keep only what you're actively trading on the exchange.
Key points
Our editorial team selected, tested and ranked the best crypto exchanges for traders in Austria. We started with exchanges that accept users in Austria and then weighed the whole package each one offers. The order is an editorial judgment of that package, while the CWR Score on each card rates the exchange on its own, so some exchanges placed lower carry a higher score.
Yes. Buying, holding and trading crypto is legal in Austria. The FMA (Financial Market Authority) is Austria’s authority under MiCA, the EU rulebook for crypto companies. Before MiCA, crypto firms registered with the FMA, and that registration has been replaced by MiCA licensing.
An exchange licensed under MiCA in any EU country can serve customers in Austria, so a licence issued in another EU country counts the same as one issued here. Exchanges without a MiCA licence, such as Bitunix and Phemex, are not supervised by an EU regulator, and MiCA’s investor protections don’t apply to money you keep with them.
In Austria, crypto bought since March 2021 is taxed at a flat 27.5% when you sell it for euros or spend it, however long you held it, and there is no tax-free allowance. Swapping one crypto for another is not taxed. Coins bought before March 2021 stay under the old rules, which taxed a gain only if you sold within a year of buying.
Lending rewards are taxed when you receive them, while staking rewards and airdrops are taxed only when you sell them. If an Austrian exchange or broker withholds the 27.5% tax, nothing more is due; otherwise you declare the income on form E 1kv with your income tax return. 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 Austrian Tax Office (Finanzamt Österreich) or a tax adviser before you file.
Official sources, checked September 2026: Federal Ministry of Finance: tax treatment of cryptocurrencies (updated January 2026); Income Tax Act, section 27b: income from cryptocurrencies; European Commission: DAC8 crypto-asset reporting.
Getting your first Bitcoin or Ethereum in Austria takes only a few steps once you’ve settled on an exchange.
For most people in Austria, Bitpanda is the easiest place to start: it holds a MiCA licence, takes SEPA and EPS, and puts crypto, stocks and ETFs in one app, though its trading fees are high. If cost matters more, Bitvavo has the lowest spot fees among the licensed exchanges here. Kraken, Coinbase and Bitstamp add futures for EU customers under MiCA, and Kraken and Coinbase also publish proof of reserves. Bit2Me covers simple spot buying. Bitunix and Phemex offer cheap, high-leverage trading, but without a MiCA licence no EU regulator supervises them, so only use them if you accept that trade-off.
Yes. Buying, holding and trading crypto is legal in Austria. The FMA (Financial Market Authority) is Austria's authority under MiCA, and any exchange with a MiCA licence from an EU country can serve you here.
Bitpanda is the simplest start. It holds a MiCA licence, accepts SEPA and EPS, and lets you buy crypto, stocks and ETFs in one app. The trade-off is higher fees than most rivals.
Bitvavo charges the least for spot trading among the MiCA-licensed exchanges here, and SEPA deposits are free. It offers spot trading only, with no futures or margin.
Yes. Kraken, Coinbase and Bitstamp offer futures to EU customers under a MiCA licence. Bitunix and Phemex also offer futures, but they hold no MiCA licence, so no EU regulator supervises them.
Bitpanda and Bitvavo both accept EPS, alongside SEPA transfers, cards and PayPal.
Crypto gains can be taxable in Austria. See the section "How is crypto taxed in Austria?" above for the details.
