Top 6 Crypto exchanges in Kenya Reviewed
As a trader or investor in Kenya, the crypto exchange you choose will impact how profitable your trades are, how fast you can buy and sell coins, and how much you can earn while trading.
Below, we have compiled our list of the top 6 reputable crypto exchanges available to users in Kenya. We’ll also review each platform and provide the necessary information, including trading fees, supported cryptos, and many more, to help you select the right platform for your needs. They are:
- MEXC – Best Overall Exchange in Kenya
- Bybit – Best Derivatives Exchange in Kenya
- Kucoin – Best Altcoin Exchhange in Kenya
- BingX – Best Alternative Exchange in Kenya
- Kraken – Most Secure Exchange in Kenya
- OKX – Versatile Exchange in Kenya
1. MEXC
MEXC was founded in 2018, and its headquarters are located in Singapore. With over 10 million users across over 170 countries, MEXC is one of the most trusted crypto exchanges in the world.
The platform offers over 1600 cryptocurrencies for trading, making it one of the best platforms for users seeking a wide range of cryptos to diversify their investment portfolios.
MEXC offers the lowest trading fees in the crypto market. Charges are 0% for makers and takers on the spot market, while for futures trading, fees are set at 0% for makers and 0.02% for takers.
Another thing about MEXC is its comprehensive derivatives trading feature, offering users leverage of up to 200X on derivatives and perpetual contracts. MEXC doesn’t support the Kenyan Shilling (KSh) but provides various payment methods for Kenyan traders, including credit/debit cards or via third parties, e.g., Banxa, Simplex, etc.
To learn more about MEXC, check out our full MEXC review.
Spot Fees: 0% maker/ 0% taker
Futures Fees: 0.% maker/ 0.02% taker
Supported Cryptos: 1600+
Customer Support: 24/7 live chat
MEXC Pros and Cons
| 👍 MEXC Pros | 👎 MEXC Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Very low trading fees | ❌ Not many passive income products |
| ✅ Wide range of supported cryptos | ❌ Lacks advanced trading features |
| ✅ NO KYC verification required | |
| ✅ High liquidity | |
| ✅ Leverage of up to 200x on derivatives and perpetual contracts |
2. Bybit
Bybit stands out as one of the largest crypto exchanges in the world. With over 25 million users in over 180 different countries, including Kenya, Bybitis is one of the most trusted crypto exchanges in the world. We consider Bybit to be the best derivatives trading platform in Kenya.
Users can access one of the best derivatives trading platforms in the world. The platform supports over 200 futures contracts with low fees and up to 100x leverage for maximizing profit. The futures fees are low at 0.02% maker and 0.055% taker fees.
Bybit supports over 400 cryptos, including BTC, ETH, and USDT. In terms of liquidity, Bybit also ranks very high, which is a crucial factor to consider for experienced traders.
For other crypto-related products, Bybit has you covered with numerous options. These include Options trading, NFT trading, and bot trading. For passive income, Bybit has options like mining, staking, liquidity farming, and more.
Lastly, Bybit offers various payment methods for traders in Kenya to deposit and buy cryptos securely on the platform. Payment methods include Visa/Mastercard, GooglePay, ApplePay, P2P trading, and many more.
To learn more about Bybit, check out our full Bybit review.
Spot Fees: 0.1% maker/ 0.1% taker
Futures Fees: 0.02% maker/ 0.055% taker
Supported Cryptos: 432+
Futures Contracts: 200+
Customer Support: 24/7 live chat
Bybit Pros and Cons
| 👍 Bybit Pros | 👎 Bybit Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Low spot and futures trading fees | ❌ Not beginner-friendly |
| ✅ Advanced trading tools | ❌ Not available in the U.S. |
| ✅ High liquidity | |
| ✅ Wide range of supported cryptos | |
| ✅ Passive income products |
3. Kucoin
Kucoin is an industry-leading cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2017. The exchange is well-known for its wide range of supported cryptos and advanced trading tools. That makes it an excellent choice for experienced traders.
With over 700 supported cryptos, traders can find almost any crypto they want to purchase or trade. Additionally, KuCoin offers a variety of auto-trading and passive income products like bot trading and crypto lending, making it one of the best exchanges for earning passive income.
Kucoin also offers users access to low trading fees. On the spot market, the cost is 0.1% for both makers and takers, while for futures trading, charges are set at 0.02% for makers and 0.06% for takers.
Lastly, Kucoin is fully licensed and compliant with all the guidelines required for crypto trading in Kenya. Kenyan traders can also buy cryptos with various payment methods, including Visa/Mastercard, P2P trading, or third-party payment providers at low fees.
To learn more about Kucoin, check out our full Kucoin review.
Spot Fees: 0.1% maker/ 0.1% taker
Futures Fees: 0.02% maker/ 0.06% taker
Supported Cryptos: 700+
Customer Support: 24/7 live chat
Kucoin Pros and Cons
| 👍 Kucoin Pros | 👎 Kucoin Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ A wide variety of cryptos | ❌ Limited educational resources |
| ✅ Offers advanced trading tools | ❌ Complex interface not easy to navigate for beginners |
| ✅ Low trading fees | |
| ✅ Passive income products |
4. BingX
BingX is a popular crypto exchange for users in Kenya. With access to over 500 cryptocurrencies, including BTC, USDT, and ETH, BingX stands out as one of the best crypto exchanges for buying cryptocurrencies.
Users can access trading fees as low as 0.1% for makers and takers on the spot market. For futures trading, fees are set at 0.02% for makers and 0.05% for takers.
BingX also offers a user-friendly trading interface with advanced trading tools, including technical indicators, real-time charts, etc. That makes it a reliable option for both beginners and experienced traders.
At affordable fees, Kenyan traders can also buy Bitcoin and other cryptos securely with various payment methods, including bank cards, P2P trading, and many more.
To learn more about BingX, check out our full BingX review.
Spot Fees: 0.1% maker/ 0.1% taker
Futures Fees: 0.02% maker/ 0.05% taker
Supported Cryptos: 500+
Customer Support: 24/7 live chat
BingX Pros and Cons
| 👍 BingX Pros | 👎 BingX Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Wide range of supported cryptos | ❌ Limited payment methods |
| ✅ Very user friendly | ❌ Limited customer support |
| ✅ Advanced trading tools | |
| ✅ Low trading fees |
5. Kraken
Launched in 2011, Kraken is one of the world’s oldest and most trusted crypto exchanges. The platform is fully licensed and is compliant with all the guidelines required for crypto trading in Kenya. Additionally, Kraken takes security seriously and has an excellent track record of no hacks.
The platform implements advanced security measures, including two-factor authentication, encryption, cold storage, etc. Kraken also provides full proof of reserves to back all user assets.
With access to over 200 cryptocurrencies, Kraken is one of the best crypto exchanges for trading spot and futures. On the futures market, trading fees are set at 0.02% for makers and 0.05% for takers. For spot trading, charges are 0.16% for makers and 0.26% for takers, which is relatively high.
Another thing about Kraken is that the platform is an excellent option for advanced traders as it offers advanced trading tools, including technical indicators, advanced order types, and many more. Users can also access up to 50x leverage on derivatives and perpetual contracts.
Other popular products on Kraken are margin trading and OTC trading. Aside from crypto trading, Kraken offers staking, mining, and other passive income products to help users earn while trading.
Lastly, Kraken supports a variety of payment methods for Kenyan traders to deposit and buy cryptos seamlessly at low fees. Payment methods include credit/debit cards, GooglePay, P2P trading, etc.
To learn more about Kraken, check out our full Kraken review.
Spot Fees: 0.16% maker/ 0.26% taker
Futures Fees: 0.02% maker/ 0.05% taker
Supported Cryptos: 200+
Customer Support: 24/7 live chat
Kraken Pros and Cons
| 👍 Kraken Pros | 👎 Kraken Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Low futures fees | ❌ High spot trading fees |
| ✅ Adequate security | ❌ Limited amount of supported cryptos |
| ✅ User-friendly interface | |
| ✅ Great mobile app |
6. OKX
OKX is another global crypto exchange among the largest crypto trading platforms in the world. With over 50 million users, OKX is undoubtedly one of the most trusted crypto exchanges in the world.
Users can access over 350 cryptocurrencies for active trading, including BTC, ETH, and USDT. Additionally, OKX offers one of the lowest trading fees in the crypto market. Users can access fees as low as 0.08% for makers and 0.1% for takers on the spot market, while for futures trading, charges are 0.02% for makers and 0.05% for takers.
Another thing about OKX is that it offers high leverage of up to 125x on derivatives and perpetual contracts to help users maximize profits in market fluctuations. OKX also provides various passive income products, including staking, mining, copy trading, bot trading, and many more.
OKX also offers advanced trading tools, including technical indicators and advanced order types. That makes it a very reliable option for experienced traders.
Lastly, OKX offers various payment options for Kenyan traders to deposit and buy cryptos on the platform. Payment methods include credit/debit cards, P2P trading, Applepay, GooglePay, and many more.
If you want to learn more about OKX, check out our full OKX review.
Spot Fees: 0.08% maker / 0.1% taker
Futures Fees: 0.02% maker / 0.05% taker
Supported Cryptos: 350+
Customer Support: 24/7 live chat support.
OKX Pros and Cons
| 👍 OKX Pros | 👎 OKX Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Low trading fees | ❌ Not beginner-friendly |
| ✅ Very reliable | ❌ Limited customer support |
| ✅ Advanced trading tools | |
| ✅ Passive income products |
How to buy Bitcoin and other Cryptos in Kenya
If you are interested in buying Bitcoin and other cryptos seamlessly in Kenya but don’t know how to go about it, you can follow the guidelines below.
- Choose a Kenyan-based crypto exchange from the above list. MEXC is the best crypto exchange in Kenya for active traders, as it offers a wide range of cryptos, very low trading fees, and many more.
- Sign up on the platform and complete your KYC verification. Although MEXC doesn’t require KYC for you to trade, you must complete the KYC verification to fully access all the features and remove all restrictions on the platform.
- Use the most convenient way to deposit KSh on the platform, using the payment method of your choice, or you can buy cryptocurrencies on the exchange using the “buy crypto” option.
- After the purchase, your coins will be released into your account on the exchange, and you can send them to your private wallet or use them to trade.
Final Thoughts
Crypto trading has become more prevalent in Kenya. Therefore, if you’re a crypto trader seeking the best platform for your needs, you can go through the top list above and choose the right one based on your needs.
- For a wide range of supported cryptos, MEXC, BingX, and Bybit are the best options for Kenyan traders.
- For low trading fees, MEXC and OKX are the best options
- For high leverage on derivatives and perpetual contracts, MEXC, Bybit, and OKX are the best options for Kenyan traders.
Overall, we recommend MEXC as the best crypto exchange for users in Kenya as it offers over 1600 cryptos and the lowest trading fees for active trading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Crypto Legal in Kenya?
Yes, crypto is entirely legal in Kenya for users to buy, sell and trade. The Central Bank of Kenya comprehensively regulates crypto trading activities to ensure a safe trading environment for Kenyans.
Where Can I Buy Crypto in Kenya?
You can buy Bitcoin and other cryptos seamlessly in Kenya through any reputable crypto exchange.
Which Crypto Exchange is the Safest in Kenya?
Kraken is the safest crypto exchange in Kenya as it implements advanced security measures, including cold storage, encryption, and adequate proof of reserves to back user funds.
Which Exchange has the Lowest Trading Fees in Kenya?
MEXC has the lowest trading fees in Kenya. Users have access to a 0% charge for both makers and takers on the spot market, while for futures trading, fees are set at 0% for makers and 0.02% for takers. That makes MEXC the crypto exchange with the lowest trading fees in the world.
What Is The Best Crypto Exchange In Kenya?
Overall, MEXC is the best crypto exchange in Kenya, offering access to over 1600 cryptos, low trading fees, high leverage, and many more. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced trader, MEXC covers everything you need.
