Crypto exchanges 2026: fees and KYC
CEX Exchanges
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Which exchange to choose?
Let me be honest right away: the main thing I value in an exchange is that it doesn't randomly freeze my money. Sounds obvious, but in crypto this is apparently a luxury feature. That's why my personal top is not the biggest names, but the ones that cause the least headache.
My first picks: Bitget, ByBit and Backpack. Not the most hyped, but reliable. They block accounts less than everyone else, which in our field is worth more than any feature set. Bitget has tons of sub-accounts which is very handy. ByBit has one of the best trading interfaces. Backpack is young but growing and regulated.
For serious work you'll need one of the big ones anyway: Binance, OKX or Coinbase. Deepest liquidity, widest selection, most integrations. But be careful with them. I don't want to promote these because even I personally got my account banned there for no reason. They can and they will freeze you if something doesn't pass their risk model.
For degen plays on tons of tokens at your own risk: MEXC, Gate or BingX. Lightning-fast listings, exotic tokens nobody heard of, zero maker fees on MEXC. The Wild West. But be ready for freezes and long arguments with support. These exchanges make money partly by blocking successful traders, and that's not a conspiracy theory, that's just how it is.
My first picks: Bitget, ByBit and Backpack. Not the most hyped, but reliable. They block accounts less than everyone else, which in our field is worth more than any feature set. Bitget has tons of sub-accounts which is very handy. ByBit has one of the best trading interfaces. Backpack is young but growing and regulated.
For serious work you'll need one of the big ones anyway: Binance, OKX or Coinbase. Deepest liquidity, widest selection, most integrations. But be careful with them. I don't want to promote these because even I personally got my account banned there for no reason. They can and they will freeze you if something doesn't pass their risk model.
For degen plays on tons of tokens at your own risk: MEXC, Gate or BingX. Lightning-fast listings, exotic tokens nobody heard of, zero maker fees on MEXC. The Wild West. But be ready for freezes and long arguments with support. These exchanges make money partly by blocking successful traders, and that's not a conspiracy theory, that's just how it is.