Bitvavo Review (2026)

Temporary welcome bonus of €10 for every new user

This deal is only valid via CryptoTips and must be activated by registering via the button below or this link: https://account.bitvavo.com/create?locale=en

The bonus will only be applied when the notification is visible. The highest bonus will be shown in the message (so the €10.000 free trading is also applied).

What is Bitvavo?

Bitvavo is a European cryptocurrency exchange based in Amsterdam and has been active since late 2017. They focus primarily on simplicity and make it easy to buy, sell and trade cryptocurrency. The platform combines the user-friendliness of a broker (simple buying and selling) with the functionality of an exchange (advanced orders, order book, low fees). This makes the platform suitable for both beginner and experienced crypto traders.

Bitvavo holds a MiCA license, the European regulation for crypto markets that came into effect in 2025. This is an important step, as MiCA sets strict requirements for consumer protection, transparency and business operations of cryptocurrency exchanges.

They also have an additional registration to operate in: The Netherlands, Spain, France, Austria and Germany.

Most investors start with simple buying and selling, but quickly move on to more advanced trading. On an exchange this is significantly cheaper (you pay per transaction) and you have more order options. With Bitvavo you don’t need to switch platforms, as you can do everything from one platform.

The website and portal look modern and work very smoothly thanks to the user-friendly interface.
Bitvavo offers more than 440 different cryptocurrencies and regularly expands this selection. The platform is also regularly updated with new features to make things even easier for you.

Winner multiple crypto awards

By 2026, Bitvavo has grown into a platform with more than 2.3 million users, making it one of the largest euro spot exchanges in Europe. A good platform often sells itself and that’s exactly what you see with Bitvavo. Low fees, a well-designed and intuitive platform and high availability have made Bitvavo a success.

Users are also very satisfied with the platform and voted massively for Bitvavo at various awards. You could say that Bitvavo has won all the leading crypto awards. These include:

• Deloitte Technology Fast 50 (2022) and third place in 2023
• Cashcow Awards for Best Broker (2021, 2022, and 2023)
• The Gouden Stier Awards by IEX (2021)
• Most Popular Financial Website (2021 and 2024)
• Dutch Blockchain Awards (2021)

Guide to trading crypto on Bitvavo

Bitvavo currently offers the ability to easily purchase more than 440 different cryptocurrencies using iDEAL, Wero, Bancontact and bank transfer. View the current selection on the website.

Buying cryptocurrency is easy by depositing funds into your account. You can do this by transferring euros or a supported cryptocurrency to Bitvavo. Depositing funds into your account is free for iDEAL, Wero, Bancontact and bank transfer (competitors often charge fees for this). For PayPal, a 2% surcharge applies.

Once you have deposited funds, you can exchange them in your dashboard for the desired cryptocurrency. In the same overview you can also sell your purchased cryptocurrency and exchange it for another currency or euros.

How to buy cryptocurrency at Bitvavo with the basic interface?

Here is a brief explanation of how to easily buy cryptocurrency via the beginner platform:

1. Deposit funds into your account by clicking “Deposit Euros”
2. Pay with your preferred payment method
3. Click on the desired cryptocurrency
4. Select the “Buy” tab
5. Enter how much you want to buy (minimum €5) and click “Buy”
6. Click Confirm in the next screen to complete the purchase

Not entirely clear? Check out a detailed guide on how to buy cryptocurrency on Bitvavo.

Your balance in the dashboard has decreased and the selected amount of cryptocurrency has been added to your account. You can leave it on the platform or send it to a self-custody wallet.

Please note that via the basic interface the fee is a maximum of 0.25%. If you use the advanced interface, the maximum taker fee is 0.15%.

How to trade cryptocurrency via the advanced exchange?

The trading fees depend on whether you use the basic interface or the advanced exchange. The trading fees on the advanced exchange are significantly lower (starting at 0.15% and decreasing as you trade more).

If you really want to start trading, we recommend using the advanced exchange. Here you can make use of many more features. You have a chart that can be used for technical analysis, an order book and you can place advanced orders.

The chart and the order book

The chart is provided by TradingView, a well-known provider of charts where various indicators can be used. By using the different instruments and indicators, you can perform technical analyses on the various prices. Many professional analysts use TradingView charts.

In the order book you can see which orders have been placed and view your own orders. Bitvavo has one of the deepest order books in Europe for euro trading volume, thanks to years of experience and the large number of active users.

Placing advanced orders

The advantage of the exchange is that you can place advanced orders. This allows you to react to the market more easily without having to stare at prices 24/7. You can choose from the following order types:

• Market orders: The order is executed immediately at the current price. This is essentially the same as buying via the basic interface
• Limit orders: You can set the price in advance and the order is only executed when that price is reached.
• Options: Good-til-Canceled, Immediate-or-Cancel and Fill-or-Kill
• Stop Limit orders: The order is only executed when triggered by the price you entered. After that, a limit order is placed
• Short Sell: This allows you to profit from falling prices by borrowing and selling a crypto. Available for major cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL and ADA

Euro withdrawals on the Bitvavo exchange

We have withdrawn euros to our verified bank account multiple times. Withdrawals are processed almost instantly, even on weekends. Bitvavo uses Instant Payment, so your euros arrive in your bank account within seconds.

Withdrawing via Bitvavo is free.

Staking on Bitvavo

Bitvavo offers staking for more than 70 different cryptocurrencies. With staking you earn passive returns by locking up your crypto to secure the respective blockchain network. Rewards are paid out automatically.

The staking process on Bitvavo is simple: select the desired cryptocurrency in your portfolio, choose staking and enter the amount. You don’t need any technical knowledge and setting it up takes less than a minute.

Please note that staking returns vary per cryptocurrency and that past results do not guarantee future performance.

Short selling on Bitvavo

Since December 2025, Bitvavo offers the ability to short sell major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Solana and Cardano. With short selling you can profit from falling prices: you borrow a crypto, sell it at the current price and buy it back later (hopefully at a lower price).

How does it work? In the advanced interface, select the desired cryptocurrency and choose “Short Sell”. You provide collateral in euros, which serves as a buffer. Before you can open your first short position, you must pass a knowledge test on Bitvavo.

Important details about short selling on Bitvavo:

• Available for major, liquid cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL, ADA)
• Maximum €50,000 per cryptocurrency
• Collateral in euros, you cannot add additional collateral after opening
• Standard trading fees (max 0.25%) + hourly borrowing costs
• Automatic liquidation if your collateral becomes too low
• Maximum loss is limited to your collateral

Please note: short selling is a high-risk strategy and not suitable for beginners. Crypto prices can suddenly rise sharply, causing your short position to quickly go into loss. Bitvavo requires a knowledge test before you can use this feature for good reason.

Fees and costs on Bitvavo

Creating an account is completely free. Exchanges make money by charging a percentage on every transaction. This percentage is also called a fee. The higher the fee, the longer it takes before you can make a profit. So it’s wise to carefully examine what fees a platform charges.

Bitvavo is one of the cheapest exchanges in Europe. They charge a maximum of 0.25% (taker orders) in trading fees per transaction, while other exchanges can charge up to 3%. For maker orders the maximum fees are 0.15%.
If you’re a new user, you’re in luck. You currently receive €10 in free crypto with a €10 investment and pay no commission on the first €10,000.

Bitvavo rewards traders who trade frequently with additional discounts on trading fees. Depending on your volume over the past 30 days, your tier is determined.

Some deposit methods come with fees.

Bitvavo compared to other exchanges

Bitvavo stands out through the combination of the largest selection (440+ cryptos), the lowest fees, European customer service, DNB registration on top of the MiCA license and account insurance up to €100,000. For European users looking for a reliable and user-friendly platform, Bitvavo is the most logical choice.

Bybit EU is interesting for those who want to use leverage (10x margin on spot) or are looking for higher returns through their Earn products. OKX is the best choice for those who want to participate directly in DeFi through the built-in Web3 wallet with access to more than 200,000 tokens.

Verification and limits

Bitvavo must comply with European regulations, which means they need to carry out a number of verifications. With the MiCA license and DNB registration, Bitvavo is required to verify all customers. This means the platform is treated as an official financial institution. Bitvavo has been doing this for quite some time.

They must know exactly who they are doing business with according to the Know Your Customer (KYC) policy, to comply with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regulations.

KYC verification has been mandatory at all cryptocurrency exchanges in Europe. To create an account, an email address is required and you will be asked for a first and last name. Verification takes place directly upon registration.

Bitvavo is legally required to verify your identity. This can be done by uploading your ID card or passport to Bitvavo. This process takes no longer than 1.5 minutes and is performed automatically. After the verification, you can start trading on the crypto market.

By making an iDEAL, Wero, Apple Pay or Bancontact payment, your bank account is verified. The bank account must be registered in your name at Bitvavo.

Bitvavo app

The Bitvavo app is available for Android and iOS. Through the app you can buy and sell crypto, monitor your portfolio and set price alerts. It’s also possible to deposit and withdraw funds. The advanced exchange is also available through the app.

Use the code CRYPTOTIPS in the app to take advantage of €10,000 in fee-free trading and €10 in free crypto.

Is Bitvavo reliable?

Bitvavo B.V. is an Amsterdam-based company that registered with the Chamber of Commerce on 11 May 2017. To conduct thorough research into the company details, we purchased information from the Chamber of Commerce. Although this data is publicly available, we will not display all information on our website, such as first names and personal phone numbers. Bitvavo B.V. has two companies as jointly authorised directors:

• Deranova B.V. (66790611), where J. de Boer is the independently authorised director
• Fortuna Holding B.V. (68739087), where F.R. Baardse is the independently authorised director

The visiting address is Herengracht 450, 1017 CA Amsterdam. We have completed many transactions on Bitvavo and are convinced that Bitvavo is reliable. That is also the conclusion of our Bitvavo review.

We have completed many transactions on Bitvavo and are convinced that Bitvavo is reliable. Here are the main reasons:

• MiCA license secured
• User security is guaranteed through two-factor authentication, device and IP management, withdrawal and API whitelisting, anti-phishing protection and security notifications.
• Hot and cold wallets are used. Hot wallets to quickly send cryptocurrency without long waiting times. Cold wallets for the majority of cryptocurrency to ensure security. The wallets are spread across multiple locations.
• Cold wallets are insured up to $255 million.
• Cryptocurrencies are stored in category 4+ bank-grade vaults and are monitored 24/7
• Personal information such as passports, ID cards and other data is stored encrypted
• A foundation (Stichting Bitvavo Payments) has been established to safeguard client funds in case of bankruptcy
• All funds are managed by a third party (the foundation), so nothing is managed by Bitvavo B.V. itself
• Only certified data centres are used
• Regular audits are performed and all employees are screened
• Account insurance up to €100,000 for unauthorised access

Conclusion

Bitvavo is a reliable Amsterdam-based crypto exchange. In 2026, with more than 2.3 million users, Bitvavo has grown into one of the largest euro spot exchanges in Europe and the team continues to develop. Bitvavo owes its growth mainly to the combination of user-friendliness and extremely low trading fees, combined with a MiCA license and DNB registration. To date, very few European exchanges have been able to match Bitvavo’s low fees.

Additionally, Bitvavo also offers many unique services, such as staking for more than 70 cryptocurrencies, a separate foundation for client funds, wallet insurance up to $255 million, account insurance against hacks up to €100,000, short selling for major cryptos and more than 440 cryptocurrencies to choose from.

Have you used Bitvavo and would you like to share your experience? You can do so via the rating form below.