Coinbase review: score, licensing and risks
84/100SCORE · BTrusted
Grade B, very good
Coinbase is the most heavily regulated large exchange in crypto and the only major one whose finances are independently audited and publicly filed. That makes it the default recommendation for anyone whose first concern is not losing the lot to an exchange failure. The trade off is cost and coverage: fees on the simple buy screen are among the highest in the industry, and the asset list is deliberately conservative. Use Advanced Trade rather than the basic interface and the pricing becomes competitive.
The facts
- FOUNDED
- 2012
- HEADQUARTERS
- Remote first, United States
- CUSTODY
- Custodial. Institutional custody arm holds a large share of the industry's cold storage.
- MiCA / EEA
- Authorised. MiCA CASP licence held in Luxembourg, passported across the EEA.
- US ACCESS
- Yes. The most straightforward US option.
- PROOF OF RESERVES
- Not a proof of reserves publisher in the usual sense. It does something stronger: it is a NASDAQ listed public company (COIN) filing audited quarterly financials with the SEC.
- FEES
- Around 0.60 percent taker and 0.40 percent maker at entry tier on Advanced Trade. The Simple Buy interface is far more expensive and catches beginners out constantly.
- ASSETS
- 250 plus
How the score breaks down
Each dimension is explained on the methodology page.
Where it is strong and where it is not
✓ Strengths
- Audited public company financials, which no private exchange can match
- Strongest regulatory position of any large exchange
- Clean, genuinely beginner friendly apps
- Base layer 2 is theirs, so it is well integrated
✗ Weaknesses
- Expensive unless you use Advanced Trade rather than the simple buy screen
- Fewer listed assets than the offshore venues
- Account freezes for compliance review are a recurring complaint
Incident history
2021
A phishing campaign exploited an SMS account recovery flaw and affected around 6,000 customers. Coinbase reimbursed them.
Our read
The safest structural bet in the sector. A listed company filing audited accounts has obligations that no offshore exchange carries. You pay for that in fees, and you accept a narrower asset list. If you do not know where to start, start here and move elsewhere later if you need to.
COMPARE
RISK WARNING
Crypto assets are highly volatile and largely unregulated. You can lose everything you put in.
Nothing on this page is financial, investment or tax advice, and nothing here is a recommendation
to buy or sell any asset. Do your own research and never commit money you cannot afford to lose.