Best Crypto Exchanges in Cyprus for 2026

Since 1 July 2026, only crypto exchanges authorised under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) may serve customers in Cyprus. The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) supervises them.

Kraken, Bybit EU, OKX, eToro, Revolut, Crypto.com and Coinbase all hold licences that cover Cyprus, and CySEC authorises eToro and Revolut directly. Binance, Bitget and MEXC hold no MiCA licence anywhere in the EU.

Cypriots also pay a flat 8% tax on crypto gains since 1 January 2026, down from rates of up to 35% that could hit frequent traders.

We checked every licence against the ESMA register of crypto-asset service providers and CySEC's lists, compared euro deposits and spot fees, and weighed the results against our exchange rankings.

This guide to the best crypto exchanges in Cyprus puts spot trading first and treats regulated futures as a bonus. It is not tax or legal advice.

Top 7 Crypto Exchanges in Cyprus

Exchange	Licence covering Cyprus	Spot maker / taker	Regulated futures	Greek website	Key nuance
Kraken	MiCA (Central Bank of Ireland), MiFID (CySEC)	0.40% / 0.80%	Yes	Yes	Futures arm licensed and based in Nicosia
Bybit EU	MiCA (Austria's FMA)	0.25% / 0.25%	No, MiFID licence pending	Yes	Top Coinperps global ranking, card deposits at 1.1%
OKX	MiCA (Malta's MFSA), MiFID	0.20% / 0.35% (0.08% / 0.10% with X-Perps)	Yes (X-Perps)	No	Monthly proof of reserves at 110% Bitcoin
eToro	MiCA and MiFID (CySEC)	1% per trade plus spread	Crypto CFDs only	Yes	Limassol-based and listed on Nasdaq
Revolut	MiCA (CySEC)	0% / 0.09% on Revolut X	No	Yes	Crypto arm licensed in Limassol
Crypto.com	MiCA (Malta's MFSA)	0.25% / 0.50%	No	Yes	More than 400 coins with euro pairs
Coinbase	MiCA (Luxembourg's CSSF), MiFID (CySEC)	0.25% / 0.50%	Yes	No	Publicly listed, futures firm based in Nicosia

1. Kraken

Best forFutures arm licensed and based in NicosiaReviewVisit Kraken

Licence covering Cyprus

MiCA (Central Bank of Ireland), MiFID (CySEC)

Spot maker / taker

0.40% / 0.80%

Regulated futures

Yes

Greek website

Yes

Kraken is the best crypto exchange in Cyprus because it pairs a MiCA licence for spot trading with a CySEC-licensed derivatives firm in Nicosia, free euro deposits and more than 600 coins in one account.

Spot customers contract with Payward Europe Solutions Limited, which the Central Bank of Ireland authorised as a crypto-asset service provider (CASP) and which the ESMA register shows passported into Cyprus from 25 June 2025, so the Irish licence is valid there. Kraken's licensing page lists its EEA markets, and its website runs in Greek.

Derivatives come from Payward Europe Digital Solutions (CY) Limited, which holds CySEC licence 342/17 and has its registered office in Nicosia. Kraken launched these futures for European clients on 20 May 2025, and access requires an appropriateness test.

SEPA and SEPA Instant deposits are free from Kraken's side, with a €1 minimum, while debit cards cost €0.25 plus 3.75%. Each customer also receives a personal IBAN through its partner Banking Circle.

Kraken Pro charges makers 0.40% and takers 0.80% at the lowest tier, under the cross-platform tiers introduced on 9 July 2026. Instant buys in the app cost 1% plus a spread, so regular buyers pay less on the Pro order book.

Kraken's proof of reserves for 30 June 2026 shows 102.9% Bitcoin backing. Our Kraken restricted countries guide covers regional access, or open an account through Kraken.

2. Bybit EU

Best forTop Coinperps global ranking, card deposits at 1.1%ReviewVisit Bybit

Licence covering Cyprus

MiCA (Austria's FMA)

Spot maker / taker

0.25% / 0.25%

Regulated futures

No, MiFID licence pending

Greek website

Yes

Bybit tops our global exchange rankings, and its Vienna-based arm, Bybit EU GmbH, offers Cypriot residents a MiCA-licensed version with a Greek interface.

Austria's FMA authorised Bybit EU on 28 May 2025, and the ESMA register lists Cyprus among its passports. Bybit's earlier CySEC registration from 2023 no longer serves Cypriot customers.

Since 5 October, spot trading has used a flat rate of 0.25% for makers and takers below €100,000 of monthly volume. SEPA deposits are free, and the card fee is 1.1% for EU Visa and Mastercard, while Apple Pay and Google Pay cost 1.8% plus €0.24.

One-Click Buy carries a spread of 1.30% on weekdays and 1.80% at night and weekends, so the order book is cheaper. The EU platform lists about 110 coins with spot margin and recurring buys, but no perpetual futures until its MiFID II licence, applied for in September 2025, is granted.

Bybit's proof of reserves for 23 September 2026 shows 104% Bitcoin backing across the group. It lost about $1.5 billion in ETH to a North Korean hack in February 2025 and covered client losses in full. Compare it in our Bybit vs Kraken guide, or sign up through Bybit.

3. OKX

Best forMonthly proof of reserves at 110% BitcoinReviewVisit OKX

Licence covering Cyprus

MiCA (Malta's MFSA), MiFID

Spot maker / taker

0.20% / 0.35% (0.08% / 0.10% with X-Perps)

Regulated futures

Yes (X-Perps)

Greek website

No

OKX is the cheapest exchange here for active traders who open its regulated futures account, and it publishes the most frequent proof of reserves.

OKX Europe Limited holds a MiCA licence from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), granted on 27 January 2025 and passported into Cyprus.

The EEA fee schedule charges 0.20% maker and 0.35% taker, falling to 0.08% and 0.10% for users who also open an X-Perps account. SEPA and SEPA Instant deposits are free from OKX, and Buy/Sell orders carry a spread of up to 1%.

X-Perps, launched on 15 April 2026, are five-year futures with a funding rate, so they trade like perpetuals. OKX Europe Markets Limited issues them under MiFID II across the EEA, with fees of 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker.

OKX's proof of reserves dated 3 October 2026 shows 110% Bitcoin backing. In February 2025 its parent pleaded guilty in the US to unlicensed money transmission and agreed to pay about $505 million. See our OKX vs Kraken comparison.

4. eToro

Best forLimassol-based and listed on Nasdaq

Licence covering Cyprus

MiCA and MiFID (CySEC)

Spot maker / taker

1% per trade plus spread

Regulated futures

Crypto CFDs only

Greek website

Yes

eToro is the strongest Cyprus-licensed option, a multi-asset platform run from Limassol that CySEC has supervised as an investment firm since 2010.

eToro (Europe) Ltd holds CySEC investment firm licence 109/10 and received one of the EU's first MiCA licences from CySEC on 16 January 2025, announced on 19 February 2025. Its parent listed on Nasdaq under the ticker ETOR in May 2025.

eToro charges most members a flat 1% fee on each crypto buy or sell, plus the market spread, and cuts it only from the Platinum tier up. Moving coins to the eToro Money wallet costs a 2% transfer fee, capped at $100.

Euro accounts come from eToro Money Malta, and SEPA transfers in and out are free. In Cyprus, PayPal works only after your first deposit. It lists more than 150 crypto-assets beside stocks, ETFs and copy trading.

Leveraged and short crypto positions on eToro are contracts for difference (CFDs), capped at 2:1 for retail clients. The Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund covers MiFID products up to €20,000, but spot crypto held under MiCA is outside it.

5. Revolut

Best forCrypto arm licensed in Limassol

Licence covering Cyprus

MiCA (CySEC)

Spot maker / taker

0% / 0.09% on Revolut X

Regulated futures

No

Greek website

Yes

Revolut suits Cypriots who already bank with it, because its crypto arm is licensed in Limassol and its Revolut X exchange charges 0% for makers and 0.09% for takers.

Revolut Digital Assets (Europe) Ltd received its CySEC MiCA licence, numbered CASP001/25, on 20 October 2025, and Cyprus became the home of Revolut's European crypto operations. Reuters reported that at least 14 million of its 65 million customers used crypto.

The main app costs more, and its Cyprus fee schedule sets 1.49% for Standard and Plus plans and 0.99% for Premium and Metal, plus a spread that typically runs from 0% to 3%. Ultra moves to a flat 0.49% on 19 November 2026.

Revolut X offers more than 300 tokens at exchange fees from the same euro balance. Withdrawing coins costs €1 or €3 plus the network fee, and there is no custody fee. Revolut publishes Greek-language pages for Cyprus.

6. Crypto.com

Best forMore than 400 coins with euro pairsReviewVisit Crypto.com

Licence covering Cyprus

MiCA (Malta's MFSA)

Spot maker / taker

0.25% / 0.50%

Regulated futures

No

Greek website

Yes

Crypto.com has the widest coin choice here, with more than 400 crypto-assets tradable against the euro, and a Greek website and help centre.

Foris DAX MT Limited holds a MiCA licence from Malta's MFSA, granted on 27 January 2025, and passported its services across the EEA on 12 February 2025.

The Crypto.com Exchange charges 0.25% maker and 0.50% taker at Level 1, falling to 0.08% / 0.18% above $500,000 a month. SEPA deposits are free, with a €1 minimum, and euro withdrawals carry no fee but an €80 minimum.

The group bought a CySEC-licensed investment firm in 2025, now Foris Capital CY Ltd (licence 344/17). Its derivatives restriction list still includes Cyprus, so Cypriot users cannot trade crypto futures there. The latest proof of reserves on its EEA site dates from December 2022.

7. Coinbase

Best forPublicly listed, futures firm based in NicosiaReviewVisit Coinbase Futures

Licence covering Cyprus

MiCA (Luxembourg's CSSF), MiFID (CySEC)

Spot maker / taker

0.25% / 0.50%

Regulated futures

Yes

Greek website

No

Coinbase is the only exchange here in the S&P 500, and its European futures firm holds a CySEC licence in Nicosia.

Spot services come from Coinbase Luxembourg S.A., authorised under MiCA by Luxembourg's CSSF and passported into Cyprus from 20 June 2025. Coinbase cut its Advanced fees on 16 September, setting the EU entry tier at 0.25% maker and 0.50% taker. The simple app charges more through a spread and a payment fee.

On 9 March 2026 Coinbase launched regulated futures in Europe through Coinbase Financial Services Europe Ltd, which holds CySEC licence 374/19. The range includes perpetual-style contracts with a five-year term.

A May 2025 data breach exposed customers' personal details after support contractors were bribed. In November 2025 the Central Bank of Ireland fined Coinbase Europe €21.46 million for transaction monitoring failures. Open an account through Coinbase.

How We Ranked These Exchanges

We ranked exchanges first on whether they hold a licence that covers Cyprus, then on euro deposit methods, local costs, Greek-language support and platform strength, following our ranking methodology.

Licence status came from the ESMA register, updated on 15 October 2026 and downloaded on 21 October, and from CySEC's MiCA licensee list. Fees came from each exchange's published schedule. An exchange without a licence could not make the list, whatever its global score.

Among licensed venues, our exchange rankings of liquidity, fees, regulation and features set the order. Bybit and OKX rank highest globally, but Kraken takes first place in Cyprus by pairing MiCA authorisation with a Nicosia-based futures firm, free instant deposits and a Greek website.

eToro and Revolut rank fourth and fifth as the strongest platforms licensed by CySEC itself. Futures counted only as a tiebreaker, so cheap spot trading and euro funding outweighed extra leverage.

Is Crypto Legal in Cyprus?

Buying, holding and selling crypto is legal in Cyprus, as long as you use a provider authorised under MiCA by CySEC or by another EU regulator that has passported its licence into Cyprus.

MiCA and CySEC

MiCA has applied across the EU since 30 December 2024 and binds Cyprus directly. A Finance Ministry notification, listed on CySEC's MiCA legislation page, names CySEC as supervisor of crypto-asset service providers and the Central Bank of Cyprus as supervisor of certain stablecoin issuers.

Cyprus chose the full 18-month transition, so firms on CySEC's old register could keep operating until 1 July 2026, according to ESMA's list of transitional periods. CySEC set 27 February 2026 as the deadline to apply for MiCA authorisation, and firms that missed it had to file wind-down plans.

On 10 July 2026 CySEC confirmed that crypto services are now permitted only under MiCA. A national bill setting fines of up to €15 million was tabled in parliament on 8 October 2026.

The Old CySEC Register

Before MiCA, crypto firms registered with CySEC under the anti-money laundering law, which checked their money laundering controls only. CySEC stopped accepting registrations on 17 October 2024 and has since taken the register down, so an exchange that still advertises it has proved nothing about MiCA.

How to Check an Exchange's Licence

Search CySEC's list of MiCA licensees for firms based in Cyprus and the ESMA register for firms licensed elsewhere. Use the legal entity name, because brand names rarely appear. Kraken is listed as Payward Europe Solutions Limited and Crypto.com as Foris DAX MT Limited.

CySEC cannot order refunds, so its complaints guidance sends investors to the firm first, then to the Financial Ombudsman, then to the courts.

Exchanges Without a Licence in Cyprus

Binance has no MiCA licence anywhere in the EU. It withdrew its Greek application on 24 June 2026 and told EU users it could no longer accept new registrations. Its former Cyprus company was struck off CySEC's register in 2023. Our Binance restricted countries guide tracks the details.

Bitget and MEXC are absent from the ESMA register, and MEXC stopped serving the EEA on 13 September 2026. See our Bitget and MEXC restricted countries guides.

A licence does not guarantee an open service. KuCoin EU holds an Austrian licence passported to Cyprus, but the FMA still bars it from starting operations.

The Travel Rule and Private Wallets

The EU's Transfer of Funds Regulation requires exchanges to send sender and recipient details with every crypto transfer, whatever the amount. Above €1,000 to or from a private wallet, the exchange must check that the wallet belongs to you.

Crypto Platforms Licensed in Cyprus

CySEC has authorised more crypto firms than the island's size suggests, so Cypriots have plenty of local options, most of them brokers that sell crypto inside their own apps.

The ESMA register lists 25 crypto-asset service providers authorised by CySEC. They include eToro, Revolut, Trading 212, XTB, Capital.com and NAGA X, alongside smaller custodians and payment firms.

CySEC keeps two lists. Revolut went through full MiCA authorisation, while investment firms such as Trading 212 and XTB notified CySEC under Article 60 of MiCA, the shorter path open to firms that already hold a MiFID licence.

A broker quotes its own price. Exchanges like Kraken and Bybit EU run an order book where buyers and sellers meet, which usually means lower fees for active traders.

Several global exchanges run their European derivatives through Cyprus investment firms. CySEC's register of investment firms lists Kraken (342/17), Coinbase (374/19), Crypto.com (344/17) and Backpack's Trek Labs Europe (273/15).

Backpack's licence once belonged to FTX EU, whose authorisation CySEC suspended on 11 November 2022 as FTX collapsed. Backpack bought the firm, opened a claims process for former clients in April 2025, and CySEC lifted the suspension in 2025.

How to Buy Crypto With Euros in Cyprus

The cheapest way to buy crypto in Cyprus is a free SEPA Instant transfer from your bank to a licensed exchange, then a limit order on its order book.

1. Pick an exchange from the ESMA or CySEC register and verify your identity with your Cypriot ID card or passport. Exchanges also ask for your tax number.
2. Send euros by SEPA Instant. Euro-area banks have had to send instant transfers since 9 October 2025, at no more than the price of a standard transfer, with a free check of the payee's name. Bank of Cyprus moved to instant payments on that date, clearing transfers in about 10 seconds.
3. Skip expensive cards. Card fees range from 1.1% at Bybit EU to 3.75% plus €0.25 at Kraken.
4. Buy on the order book. A limit order on Kraken Pro, Bybit EU or Revolut X costs a fraction of an instant buy, whose spread reaches 1.80% on Bybit EU at weekends.
5. Withdraw to your own wallet if you trade rarely, and keep records for the Tax Department. Transfers above €1,000 to a private wallet trigger an ownership check.

Cypriot banks keep their distance from crypto. The Central Bank of Cyprus urged caution in February 2025 and noted that no Cypriot bank invests in crypto-assets, directly or indirectly. No local bank sells crypto, and banks may query large or repeated payments to exchanges.

MiCA also changed which stablecoins you can buy. Licensed exchanges may list only stablecoins from authorised e-money issuers, so Binance and Kraken removed USDT from EEA trading in March 2025. Circle's USDC and its euro coin, EURC, comply with MiCA and took its place on most EU platforms.

Crypto Futures and Leverage Rules in Cyprus

Cypriot residents can trade crypto futures legally only through firms with an EU investment licence under MiFID II, and retail leverage on crypto is capped at 2:1.

Article 2(4) of MiCA excludes crypto-assets that count as financial instruments, so futures and perpetuals fall under MiFID II. A MiCA licence alone, such as Bybit EU's or Revolut's, cannot cover a crypto perpetual.

CySEC adopted ESMA's limits on contracts for difference (CFDs) for retail clients in its policy statement PS-04-2019. For crypto underlyings, the initial margin is 50%, which means 2:1 leverage, with negative balance protection and a 50% margin close-out.

In February 2026 the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) warned that perpetual futures are likely CFDs under EU rules, whatever their commercial name. Kraken, OKX and Coinbase advertise up to 10x for EEA clients, so check what your own retail account allows.

Offshore exchanges offering 100x to Cypriots operate without authorisation, and CySEC warned against Bitget in 2024. Our guide to perpetual futures regulation and European futures platform ranking go deeper.

Crypto Taxes in Cyprus

Cyprus taxes gains from disposing of crypto at a flat 8%, one of the lowest rates in the EU, and swapping one coin for another counts as a disposal.

Law 244(I)/2025 added Article 20E to the Income Tax Law from 1 January 2026, after parliament passed the reform on 22 December 2025. The rate applies to any person, companies included.

A disposal means selling crypto, giving it away, swapping it for another crypto-asset or paying with it. Losses offset crypto gains in the same tax year only and cannot be carried forward. Unrealised gains are not taxed, and mined coins fall outside the 8% rate.

Before 2026 Cyprus had no crypto-specific rules. Occasional gains often went untaxed, while trading profits counted as business income at personal rates of up to 35%, the same bands that now start at a €22,000 tax-free threshold. Non-domiciled status does not remove the 8% charge, because it is an income tax.

Exchanges now report their users to the Tax Department. Law 38(I)/2026 brought DAC8, the EU's crypto tax-reporting directive, into Cypriot law from 1 January 2026, and the first reports, covering 2026, are due by 30 June 2027. The Tax Department has issued no guidance yet on how to calculate the cost of coins sold, so speak to a tax adviser.

Risks and Scams to Watch

The biggest risk for Cypriot crypto users is fraud by fake platforms, and no compensation scheme pays out when a crypto provider fails.

ESMA's crypto risk warning confirms that no investor compensation scheme covers crypto-assets. The Investor Compensation Fund pays up to €20,000 to clients of failed investment firms, and bank deposits are guaranteed up to €100,000, but neither protects coins held at an exchange.

Cyprus police's cybercrime unit recorded 920 online scam cases with losses of more than €10.4 million in 2025. CySEC's blacklist of crypto domains held 171 unauthorised websites in October 2026, including clones of real brokers.

Recovery scams then target the same victims. A Paphos man lost more than €77,600 after a crypto advert and then two Greek-speaking callers who promised to recover his money. In Larnaca, a 79-year-old lost €254,679 to a fake shares and crypto platform.

Licensed firms can fail too. Clients of FTX EU, licensed by CySEC, lost access to their funds in 2022, and Bybit lost $1.5 billion to hackers in February 2025. Long-term coins in your own wallet and holdings spread across licensed providers limit the damage.

Bottom Line

Kraken is the best crypto exchange in Cyprus, pairing a MiCA licence with a CySEC-licensed futures firm in Nicosia, free SEPA Instant deposits and a Greek website. Bybit EU has our highest global ranking, and OKX has the lowest fees with an X-Perps account.

eToro and Revolut are the strongest options licensed by CySEC itself, with eToro suited to multi-asset investors and Revolut X to cheap trading from an existing account. Crypto.com has the widest coin choice, and Coinbase suits buyers who value a listed company.

Check every platform in the ESMA register before depositing, keep records for the 8% tax and treat unlicensed exchanges offering high leverage as a risk to your money. Our MiCA licensed exchanges guide compares the full EU field.