Europe

Bulgaria crypto restrictions and exchange access

Bulgaria's Financial Supervision Commission authorises crypto firms under the EU's MiCA rules, so an exchange needs a MiCA licence to serve residents, and gains are taxed at a flat 10%.

Available

of 22 platforms

Limited

of 22 platforms

Restricted

of 22 platforms

Regulators

Top exchanges by access score

Last updated 20 Oct 2026

Map of Bulgaria and its neighbours with Bulgaria highlighted, beside the 22 tracked platforms by status in Bulgaria: 3 restricted (Gemini, HTX, Kalshi); 8 limited (Binance, Bitfinex, Bitget, Bybit, Crypto.com, Gate, KuCoin, MEXC); 11 available (Aster, Bitstamp, Coinbase, Hyperliquid, Jupiter, Kraken, Lighter, OKX, PancakeSwap, Polymarket, Uniswap). Right: 3 of 22 tracked platforms refuse Bulgaria; 8 are limited; 5 firms are licensed by the Financial Supervision Commission under MiCA; crypto gains are taxed at a flat 10%.

Is crypto legal in Bulgaria?

Yes, through authorised providers. We found no Bulgarian law that bans individuals from holding or trading crypto, and since the transition ended on 1 July 2026 a firm serving Bulgarian residents needs a MiCA authorisation.

The EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) set the licensing rules. Bulgaria applied it in the Markets in Crypto-Assets Act, which the Financial Supervision Commission (FSC) says entered into force on 8 July 2025. The FSC’s FAQ names it the national competent authority under MiCA, with the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) responsible for e-money tokens and for firms it already supervises.

Before MiCA, firms registered with the National Revenue Agency (NRA) under article 9a of the money-laundering law. The FAQ lets them operate until 1 July 2026 or until a licence was granted or refused. The Act added a shorter step: registrants from 30 December 2024 to 8 July 2025 had to file a licence application within three months, by 8 October 2025, or be struck off. In decision 613 of 13 October 2025 the FSC struck one firm on that ground; we could not find how many firms had registered with the NRA.

When the transition ended, the FSC said it had licensed two companies and that firms licensed in other EU states may serve Bulgaria after notifying it. Unlicensed providers must draw up a wind-down plan and may not offer clients new services.

Which crypto exchanges work in Bulgaria?

Seven of the exchanges we track serve Bulgarian users under a MiCA licence: Coinbase, Kraken, OKX, Bitstamp, Bybit, Crypto.com and Gate. Four are fully available; Bybit, Crypto.com and Gate are limited because they offer no derivatives here.

None of them holds a Bulgarian authorisation. Each is licensed by another EU regulator and serves Bulgaria on a passport, which is why the chart names the regulator that granted the licence. ESMA’s interim register carries the licence dates and lists Bulgaria among each firm’s passported countries.

The same register lists five firms with Bulgaria as their home state, read on 19 October 2026, all authorised by the FSC: Alaric Securities on 22 December 2025, Belayer on 28 April 2026, Altcoins BG and Digital Assist on 21 July 2026, and FF Digital on 15 October 2026. Altcoins BG and FF Digital passport their services abroad; Belayer and Digital Assist serve Bulgaria only. None is a platform we track.

Binance is not on the register under any name. CoinDesk reported on 26 June 2026 that it told EU users it would stop providing services after failing to secure a MiCA licence.

Best crypto platforms for Bulgarian residents

By our access score, Bitstamp and Kraken (each 8.0 out of 10) are the most open exchanges for Bulgarian residents, with Coinbase and OKX (7.5) next. Aster, Hyperliquid, Jupiter, Lighter, PancakeSwap and Uniswap (8.0) are the most open DeFi platforms, and Polymarket also scores 8.0, though we could not confirm that Bulgaria allows it.

The score rates how fully a Bulgarian resident can use each platform, not its fees or safety. It is computed from our data and moves when a row changes: access status (4 points), the share of the platform’s products open here (3), the licences we hold on file for Bulgaria (2) and what our geo-access test saw from a Bulgarian address (1). Nobody scores the maximum, because every licensed platform here serves Bulgaria on an EU passport and none holds a licence booked to Bulgaria. Platforms that refuse Bulgarian users are not scored. The full method is on our methodology page.

Exchanges

Bitstamp
Best for Spot trading from a long-running EU licence
8.0/10
Access
4/4
Products
3/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
1/1
Pros
- Bitstamp Europe S.A. holds a CSSF MiCA licence from 15 May 2025
- Our test loaded the home page from a Bulgarian address
Cons
- No Bulgarian entity: served from Luxembourg
Read our Bitstamp report
Kraken
Best for Spot trading under an Irish MiCA licence
8.0/10
Access
4/4
Products
3/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
1/1
Pros
- Payward Europe Solutions holds a Central Bank of Ireland MiCA licence, passported across the EEA
- Our test loaded sign-up from a Bulgarian address with no barrier
Cons
- No Bulgarian entity: served from Ireland
Read our Kraken report
Coinbase
Best for A MiCA-licensed exchange with the widest reach
7.5/10
Access
4/4
Products
3/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
0.5/1
Pros
- Coinbase Luxembourg S.A. holds a CSSF MiCA licence passported across the EEA
- Bulgaria is on its passport list in the ESMA register
Cons
- No Bulgarian entity: served from Luxembourg
- Its Bulgarian page says stocks and prediction markets are not available
Read our Coinbase report
OKX
Best for A global brand with a local EU site
7.5/10
Access
4/4
Products
3/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
0.5/1
Pros
- OKX Europe Limited holds an MFSA MiCA licence from 27 January 2025
- okx.com points Bulgarian visitors to OKX Europe
Cons
- Served from Malta, not by a Bulgarian entity
Read our OKX report
Bybit
Best for Spot trading only
6.9/10
Access
3.5/4
Products
2.4/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
1/1
Pros
- Spot is served by Bybit EU GmbH under an Austrian MiCA licence
Cons
- Bybit EU offers no derivatives
- Derivatives on Bybit Global are being wound down for EEA residents
Read our Bybit report
Crypto.com
Best for Spot trading in an app
6.3/10
Access
3.5/4
Products
1.8/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
1/1
Pros
- Foris DAX MT Limited holds a Malta MiCA licence from 27 January 2025
- Spot trading and the app are offered
Cons
- Derivatives are on its geo-restrictions list
Read our Crypto.com report
Gate
Best for Spot trading on a licensed EU arm
5.5/10
Access
3.5/4
Products
1.5/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
0.5/1
Pros
- Gate Technology Ltd holds a Maltese MiCA licence
- Spot trading is open to Bulgarian users
Cons
- Gate EU offers no derivatives
- Its sign-up page showed an EU-region notice from a Bulgarian address
Read our Gate report

DeFi

Aster
Best for Perpetuals from your own wallet
8.0/10
Access
4/4
Products
3/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
1/1
Pros
- Bulgaria is not on its prohibited-jurisdictions list
- Its trading app loaded in our test
Cons
- No licence on file for Bulgaria
Read our Aster report
Hyperliquid
Best for Perpetuals and spot on its own chain
8.0/10
Access
4/4
Products
3/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
1/1
Pros
- Not excluded by its terms
- The trading app loaded in our test
Cons
- No licence on file for Bulgaria
Read our Hyperliquid report
Jupiter
Best for Solana swaps
8.0/10
Access
4/4
Products
3/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
1/1
Pros
- Bulgaria is not named in its terms
- Its app loaded in our test
Cons
- No licence on file for Bulgaria
Read our Jupiter report
Lighter
Best for Perpetuals from your own wallet
8.0/10
Access
4/4
Products
3/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
1/1
Pros
- Bulgaria is not named in its terms
- Its trading app loaded in our test
Cons
- No licence on file for Bulgaria
Read our Lighter report
PancakeSwap
Best for BNB Chain swaps and pools
8.0/10
Access
4/4
Products
3/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
1/1
Pros
- Not excluded by its terms
- The swap page loaded in our test
Cons
- No licence on file for Bulgaria
Read our PancakeSwap report
Uniswap
Best for Swapping tokens from your own wallet
8.0/10
Access
4/4
Products
3/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
1/1
Pros
- Its terms bar only places under comprehensive US sanctions
- Our test loaded the swap app from a Bulgarian address
Cons
- No licence on file for Bulgaria
Read our Uniswap report

Prediction markets

Polymarket
Best for Event markets with deep volume
8.0/10
Access
4/4
Products
3/3
Licences
0/2
Our test
1/1
Pros
- Bulgaria is not on its blocked-countries list
- Its home page loaded in our test
Cons
- No licence on file for Bulgaria
- The NRA list that would show a Bulgarian block could not be read
Read our Polymarket report

Which platforms block Bulgarian users?

Three of the 22 platforms we track refuse Bulgarian users: Gemini, HTX and Kalshi. Eight more are limited: Binance, Bybit, Crypto.com, KuCoin, Gate, Bitget, MEXC and Bitfinex.

Most exits trace to MiCA. Gemini closed every UK and EEA account on 6 April 2026. KuCoin EU has had trading and deposits suspended since 4 February 2026. Binance told EU users it would stop providing services after failing to secure a MiCA licence; from 1 July 2026 sign-ups, deposits and trading are closed while existing users can still withdraw. HTX’s user agreement bars all EU member states, and the EU’s Russia sanctions ban dealings with it from 23 August 2026.

Platforms that refuse or restrict Bulgarian usersPick one to see what we found

Platform	Status	Type	What we found
Gemini	Restricted	Exchange	Closed every account on 6 April 2026; its sign-up page refused us from Bulgaria
HTX	Restricted	Exchange	Its user agreement bars all EU states, and EU sanctions ban dealings with HTX from 23 August 2026
Kalshi	Restricted	Prediction market	On its restricted-jurisdictions list; its sign-up page said trading is not available in our country
Binance	Limited	Exchange	No MiCA authorisation since 1 July 2026: sign-ups, deposits and trading closed, existing users can withdraw
Bybit	Limited	Exchange	Bybit EU serves spot only; derivatives on Bybit Global are being wound down for EEA residents
Crypto.com	Limited	Exchange	Spot is open; derivatives are on its geo-restrictions list
KuCoin	Limited	Exchange	KuCoin EU has had trading and deposits suspended since 4 February 2026, while withdrawals stay open
Gate	Limited	Exchange	Gate EU serves spot only; global Gate stopped taking EEA users in March 2025
Bitget	Limited	Exchange	No MiCA licence: Bitget EU applied to the Austrian regulator on 2 July 2026 and will serve the EU only once authorised
MEXC	Limited	Exchange	No MiCA licence, and ESMA lists it as non-compliant after the Dutch regulator’s decision of September 2025
Bitfinex	Limited	Exchange	No Bitfinex company is on ESMA’s register, yet sign-up stays open

Source: platform terms and notices, ESMA, EU Official Journal, verified 19 October 2026. What each site showed us is in the next section.

What our geo-access test saw from Bulgaria

From a Bulgarian address on 14 and 16 October 2026 we tested all 22 platforms we track: 2 refused us, 5 showed a notice or a redirect, and 15 loaded with no barrier.

An open page is not permission. Bitget, HTX, MEXC and Bitfinex all loaded although Bitget has no MiCA licence, HTX’s terms bar the EU and Binance has closed new sign-ups. The two refusals were Gemini (“Gemini does not currently operate in Bulgaria”) and Kalshi, whose sign-up page said trading is not available in the country. The five notices were Binance’s European regulatory information link, Coinbase’s note that stocks and prediction markets are not available, Gate’s EU-region notice, KuCoin’s suggestion to switch to KuCoin EU and OKX’s redirect to its European site. Polymarket loaded. Swipe through the screenshots below; each card quotes the message the page showed.

Who regulates crypto in Bulgaria?

The Financial Supervision Commission authorises and supervises crypto firms, with the Bulgarian National Bank covering e-money tokens. The National Revenue Agency polices betting, taxes gains and receives crypto reports under the EU’s DAC8 rules.

Financial Supervision Commission (FSC). The competent authority under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Act. It has authorised five firms, took over the transitional register from the NRA on 8 July 2025 and publishes the notifications of foreign firms that serve Bulgaria on a passport.
Bulgarian National Bank (BNB). Competent for e-money tokens and for crypto-asset service providers that it already supervises, according to the FSC’s FAQ. We did not open bnb.bg.
National Revenue Agency (NRA). Kept the pre-MiCA register of virtual-currency providers, publishes the list of unlicensed gambling sites and is the tax authority covered below.

We found no warning or enforcement action by the FSC, the BNB or the NRA that names Binance, Bybit, Bitget, MEXC, KuCoin, HTX or any other exchange we track.

Which crypto products are limited in Bulgaria?

Spot trading is the open product. Bybit, Crypto.com and Gate offer no derivatives to Bulgarian users, and we found no Bulgarian rule written for staking.

Product matrix for three platforms in Bulgaria. Bybit: spot available, derivatives limited, overall limited; Crypto.com: spot available, derivatives restricted, overall limited; Gate: spot available, derivatives restricted, overall limited.

Derivatives. Bybit EU offers none, and EEA access to Bybit Global, which does, is being wound down. Crypto.com lists derivatives on its geo-restrictions list. Gate EU offers none, and global Gate stopped taking EEA users in March 2025.
Staking. ESMA’s Q&A 2067 says MiCA has no staking-specific rules; where a provider holds the assets or keys, staking counts as ancillary to custody and needs the custody authorisation, with the client’s explicit consent.
Prediction trading. Coinbase’s Bulgarian page says prediction markets are not available there, and Kalshi refuses Bulgarian users.

Are prediction markets legal in Bulgaria?

We could not confirm that they are not. The National Revenue Agency lists unlicensed gambling sites, but we found no decision, bill or statement naming Polymarket or Kalshi.

The NRA’s page of decisions identifying online betting sites without a licence loads by script and showed only identifiers when we opened it on 19 October 2026, so a listing of either site is neither confirmed nor ruled out. SBC News described the process in 2024: the agency orders a suspension, the operator has three days, and a court complaint follows before internet providers block the site.

In our data Polymarket is available at medium confidence: Bulgaria is not on its list of restricted countries and its home page loaded from a Bulgarian address. That is not permission under Bulgarian law. Kalshi is restricted because it refuses Bulgarian users itself, not because of a Bulgarian action.

How is crypto taxed in Bulgaria?

Gains from selling or exchanging crypto are taxed at a flat 10% for individuals, after a 10% deduction for expenses, and are declared in the annual return. Crypto platforms must report users’ transactions to the tax authority from 2026 under DAC8.

The NRA’s crypto page treats a sale or exchange as income from the transfer of rights or property. The profit or loss is calculated per transaction, losses are set against gains, and the result is reduced by 10% for expenses. The NRA’s income tax page sets the rate at 10% of the tax base. Neither page states an effective rate; 9% is our arithmetic. No advance tax is due, the income goes in Appendix 5 of the annual return, and records are kept for five years. Mining on a commercial scale counts as business income, declared in Appendix 2. We found no NRA guidance on staking, airdrops or DeFi and no holding-period rule.

The return is filed between 10 January and 30 April of the following year. Bulgaria adopted the euro on 1 January 2026, and the NRA says amounts for income earned in 2025 are stated in leva, while income earned in 2026 is stated in euros.

Reporting is a new law. KIK-info reports that Bulgaria published its DAC8 amendment in State Gazette 85 on 15 September 2026, applying from 1 January 2026, with the first report on all 2026 transactions due by 30 June 2027. We did not read the gazette text, so these dates rest on that report. The directive itself applies from 1 January 2026.

Working out the tax on a Bulgarian crypto saleFor an individual, following the NRA’s guidance

Step	Detail
Spot the taxable event	A sale or an exchange of crypto-assets is income from transferring property
Work out each gain	Sale price minus acquisition cost, transaction by transaction
Offset losses	Total realised losses are set against total realised gains
Deduct 10% for expenses	The NRA reduces the result by 10%
Apply 10%	The flat rate on the tax base; no advance tax is due
Declare in Appendix 5	In the annual return, between 10 January and 30 April of the following year

Source: NRA, read 19 October 2026.

Sources: Financial Supervision Commission (1: Crypto-assets and MiCA: frequently asked questions, 2: From 1 July only licensed companies may offer crypto-assets in the EU (notice posted 2 July 2026), 3: Decision 613-DUVV of 13 October 2025 on the transitional register (Bulgarian)), ESMA (1: Interim MiCA register: authorised crypto-asset service providers (CASPS.csv, read 19 October 2026), 2: Q&A 2067 on MiCA and staking (20 June 2024)), CoinDesk: Binance tells EU users it will no longer provide services after failing to secure a MiCA licence (26 June 2026), European Union (1: Regulation (EU) 2026/1848: Russia-sanctions package listing crypto-asset service providers (July 2026), 2: Council Directive (EU) 2023/2226 (DAC8)), National Revenue Agency (1: Crypto-assets: income from sale or exchange (Bulgarian), 2: Income tax of individuals (Bulgarian), 3: Questions and answers on the euro (Bulgarian), 4: Decisions identifying online betting sites without a licence (Bulgarian)), SBC News: Bulgaria's tax agency blacklists more unlicensed gambling operators (21 October 2024), KIK-info: Crypto transactions from 2026 are reported to the NRA (21 September 2026, Bulgarian), checked 19 Oct 2026.

Platform availability

Explore which exchanges and prediction markets are available in Bulgaria.

Platform	Type	Spot	Derivatives	Staking	Status	Last verified
Aster	DeFi	Available	Available	Available	Available	17 Oct 2026
Binance	Exchange	Limited	Limited	Limited	Limited	28 Sep 2026
Bitfinex	Exchange	Limited	Limited	Limited	Limited	17 Oct 2026
Bitget	Exchange	Limited	Limited	–	Limited	16 Oct 2026
Bitstamp	Exchange	Available	Available	Available	Available	17 Oct 2026
Bybit	Exchange	Available	Limited	Limited	Limited	17 Oct 2026
Coinbase	Exchange	Available	Available	Available	Available	17 Oct 2026
Crypto.com	Exchange	Available	Restricted	–	Limited	17 Oct 2026
Gate	Exchange	Available	Restricted	–	Limited	17 Oct 2026
Gemini	Exchange	Restricted	Restricted	Restricted	Restricted	17 Oct 2026
HTX	Exchange	Restricted	Restricted	Restricted	Restricted	20 Oct 2026
Hyperliquid	DeFi	Available	Available	Available	Available	17 Oct 2026
Jupiter	DeFi	Available	Available	Available	Available	17 Oct 2026
Kalshi	Prediction market	–	–	–	Restricted	17 Oct 2026
Kraken	Exchange	Available	Available	Available	Available	17 Oct 2026
KuCoin	Exchange	Limited	Limited	–	Limited	16 Oct 2026
Lighter	DeFi	Available	Available	Available	Available	17 Oct 2026
MEXC	Exchange	Limited	Limited	–	Limited	17 Oct 2026
OKX	Exchange	Available	Available	Available	Available	16 Oct 2026
PancakeSwap	DeFi	Available	Available	Available	Available	17 Oct 2026
Polymarket	Prediction market	–	–	–	Available	17 Oct 2026
Uniswap	DeFi	Available	–	–	Available	17 Oct 2026