Netherlands crypto restrictions and exchange access

Is crypto legal in the Netherlands?

Yes. Dutch residents may buy, hold and trade crypto; what the Netherlands regulates is who may serve them. Since 30 December 2024 every provider needs an AFM licence or a MiCA authorisation from another EU country.

The AFM says on its consumer page that crypto-assets such as Bitcoin and Ether are not themselves under its supervision, while firms that provide crypto services are. The EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) set the licensing rules, and the AFM reported its first licences the day the service-provider rules began, on 30 December 2024.

Before MiCA the Netherlands ran its own regime. From 21 May 2020 a crypto provider had to register with the central bank (DNB), and unregistered firms were fined. DNB’s fine of EUR 2,850,000 against one such provider, set on 2 October 2023, was cut to EUR 2,277,500 by the Rotterdam court on 19 December 2025, and DNB appealed on 29 January 2026.

The Dutch grace period for firms that already operated was six months and ended on 30 June 2025, a year before the EU-wide limit. ESMA confirmed in April 2026 that the last transitional periods across the EU end on 1 July 2026.

Which crypto exchanges work in the Netherlands?

Seven of the exchanges we track serve Dutch 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 the seven is licensed by the AFM. Each holds a licence from another EU regulator and serves the Netherlands on an EU passport, so the chart names the regulator that granted it. The register is ESMA’s interim MiCA list.

The AFM’s own licensees are mostly Dutch brokers and custodians outside our platform set. The same ESMA file lists 29 firms with the Netherlands as home state, 22 authorised and 7 that notified, among them Bitvavo (26 June 2025), Finst, BLOX, Bitonic and Coinmerce. The AFM register is the authority’s own list, and a firm on neither is not licensed to serve Dutch residents.

Best crypto platforms for Dutch residents

By our access score, Coinbase, Kraken and Bitstamp (each 8.0 out of 10) are the most open exchanges for Dutch users, OKX (7.5) comes next, Kalshi (8.0) is the most open prediction market and Uniswap, Jupiter and PancakeSwap (8.0) the most open DeFi platforms.

The score rates how fully a Dutch 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 the Netherlands (2) and what our geo-access test saw from a Dutch address (1). Nobody scores above 8.0, because every exchange here serves the Netherlands on an EU passport and none holds a licence booked to it. Platforms that refuse Dutch users are not scored. The full method is on our methodology page.

Exchanges

1. 01

   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 sign-up with no barrier

   Cons

   • No Dutch entity: served from Luxembourg
   Read our Bitstamp report
2. 02

   Coinbase

   Best for A MiCA-licensed exchange with the widest reach

   8.0/10

   Access

   4/4

   Products

   3/3

   Licences

   0/2

   Our test

   1/1

   Pros

   • Coinbase Luxembourg S.A. holds a CSSF MiCA licence passported across the EEA
   • Our test loaded sign-up from a Dutch address with no barrier

   Cons

   • No Dutch entity: served from Luxembourg
   Read our Coinbase report
3. 03

   Kraken

   Best for Funding with iDEAL from a Dutch bank

   8.0/10

   Access

   4/4

   Products

   3/3

   Licences

   0/2

   Our test

   1/1

   Pros

   • Its help page offers iDEAL deposits to clients who live in the Netherlands
   • MiCA licence from the Central Bank of Ireland, passported to all 30 EEA countries

   Cons

   • iDEAL works for deposits only, not withdrawals
   • Served from Ireland, not by a Dutch entity
   Read our Kraken report
4. 04

   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
   • Our test sent Dutch sign-ups to OKX Europe

   Cons

   • Served from Malta, not by a Dutch entity
   Read our OKX report
5. 05

   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
   • Our test loaded sign-up with no barrier

   Cons

   • Bybit EU offers no derivatives
   • EEA access to Bybit Global, which does, is being wound down
   Read our Bybit report
6. 06

   Crypto.com

   Best for Spot trading in an app

   5.8/10

   Access

   3.5/4

   Products

   1.8/3

   Licences

   0/2

   Our test

   0.5/1

   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 for the Netherlands
   Read our Crypto.com report
7. 07

   Gate

   Best for Spot trading on a licensed EU arm

   5.0/10

   Access

   3.5/4

   Products

   1.5/3

   Licences

   0/2

   Our test

   0/1

   Pros

   • Gate Technology Ltd holds a Maltese MiCA licence
   • Spot trading is open to Dutch users

   Cons

   • No derivatives: global Gate lists the Netherlands as restricted
   • Our test showed an EU-region notice at sign-up
   Read our Gate report

Prediction markets

1. 01

   Kalshi

   Best for The one tracked prediction market that is not on a restricted list

   8.0/10

   Access

   4/4

   Products

   3/3

   Licences

   0/2

   Our test

   1/1

   Pros

   • The Netherlands is not on its restricted-jurisdictions list
   • Our test loaded sign-up from a Dutch address

   Cons

   • The Ksa called Polymarket's event markets illegal gambling, and Kalshi has no Dutch licence on file
   Read our Kalshi report

DeFi

1. 01

   Jupiter

   Best for Solana swaps

   8.0/10

   Access

   4/4

   Products

   3/3

   Licences

   0/2

   Our test

   1/1

   Pros

   • The Netherlands is not in its terms
   • Its app loaded in our test

   Cons

   • No licence on file for the Netherlands
   Read our Jupiter report
2. 02

   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 the Netherlands
   Read our PancakeSwap report
3. 03

   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 Dutch address

   Cons

   • No licence on file for the Netherlands
   Read our Uniswap report

Which platforms block Dutch users?

Six of the 22 platforms we track refuse Dutch users: Binance, Gemini, KuCoin, MEXC, HTX and Polymarket. Two more are limited because they have no working MiCA licence: Bitget and Bitfinex.

Binance was the first to go. It left the Dutch market in July 2023 after failing to obtain a registration, so existing users can only withdraw. The AFM warned consumers on 24 September 2025 that MEXC works without a licence and actively targets Dutch consumers; MEXC suspended Dutch fiat services on 20 March 2026 and is winding down Dutch accounts. DNB had warned about KuCoin in December 2022 for serving Dutch customers without registration, and KuCoin EU has had trading and deposits suspended since 4 February 2026.

Two exits come from outside Dutch law. Gemini closed every UK and EEA account on 6 April 2026. HTX’s user agreement bars every EU state, and EU sanctions on Russia-linked providers ban dealings with it from 23 August 2026 under Regulation (EU) 2026/1848. Polymarket is a gambling case, covered in the prediction-markets section.

Platform	Status	Type	What we found
Binance	Restricted	Exchange	Left the Dutch market in July 2023: no new users, existing users can only withdraw; its sign-up page refused us
Gemini	Restricted	Exchange	Closed every UK and EEA account on 6 April 2026; its sign-up page refused us from the Netherlands
KuCoin	Restricted	Exchange	The Netherlands is on its restricted-locations list; KuCoin EU has had trading and deposits suspended since 4 February 2026
MEXC	Restricted	Exchange	Unlicensed per the AFM; Dutch fiat suspended on 20 March 2026 and accounts being offboarded
HTX	Restricted	Exchange	Its user agreement bars all EU states, and EU sanctions ban dealings with HTX from 23 August 2026
Polymarket	Restricted	Prediction market	Close-only: existing positions can be closed but no new ones opened; the Ksa fined its operator in 2026
Bitget	Limited	Exchange	No MiCA licence: Bitget EU applied to the Austrian FMA on 2 July 2026 and will serve the EU only once authorised
Bitfinex	Limited	Exchange	No Bitfinex company is on ESMA’s register, yet sign-up stays open

Source: platform terms and notices, AFM, DNB, ESMA, EU Official Journal, verified 17 October 2026. What each site showed us is in the next section.

What our geo-access test saw from the Netherlands

From a Dutch address on 14 and 16 October 2026 we loaded 18 of the platforms we track: 5 refused us, 1 redirected us and 12 loaded with no barrier.

An open page is not permission. HTX and Bitfinex both loaded their sign-up pages although HTX’s terms bar the EU and Bitfinex has no MiCA licence. The five refusals were Binance (a restricted-jurisdiction message), Gemini (“Gemini does not currently operate in Netherlands”), MEXC, Gate and Polymarket, whose geoblock check answered blocked; OKX sent us to its European site. Swipe through the screenshots below; each card quotes the message the page showed.

BlockedBinance · Sign-up page

The same refusal from a Dutch address

“Your IP address indicates that you're attempting to access our services from a restricted jurisdiction.”

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 202 · Binance located us in Netherlands

BlockedGate · Sign-up page

The Netherlands, on Gate's list, got the pop-up and a pointer to Gate EU

“It seems that you're accessing our website from the EU region.”

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

BlockedGemini · Sign-up page

The Netherlands, one of the EEA countries Gemini left, gets the same refusal

“Gemini does not currently operate in Netherlands.”

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

BlockedMEXC · Home page

Netherlands: no notice on the page, but MEXC's location check refused registration

“Due to local laws and regulations, this service is currently unavailable in your region.”

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

Notice shownOKX · Sign-up page

The Netherlands: sign-up is served by OKX Europe

“Sign Up On OKX's Website | OKX Europe”

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

No barrierAster · Trading app

The Netherlands: the trading app loads with no block

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

No barrierBitfinex · Sign-up page

The Netherlands: the sign-up form loads with no notice

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

No barrierBitstamp · Sign-up page

The Netherlands, served by Bitstamp Europe under the Luxembourg MiCA licence

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

No barrierBybit · Sign-up page

The Netherlands: the sign-up form loads with no notice

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

No barrierCoinbase · Sign-up page

The Netherlands, served under Coinbase's Luxembourg MiCA licence: sign-up loads with no barrier

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

No barrierHTX · Sign-up page

The Netherlands: the EU is barred in HTX's terms, yet sign-up loads with no notice

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

No barrierJupiter · Trading app

The Netherlands: the swap app loads

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

No barrierKalshi · Sign-up page

The Netherlands, on neither of Kalshi's lists: sign-up open

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

No barrierKraken · Sign-up page

The Netherlands, one of 30 EEA countries under Kraken's Irish MiCA licence: sign-up loads

14 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

No barrierLighter · Trading app

The Netherlands: the trading app loads

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

No barrierPancakeSwap · Trading app

The Netherlands: the swap page loads

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

No barrierUniswap · Trading app

The Netherlands, inside the EEA: the app loads

16 Oct 2026 · HTTP 200

CRYPTORESTRICTIONS

Who regulates crypto in the Netherlands?

The AFM licenses crypto firms and supervises how they sell. DNB handles prudential supervision and stablecoin issuers, the Kansspelautoriteit polices prediction markets as gambling, and the Belastingdienst taxes crypto and receives exchange reports under the EU’s DAC8 rules.

• AFM. The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets is the licensing authority for crypto-asset service providers and supervises their conduct. On 16 April 2026 it reported that 14 of 33 firms it reviewed had significant advertising shortcomings and 19 had significant cost-information shortcomings, and said the period of leniency has ended.
• DNB. De Nederlandsche Bank said it is responsible for the regular prudential supervision of service providers, and it licenses issuers of the two stablecoin types under MiCA. The registration regime it ran from 2020 ended with MiCA.
• Kansspelautoriteit (Ksa). The Dutch gambling regulator decides what counts as an illegal game of chance, as covered below.
• Belastingdienst. The tax authority runs box 3 and, from 1 January 2026, collects crypto-asset reports from exchanges under DAC8.

Which crypto products are limited in the Netherlands?

Spot trading is the open product. Derivatives are the narrowest: Bybit EU, Crypto.com and Gate offer none to Dutch users, and the AFM bans binary options for retail investors in or from the Netherlands.

• Binary options. The AFM’s product intervention bans selling binary options to retail investors in or from the Netherlands.
• Turbos. The same page sets rules for turbos offered in the Netherlands, wherever the provider is based: a maximum leverage, standardised risk warnings and no bonuses.
• Derivatives and DeFi. The AFM describes derivative products and decentralised finance as largely outside its crypto supervision, assessed case by case. In practice, our rows show the licensed exchanges holding derivatives back: Bybit EU has none, and global Bybit’s EEA access is being wound down.
• Stablecoins. Under MiCA, issuers of e-money tokens, the category for single-currency stablecoins, must be credit or e-money institutions, and DNB licenses issuers of asset-referenced tokens.

Are prediction markets legal in the Netherlands?

Not without a gambling licence. The Ksa treats Polymarket’s event markets as illegal gambling and has fined its operator EUR 420,000 a week up to EUR 840,000.

The Wet op de kansspelen (Gambling Act) bans offering games of chance without a licence. The Ksa announced its order against Adventure One QSS Inc., the company behind Polymarket, on 17 February 2026. Polymarket argues prediction markets are not gambling and the Ksa disagrees, and it says the licence duty applies equally to new kinds of gambling platform. Its case page of 8 July 2026 records that EUR 420,000 has been forfeited and is being collected.

The Ksa has named no other platform, which is why the dataset and the law can disagree. Polymarket is restricted for the Netherlands in our data. Kalshi is on neither of its own restricted lists, so it shows as available, although the Ksa’s reading of the Gambling Act would cover it too.

How is crypto taxed in the Netherlands?

Crypto goes in box 3 of your return. The Belastingdienst taxes a deemed yearly return on what you hold on 1 January, 6.00% for 2026, at 36%, and only on wealth above a tax-free allowance. When you sell does not change the bill.

The tax authority’s crypto page says to value your crypto as of 1 January at 00:00, at the price on the platform you used, and to tick “Cryptobezittingen” in the return. For 2025 the deemed return on investments and other assets was 5.88%, the rate 36% and the tax-free allowance EUR 57,684 per person, which is what the worked example uses.

You can ask to be taxed on your actual return instead: the tegenbewijsregeling has let people who paid too much claim it back since 1 July 2025. The government plans a new box 3 based on actual return, which the Rijksoverheid marks as possible in 2028 and not yet decided.

Reporting is widening. Under the Dutch DAC8 law, crypto-asset providers started recording customer data on 1 January 2026 and must report it by 31 January 2027. The data is not pre-filled in your return, but the Belastingdienst can use it to check returns.

Step	Detail
Value it on 1 January	Take the price on the platform you used, as of 00:00 on 1 January
Enter it in box 3	Report it under bank accounts and other assets and tick the crypto box (Cryptobezittingen)
Check the allowance	Tax is due only on wealth above the tax-free allowance, which applies automatically
Accept the deemed return or claim your own	The state sets the percentage (6.00% for 2026), taxed at 36%; the actual-return form lets you ask for less

Source: Belastingdienst crypto page, checked 17 October 2026.