What CEX.IO does

CEX.IO is a multi-functional, centralized cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2013 by Oleksandr Lutskevych, operating as a licensed Money Services Business with FinCEN (registration 31000209195846), PCI DSS Level 1 certified, and registered with the UK Financial Conduct Authority, the Bank of Spain, and 30+ US Money Transmission Licenses. The platform serves 15M+ registered users across 185+ countries through a multi-entity corporate structure headquartered in London (CEX.IO Ltd), with regional offices in Miami (CEX.IO Corp.), Madrid (CEX.IO EUROPE, S.L.), Charlestown, Nevis (CEX OVRS LLC), and Portugal. Its core customer segments include retail crypto traders and beginners seeking a guided entry into digital assets, professional traders requiring deep liquidity and margin (up to 20x), institutional clients (hedge funds and family offices) served through the CEX.IO Prime suite, and SMB remittance users reached via MoneyGram integration in 152 countries.

The platform offers an integrated ecosystem of products: CEX.IO Spot Trading (300+ high-liquidity markets), Margin Trading (up to 20x leverage), Instant Buy/Sell, Crypto Converter (zero-fee USD/USDC conversions up to $100,000), CEX.IO Wallet, CEX.IO Pay (zero-fee internal transfers), CEX.IO Earn (Staking and Savings with up to 12-15% annual rewards), CEX.IO App (iOS/Android super-app with 1M+ downloads), and a Trading API supporting REST/WebSocket protocols for algorithmic trading. The underlying technology stack includes multi-signature wallet security, regional KYC/AML compliance infrastructure, and payment rails spanning Visa, Mastercard, SEPA, SWIFT, Faster Payments, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Recent infrastructure investments include the April 2026 OpenPayd partnership for multi-currency institutional accounts with SEPA Instant settlement, and the September 2024 MoneyGram/Stellar integration for global crypto cash-in/cash-out.

CEX.IO's business model is anchored in transaction-based revenue: tiered trading fees (maker fees can reach 0% for $10M+ monthly volume traders, with taker fees on instant trades), crypto conversion spreads (with zero-fee USD/USDC promotions), and yield generated on assets held in CEX.IO Earn staking and savings programs. Go-to-market operates as a hybrid: self-serve product-led growth for retail (instant KYC under five minutes, mobile-first apps) paired with enterprise field sales for institutional clients (CEX.IO Prime with dedicated account managers) and channel partnerships (OpenPayd, MoneyGram). Customer acquisition combines content marketing via CEX.IO University (200+ educational articles), a 30% commission referral program, social media presence, and earned media coverage in Forbes, Bloomberg, CoinDesk, and Cointelegraph. The company is privately held with no disclosed venture funding, parent company, or IPO activity.

Name

CEX.IO

Legal name

CEX.IO Ltd

Website

https://cex.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CEX.IO is a global, regulated centralized cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2013, serving 15M+ retail and institutional users across 185+ countries with spot trading, margin trading, staking, and fiat on/off-ramps through PCI DSS Level 1 certified infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cryptocurrency Exchange

NAICS

Securities and Commodity Exchanges (52321), Securities and Commodity Exchanges (5232), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221)

akta.pro primary industry

Spot Crypto Exchanges (Order-Book & Matching Engine) (FSADAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Centralized Crypto Exchanges (CEX) (FSAPADAA), Staking & Earn Programs (Exchange-Operated) (FSADAAAH), Retail Crypto Brokerages (Simple Buy/Sell) (FSADAAAB), Margin Trading & Collateralized Borrowing (Exchange-Operated) (FSADAAAL), Crypto Custody & Exchange Wallet Services (Integrated) (FSADAAAG), Fiat On/Off-Ramps & Payment Rails (Exchange-Operated) (FSADAAAF)

Keywords

• Cryptocurrency exchange
• Crypto trading platform
• Spot margin trading
• Crypto staking services
• Institutional crypto prime

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Trading Fees: Transaction fees from spot and margin trading on the exchange. Maker fees can reach 0% for high-volume traders ($10M+ trading volume). Taker fees apply to market orders and instant trades.
2. Crypto Conversion Spreads: Revenue from spread between buy and sell prices on crypto-to-fiat and crypto-to-crypto conversions, including zero-fee conversions between USD and USDC up to $100,000
3. CEX.IO Earn (Staking and Savings): Rewards programs where users earn annual crypto rewards (up to 15% annually) by holding supported assets. Revenue derived from yield generated on staked assets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CEX.IO operates a centralized cryptocurrency exchange ecosystem that enables retail users, professional traders, and institutional clients to buy, sell, trade, hold, and earn cryptocurrencies. Core products include Spot Trading and Margin Trading (up to 20x leverage) across 300+ markets, an Instant Buy fiat on-ramp with credit/debit card support, a custodial CEX.IO Wallet, CEX.IO Earn (Staking and Savings with up to 15% annual rewards), CEX.IO Prime institutional prime brokerage, a mobile super app, and REST/WebSocket trading APIs for algorithmic traders.

Product overview

CEX.IO is a multi-functional cryptocurrency exchange ecosystem founded in 2013, operating as a licensed Money Services Business with FinCEN and offering PCI DSS Level 1 certified services. The platform provides a unified ecosystem of interconnected services for buying, selling, trading, holding, and earning cryptocurrencies. The core product portfolio includes: Spot Trading and Margin Trading (up to 20x leverage) as the primary trading venues; Instant Buy and Crypto Converter for fiat on-ramps; the CEX.IO Wallet and Crypto & Bitcoin Wallet for storage and transfers; CEX.IO Pay for zero-fee peer-to-peer transfers; CEX.IO Earn (Staking & Savings) for earning rewards; CEX.IO Prime for institutional clients; the CEX.IO App for mobile access; the Trading API for algorithmic traders; and CEX.IO University for crypto education. The platform supports over 300 crypto markets, serves users across 185+ countries, and integrates OpenPayd for payment infrastructure and MoneyGram for global cash-in/cash-out services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CEX.IO Prime: Institutional-grade ecosystem for hedge funds and family offices, offering enterprise-level liquidity.
• CEX.IO Earn
• CEX.IO Spot Trading
• CEX.IO Wallet
• CEX.IO App

Products and services

• CEX.IO Spot Trading Advanced spot trading platform connecting retail investors, professional traders, and institutional participants to 300+ high-liquidity markets for trading digital assets against fiat currencies such as USD, EUR, and GBP. Supports Market, Limit, and Stop-Limit order types with deep liquidity.
• CEX.IO Margin Trading Margin trading offering up to 20x leverage on major trading pairs, enabling advanced users to go long or short with both isolated and cross-margin risk management solutions.
• Instant Buy Instant Buy service enabling users to purchase Bitcoin and 300+ other cryptocurrencies directly with a credit or debit card or e-wallet in seconds, with compliance-first onboarding and over 100 fiat-to-crypto pairs.
• CEX.IO Wallet A secure, free crypto wallet for buying, selling, converting, and storing cryptocurrencies, with multichain support across leading crypto protocols and portfolio tracking on mobile or web. Supports zero-fee transfers between CEX.IO accounts and fiat withdrawals.
• CEX.IO Earn (Staking & Savings) Umbrella program housing crypto Staking and Savings services, enabling eligible users to receive periodic rewards (up to 15% annual) by holding select digital assets, with funds remaining fully accessible and withdrawable at any time.
• CEX.IO Prime Institutional-grade ecosystem for hedge funds and family offices, providing enterprise-level liquidity, sub-accounts, personal account managers, and integration with traditional finance infrastructure via OpenPayd.
• CEX.IO App Mobile crypto super app for iOS and Android bringing the full exchange experience for buying, selling, converting, trading, and managing crypto portfolios on the go, with multichain support, price alerts, and portfolio tracking.
• CEX.IO Trading API Free cryptocurrency trading and exchange API channels including WebSocket and REST protocols, enabling algorithmic trading, automated strategies, real-time market data access, account balance queries, and third-party terminal integration with a Node.js SDK.
• CEX.IO Pay Instant, zero-fee transfer service allowing verified users to send and receive crypto between CEX.IO accounts without blockchain confirmations or network fees, enabling peer-to-peer payments and business settlements.
• Crypto Converter Service enabling eligible users to exchange crypto for fiat in seconds by bypassing the order book, providing a faster no-order-book conversion experience with zero-fee USD/USDC and EUR/EURC conversions up to $100,000.
• CEX.IO Mastercard Debit Card Mastercard-branded crypto debit card enabling registered users in the EEA to make everyday payments with their crypto holdings, integrated with the CEX.IO App.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15M+ registered users served since 2013
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• OpenPaydcoreTechnology or Integration · 23 April 2026CEX.IO partnered with embedded finance provider OpenPayd to overhaul its payment infrastructure, enabling multi-currency accounts in EUR, GBP, and USD along with integrated FX capabilities and near real-time settlement via SEPA Instant for its cryptocurrency exchange. The upgrade targets institutional investors seeking crypto platforms matching traditional financial system speed and reliability. This is part of CEX.IO's multi-year strategy to serve enterprise-level clients.
• MoneyGramcoreTechnology or Integration · 18 September 2024CEX.IO became the first cryptocurrency exchange to integrate MoneyGram's international money transfer infrastructure, enabling users across 152 countries to convert USDC to cash and vice versa. The service is powered by the Stellar network and MoneyGram Access technology, currently available in select European markets (Austria, Hungary, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland) with planned expansion to EEA, Africa, EMEA, and LATAM regions.
• Stellar NetworkcoreTechnology or Integration · 17 September 2024Strategic blockchain partnership enabling the MoneyGram integration. The Stellar network powers the USDC to cash conversion service, providing the underlying infrastructure for global crypto cash-out accessibility in 152 countries.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Binance: Binance is the world's largest centralized crypto exchange by trading volume, offering spot, futures, staking, and a broad product suite. It competes head-to-head with CEX.IO for retail and institutional trading flow across most of CEX.IO's 185+ countries.
• Kraken: Kraken is a US-founded, globally operating centralized crypto exchange known for deep liquidity, staking, and a regulated US footprint. It directly competes with CEX.IO's spot, margin, staking, and institutional offerings.
• OKX: OKX is a top-tier global centralized exchange offering spot, derivatives, and a multi-chain Web3 wallet. It competes with CEX.IO on liquidity, product breadth, and geographic reach across retail and institutional segments.
• Bybit: Bybit is a major centralized exchange known for derivatives and increasingly spot markets, with global retail reach. It overlaps with CEX.IO's spot, margin, and earn products for retail traders worldwide.
• Crypto.com: Crypto.com is a centralized exchange with a Visa debit card, staking, and a mobile-first super-app experience. Its combination of an exchange, card product, and earn programs makes it a particularly close peer to CEX.IO's ecosystem strategy.
• Bitstamp: Bitstamp is one of the longest-running centralized crypto exchanges (founded 2011), regulated across the EU, UK, and US, and focused on retail and institutional spot trading. It mirrors CEX.IO's regulatory-first positioning and target customer mix.
• Bitfinex: Bitfinex is a long-standing centralized exchange with deep liquidity, margin, and OTC services targeting professional and institutional traders. It is a comparable peer to CEX.IO Prime and CEX.IO's advanced spot/margin offering.
• Gemini: Gemini is a US-regulated centralized exchange and custodian founded by the Winklevoss twins, with strong compliance positioning in the US and a focus on retail and institutional clients. It competes with CEX.IO in regulated US/EU markets.
• Coinbase: Coinbase is the largest publicly listed US-domiciled centralized crypto exchange, offering spot trading, staking, custody, and institutional services. It competes directly with CEX.IO for retail and institutional clients across the US, UK, and Europe.

Regional players

• BitFlyer: BitFlyer is a regulated Japanese centralized crypto exchange with selective global operations. It is comparable in its compliance-first exchange model to CEX.IO, though it primarily serves the Japanese and select European retail/institutional markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cex_io
• Facebookfacebook.com/420149274752615
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cex-io

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CEX.IO