CEX.IO Review 2027 Fees, Features and Safety

This CEX.IO review for 2027 looks at the London, United Kingdom-based crypto exchange, founded in 2013, and covers trading fees, security record and regulation, so you can decide whether it fits the way you trade.

CEX.IO in brief (2027)

CEX.IO is a cryptocurrency exchange founded in London in 2013 by Oleksandr Lutskevych. It is one of the few platforms from crypto's earliest years that is still operating under the same brand. The company says it has served more than six million registered users, and it is known above all for making it easy to buy crypto with a bank card.

An unusual origin

CEX.IO did not start as a normal exchange. It began as a cloud mining marketplace linked to GHash.IO, a Bitcoin mining pool run by the same team. Users could buy and trade mining power without owning hardware. In mid-2014 GHash.IO briefly controlled more than half of the Bitcoin network's computing power, which alarmed the community because of the theoretical risk to the network. The pool voluntarily committed to limiting its share.

As mining economics changed, CEX.IO closed its cloud mining service in 2015, the pool shut down the following year, and the company turned fully to exchange and payment services.

Products

• Instant Buy: purchase crypto with Visa or Mastercard in a few clicks. CEX.IO was one of the first exchanges to offer card payments and remains strong in this area.
• Spot Trading: an order-book exchange with around 200 or more assets and fiat pairs in US dollars, euros and British pounds.
• Convert: quick swaps between assets.
• Staking and Savings: rewards for holding supported coins, with flexible and locked options.
• CEX.IO Prime: liquidity and custody services for institutional clients.
• CEX.IO Wallet: a separate self-custody wallet app.
• Crypto-backed loans in eligible regions.

The website and app are straightforward. Beginners can stay in the simple buy and sell screens, while the trading terminal provides charts and order types for more active users.

Fees

CEX.IO is convenient but not cheap for card purchases. Instant Buy with a card includes a service fee of roughly 3% in many regions, in addition to any charge from your card issuer. Spot trading is far less expensive, with fees starting at about 0.15% for makers and 0.25% for takers and declining with volume. Bank transfer deposits are low cost or free depending on the method and currency. Crypto withdrawal fees vary by coin.

The simplest way to save money is to deposit by bank transfer and trade on the spot market.

Security

CEX.IO states that it has never lost customer funds to a hack since it began operating. It holds PCI DSS certification for handling card data, uses cold storage for the majority of assets, and has completed external security assessments including SOC 2 reporting. Accounts support two-factor authentication through authenticator apps and other methods.

More than ten years without a loss of client assets is a significant achievement for an exchange that began in 2013.

Regulation

CEX.IO has pursued licences across many jurisdictions. In the United States it is registered with FinCEN as a money services business and holds money-transmitter licences in a large number of states, which lets it serve most American customers. Group entities have held a distributed ledger technology licence in Gibraltar and a virtual-asset registration in Lithuania, among others.

Its position in its home market has been more difficult. As the United Kingdom tightened its registration and financial promotion rules, CEX.IO limited services to UK retail customers. Availability of individual products, especially staking and savings, varies by country and by US state.

Who is CEX.IO best for?

CEX.IO suits people who value a long-established, compliance-minded exchange and want an uncomplicated way to turn dollars, euros or pounds into crypto. It is a reasonable choice for US customers in states where it is licensed, and for users who want staking alongside trading.

Frequent traders will find lower fees and deeper liquidity on larger exchanges, and anyone buying by card should compare the total cost first.

Pros and cons

• Pros: operating since 2013 with no loss of customer funds, easy card purchases, wide US state coverage, multiple fiat currencies, staking and savings.
• Cons: high card fees, moderate trading volume, restricted services in the UK, fewer coins than major altcoin exchanges.

Getting started

Register with an email address, verify your identity, and add two-factor authentication. For a first small purchase, Instant Buy is the quickest route. For larger amounts, fund by bank transfer and use the spot trading screen with a limit order.

CEX.IO review: verdict for 2027

CEX.IO is a steady veteran. It lacks the scale of the market leaders, yet its clean custody record, broad licensing and simple design make it a trustworthy on-ramp, as long as you avoid the most expensive payment methods.

Compare this CEX.IO review with all 40 crypto exchanges in our 2027 list, and confirm the latest terms on the official CEX.IO website before you open an account.