Regulated crypto exchanges for 2026
Gemini takes the top spot with a score of 7.0 out of 10. There are 6 qualifying US exchanges.
Ranking of regulated crypto exchanges
Our 10-point score sets the order, with the best first. An exchange qualifies if it holds a licence or trust charter from NYDFS for New York, the strictest state crypto regime.
| Rank | Exchange | Our score | $1,000 bank-transfer buy | States it does not serve | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 7.0 out of 10 | $12 | Serves every state | Gemini review |
| 2 |  | 6.8 out of 10 | $0 | Serves every state | Robinhood review |
| 3 |  | 6.4 out of 10 | $10 | Nevada, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam | eToro review |
| 4 | Coinbase | 6.3 out of 10 | – | – | Coinbase review |
| 5 | Cash App | 4.6 out of 10 | $9 | – | Cash App review |
| 6 |  | 3.8 out of 10 | $18 | Hawaii | PayPal review |
How the regulated crypto exchanges list gets picked
Qualifying means holding a trust charter or licence from NYDFS for New York, the strictest state crypto regime.
The figures all come from the exchanges' own pages; read how we score for our method.
Reasons some exchanges are missing from the regulated crypto exchanges list
- There's no NYDFS licence or charter for Kraken.
- Crypto.com holds no NYDFS licence and no NYDFS charter.
- Binance.US holds no NYDFS licence and no NYDFS charter.
- Uphold has no NYDFS licence or charter.
- River has neither a NYDFS licence nor a NYDFS charter.
- OKX US has neither a NYDFS licence nor a NYDFS charter.
- Binance, KuCoin, Bybit and Hyperliquid are not open to US residents, so they stay off every list of regulated crypto exchanges.