How is the exchange score calculated?

Five published components add up to 100: US money-transmission licensing (25), higher-tier US oversight (20), reserves and financial transparency (20), enforcement record over 5 years (25) and security incidents over 3 years (10). Every input links to a dated source.

Does a high score mean my money is safe?

No. The score summarises public regulatory and transparency signals. It is not a solvency rating, an audit or a guarantee.

Do you get paid by exchanges?

No. There are no affiliate links or paid placements on ClarityCheck.

Crypto exchange safety checker

US licences, New York BitLicense, enforcement history and proof of reserves for 11 major exchanges and apps. Every fact links to its source.

Last checked Oct 19, 2026

At a glance

11 exchanges and apps, scored on public signals

Strong signals 3Moderate signals 4Weaker signals 2Significant concerns 2

Licences checkedFinCEN, state MTLs, NYDFS
Enforcement windowLast 5 years
Proof of reservesWithin 12 months scores best
Affiliate linksNone

Scores at a glance

Coinbase81Strong signals
Gemini80Strong signals
Robinhood Crypto80Strong signals
Bitstamp77Moderate signals
Kraken75Moderate signals
Crypto.com73Moderate signals
Uphold62Moderate signals
OKX50Weaker signals
Binance.US42Weaker signals
Bybit38Significant concerns
Binance (global)25Significant concerns

Bands: 80+ Strong · 60–79 Moderate · 40–59 Weaker · under 40 Significant concerns. Not a solvency rating.

No affiliate links, no paid placements.

Scores come from fixed rules (below), not opinion. A high score is not a guarantee: exchanges can fail, and holding coins on any exchange carries custody risk. See our custody explainer.

Exchange scores
Exchange	Score	US availability	NY BitLicense / trust	Proof of reserves
CoinbaseUS-listed public company with NY BitLicense, CFTC-registered derivatives arms and a 2023 NYDFS settlement.	81 Strong signals	Available in the US	Yes	Audited filings (no PoR)
GeminiNY trust company, US-listed public company, CFTC-designated exchange; 2024 NYDFS and 2025 CFTC penalties.	80 Strong signals	Available in the US	Yes	Audited filings (no PoR)
Robinhood CryptoUS-listed parent, NY BitLicense, available nationwide; 2022 NYDFS penalty.	80 Strong signals	Available in the US	Yes	Audited filings (no PoR)
BitstampLong-running exchange with a NY BitLicense, now owned by a US-listed parent; small 2022 Idaho penalty.	77 Moderate signals	US: some states restricted	Yes	Audited filings (no PoR)
KrakenBroad US licensing (not NY), full CFTC derivatives stack, regular proof of reserves, 2023 SEC staking settlement.	75 Moderate signals	US: some states restricted	No	Within 12 months
Crypto.comBroad US availability (not NY), CFTC derivatives licences; proof of reserves not updated since 2022.	73 Moderate signals	US: some states restricted	No	Older than 12 months
UpholdFinCEN-registered with many state licences; self-published reserves; no federal action found.	62 Moderate signals	US: some states restricted	No	Self-reported
OKXSeparate US entity with broad state licences; the global operator pleaded guilty in 2025.	50 Weaker signals	US: some states restricted	No	Within 12 months
Binance.USUS entity separate from Binance.com. Patchy state availability; the SEC case was dismissed in 2025.	42 Weaker signals	US: some states restricted	No	Not found
BybitNot for US users. EU MiCA-authorised; suffered the largest crypto theft on record in 2025.	38 Significant concerns	Not available to US residents	No	Within 12 months
Binance (global)Not for US users. 2023 guilty plea and $4.3B+ US resolution; no MiCA authorisation found.	25 Significant concerns	Not available to US residents	No	Within 12 months

How the score works

Five components, 100 points in total:

25US money-transmission licensing20Higher-tier US oversight20Reserves & financial transparency25Enforcement record (5 yrs)10Security incidents (3 yrs)

Scoring rules in full

US money-transmission licensing (25): FinCEN MSB registration (5) plus state money transmitter licence coverage: broad (20), partial or unverified (12), none (0).
Higher-tier US oversight (20): NYDFS BitLicense or NY trust charter (10), a CFTC-registered affiliate (DCM/FCM/DCO) (5), an SEC-registered broker-dealer affiliate or an SEC-reporting parent (5).
Reserves & financial transparency (20): audited financial statements filed with the SEC (10) plus proof of reserves: within 12 months (10), self-reported only (5), older than 12 months (3). Capped at 20.
Enforcement record, last 5 years (25): starts at 25. Criminal guilty plea by the company −20, or by a related group company −10. Each regulatory penalty of $1M or more −5 (max −15). Dismissed or closed cases don't deduct, but we still show them.
Security incidents, last 3 years (10): starts at 10. Theft of $100M or more −7. Disclosed customer-data breach −4.

Bands: 80+ Strong signals · 60–79 Moderate · 40–59 Weaker · under 40 Significant concerns. The score measures public regulatory and transparency signals, mostly from a US point of view. It is not a solvency rating, an audit, a guarantee your funds are safe, or a recommendation. Exchanges that don't serve the US score low on US licensing by design. Each input is linked to a dated source on the exchange's page; "not found" means we looked and couldn't verify it, not that it doesn't exist.

FinCEN MSB registration is a federal anti-money-laundering registration, not a licence or endorsement; FinCEN does not vet registrants. The registrant list also contains entities with names similar to well-known exchanges whose connection we could not confirm.

Exchange delisting tracker → · Custody explainer →

Not legal, financial or investment advice. The CLARITY Act is not law. Facts are from the linked sources as checked on Oct 19, 2026; please tell us if anything is out of date.