Skip to content
Heads up: The CLARITY Act is not law. Statuses are rules-based estimates from public evidence, not legal or financial advice.
← All exchanges

Is Bitstamp safe?

Bitstamp USA, Inc. (owned by Robinhood Markets since June 2025) · Last updated Oct 19, 2026
77/100Moderate signals

At a glance

77/100 · Moderate signals
  • ClarityCheck score77/100 · Moderate signals
  • US availabilityUS: some states restricted
  • NY BitLicense / trust charterYes (NYDFS list)
  • Proof of reservesAudited filings (no PoR)
In short

Long-running exchange with a NY BitLicense, now owned by a US-listed parent; small 2022 Idaho penalty. Bitstamp USA holds a New York BitLicense. Its full state licence list couldn't be loaded on Oct 19, 2026 (the page blocked automated access).

Score breakdown

  • US money-transmission licensing17/25
    FinCEN MSB registration (5) + state licence coverage: partial or unverified (12)
  • Higher-tier US oversight15/20
    NYDFS BitLicense/trust charter yes (10); CFTC-registered affiliate not found (0); SEC-registered broker-dealer or SEC-reporting parent yes (5)
  • Reserves & financial transparency10/20
    Audited financials filed with the SEC yes (10); proof of reserves not found (0)
  • Enforcement record (last 5 years)25/25
    Starts at 25. Criminal plea: none found (0); regulatory penalties ≥ $1M: 0 (−5 each, max −15). Dismissed or closed cases don't deduct.
  • Security incidents (last 3 years)10/10
    Starts at 10. Theft of ≥ $100M: none found; disclosed customer-data breach: none found

How the score works →

Custody

Not found: we couldn't verify Bitstamp's custody arrangements.

Registrations & licences

3 facts
  1. Official sourceOct 19, 2026 · NYDFS

    NYDFS lists Bitstamp USA, Inc. with a Virtual Currency License (2019-04).

    NYDFS: Virtual Currency Businesses, regulated entities list ↗
  2. Official sourceOct 19, 2026 · FinCEN

    Bitstamp USA Inc. appears in FinCEN's MSB registrant list. Note: the list also contains other 'Bitstamp'-named registrants whose link we didn't confirm.

    FinCEN MSB Registrant Search (full registrant export) ↗
  3. Official sourceDec 3, 2022 · Idaho Dept. of Finance

    Idaho's Dec 2022 order states that Bitstamp USA then held money transmitter licences in 34 states, with 4 more pending (NMLS 1905429).

    Idaho Dept. of Finance: Agreement and Order, Bitstamp Ltd (Docket 2022-12-03) ↗

EU (MiCA)

1 fact
  1. Official sourceOct 19, 2026 · ESMA

    Bitstamp Europe S.A. (Luxembourg, CSSF) is an authorised MiCA CASP, notified 15/05/2025.

    ESMA interim MiCA register: authorised crypto-asset service providers (CASPS.csv) ↗

Enforcement & legal history

1 fact
  1. Official sourceDec 3, 2022 · Idaho Dept. of Finance

    Idaho: Bitstamp Ltd agreed to a $25,000 civil penalty for unlicensed money transmission to Idaho residents (2017–2022) while its US affiliate applied for a licence.

    Idaho Dept. of Finance: Agreement and Order, Bitstamp Ltd ↗

Reserves & transparency

1 fact
  1. Official sourceOct 19, 2026 · SEC EDGAR

    Parent Robinhood Markets files audited reports with the SEC. We found no Bitstamp proof-of-reserves.

    SEC EDGAR: Robinhood Markets filings ↗

Ownership

1 fact
  1. Company / third-partyJun 2, 2025 · Robinhood

    Robinhood completed its acquisition of Bitstamp on June 2, 2025.

    Robinhood closes acquisition of Bitstamp ↗

Bitstamp questions

Is Bitstamp safe?

ClarityCheck scores Bitstamp 77/100 (Moderate signals) on public regulatory and transparency signals: Long-running exchange with a NY BitLicense, now owned by a US-listed parent; small 2022 Idaho penalty. This is not a solvency rating or a guarantee.

Is Bitstamp available in the US?

US: some states restricted. Bitstamp USA holds a New York BitLicense. Its full state licence list couldn't be loaded on Oct 19, 2026 (the page blocked automated access).

Is Bitstamp licensed in New York?

Yes. NYDFS lists a BitLicense or trust charter for Bitstamp's entity (checked Oct 19, 2026).

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.