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 Uphold safe?

Uphold HQ Inc. · Last updated Oct 19, 2026
62/100Moderate signals

At a glance

62/100 · Moderate signals
  • ClarityCheck score62/100 · Moderate signals
  • US availabilityUS: some states restricted
  • NY BitLicense / trust charterNot found
  • Proof of reservesSelf-reported
In short

FinCEN-registered with many state licences; self-published reserves; no federal action found. Crypto transactions are restricted while physically in New York (selling crypto for fiat remains available). Uphold says it has applied for a licence in California.

Score breakdown

  • US money-transmission licensing17/25
    FinCEN MSB registration (5) + state licence coverage: partial or unverified (12)
  • Higher-tier US oversight5/20
    NYDFS BitLicense/trust charter no (0); CFTC-registered affiliate not found (0); SEC-registered broker-dealer or SEC-reporting parent yes (5)
  • Reserves & financial transparency5/20
    Audited financials filed with the SEC no (0); proof of reserves self-reported only (5)
  • 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 Uphold's custody arrangements.

Registrations & licences

3 facts
  1. Company / third-partyOct 19, 2026 · Uphold

    Uphold HQ Inc. is a FinCEN-registered MSB, licensed as a money transmitter in 'numerous states' (NMLS ID 1269875). It has applied for licensure in California.

    Uphold: Important disclosures ↗
  2. Official sourceOct 19, 2026 · FinCEN

    Uphold HQ Inc. appears in FinCEN's MSB registrant list.

    FinCEN MSB Registrant Search (full registrant export) ↗
  3. Company / third-partyOct 19, 2026 · Uphold

    Uphold Securities (SEC No. 8-46202) is an Uphold subsidiary, per Uphold's disclosures.

    Uphold: Important disclosures ↗

Availability

1 fact
  1. Company / third-partyOct 19, 2026 · Uphold

    New York restriction on crypto transactions.

    Uphold Help: New York restriction ↗

Enforcement & legal history

1 fact
  1. Company / third-partyOct 19, 2026 · Uphold

    No SEC, CFTC or DOJ action against Uphold found in our searches. Absence of results isn't proof of none.

    Uphold: Important disclosures ↗

Reserves & transparency

1 fact
  1. Company / third-partyOct 19, 2026 · Uphold

    Publishes a real-time transparency page of assets, liabilities and reserves. It's self-reported, and we found no independent Merkle-tree verification.

    Uphold Financial Transparency Report ↗

Uphold questions

Is Uphold safe?

ClarityCheck scores Uphold 62/100 (Moderate signals) on public regulatory and transparency signals: FinCEN-registered with many state licences; self-published reserves; no federal action found. This is not a solvency rating or a guarantee.

Is Uphold available in the US?

US: some states restricted. Crypto transactions are restricted while physically in New York (selling crypto for fiat remains available). Uphold says it has applied for a licence in California.

Is Uphold licensed in New York?

We didn't find Uphold on NYDFS's list of BitLicense or trust-charter holders (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.