Broker | Country | Regulation | Leverage | Crypto deposit fee | Website |
Netherlands BTCDirect Review | N/A | 1:1 | Wire: €2.50 CC: No info | Read the review | |
Netherlands Deribit Review | N/A | 1:50 | Crypto only, free | Read the review | |
Netherlands Bitrush Review | None | 1:1 | CC: 6.27% iDeal: €0.37 | Read the review | |
Netherlands AnycoinDirect Review | None | 1:1 | 0.5% SEPA | Read the review | |
Netherlands HappyCoins Review | None | 1:1 | N/A | Read the review | |
Netherlands Bitonic Review | N/A | 1:1 | No info | Read the review | |
Netherlands BL3P Review | N/A | 1:1 | No info | Read the review | |
Netherlands LiteBit Review | None | 1:1 | SEPA: €0.61 GiroPay: 2.5% | Read the review |
Although the Netherlands is known as one of the world’s ctypto hubs, cryptocurrency trading is not formally regulated or monitored by the Dutch financial authorities. The latter have granted Bitcoin the status of an item of barter and therefore digital currencies currently do not fall within the scope of the Act on Financial Supervision of the Netherlands.
The Netherlands is one of the most Bitcoin friendly countries worldwide. It even has its own ‘Bitcoin City’, Arnhem, where you can purchase almost anything, from gas to dental services and Burger King, with Bitcoin. Moreover, the Dutch have launched their own digital currency, the Guldencoin, back in 2014, which enjoys a significant level of acceptance among local businesses.
As is the case in many other countries, Dutch authorities pursue ways to curb money laundering and illicit Bitcoin practices. In 2017, the Dutch tax authority warned of bitcoin mixing services (which are anonymous and confuse the trails of transactions) and is seeking to recognize them as money-laundering indicators. Nonetheless, using Bitcoin mixers is not illegal in the country, yet the authorities recommend investors to use crypto-exchanges that apply strict anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) standards, as required on a European level.
In addition, the banking sector of the Netherlands has started to look into blockchain as a way to cut costs and improve their own technology. The Dutch Central Bank has supported the creation of a ‘blockchain development campus’ for banks, to collect and share knowledge on the application of distributed ledger technology in the financial services sector.
Furthermore, the information technology unit of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs has established the National Blockchain Coalition, which aims to unite more than 20 local public and private organizations to create coherence between policy, regulation, supervision, maintenance and execution.
Apart from trading on a cryptocurrency exchange, you can also trade in Bitcoin and altcoins with forex brokers. They offer a simpler way of leveraged trading in cryptocurrencies. As always, we advise our readers to invest in brokerages that are duly licensed. For example, FXTM and XM operate legally in the Netherlands and offer trading in various digital coins.
There are a number of local exchanges, operating in the Netherlands, including BL3P, Bitonic, LiteBit, Bitrush, BTC Direct. Major players in the crypto world like Coinbase, Bitstamp , Kraken (which has acquired the Dutch cryptocurrency exchange CleverCoin) are also popular with Dutch investors.