In today’s digital world there are prying eyes everywhere. Personal and data privacy are increasingly important, but everyone deserves financial privacy too.
There are many reasons why you should keep at least some of your financial data safe. You may want to hide your account balances from family members who work at financial institutions, or noisy neighbors or identity thieves who go through your trash. Perhaps you simply want to keep some cash savings aside during divorce proceedings or bankruptcy.
No matter the reason, everyone deserves some financial privacy. While cryptocurrencies aren’t inherently private, there are centralized crypto exchanges that can be used without having to go through identity verification checks – KYC. This enables you to invest in crypto without restrictions, or keep some cash on the side just in case.
United States has imposed many restrictions on crypto trading. Many CEXs (centralized exchanges) aren’t even servicing customers from US because of many regulatory hurdles which are difficult to adhere to. But, there are also many exchanges that do not require any Know-Your-Customer (KYC) identity checks.
By using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to change your IP to another country, you can easily access these exchanges to buy Bitcoin, and trade and invest in many other digital assets without restrictions.
With the help of CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko and Cexfinder we found a bunch of reliable exchanges. We tried each one, and compiled a list of the best No-KYC crypto exchanges!
1 – MEXC
MEXC Global is the largest and safest crypto exchange that doesn’t enforce mandatory identity checks. Alongside Bitcoin and Ethereum, it has nearly 2,000 other digital currencies you can invest in. MEXC has by far lowest trading fees of all exchanges on our list, and frequent airdrops, access to staking, easy to use interface and more features that make this the top non-KYC exchange.
2 – XT
XT is another excellent exchange. It doesn’t have the high volume compared to MEXC, but for occasional investments it’s a great choice with low fees. XT also has good yields on savings program – this allows you to earn passive income on your crypto holdings with practically zero risk. Getting extra 5-10% yearly just by holding coins on this exchange can be a deal-breaker for long-term investors.
3 – BitMart
BItMart is actually available and regulated in the United States, so you may not even need a VPN to use its fully range of services. BitMart also has a generous savings program to earn more on idle assets. With high trading volume and liquidity, and nearly 1,000 different altcoins, this exchange is top tier when it comes to buying crypto.
4 – BingX
BingX is also a high-volume, reliable exchange operating since 2018. New users can get up to $5,000 in signup bonuses, making BingX another excellent choice for private crypto holdings. Best thing about BingX is that is allows you to invest not just in cryptocurrency, but also traditional assets such as gold and silver. It also has a curated selection of popular stocks including Apple, Google, Tesla, PayPal, Intel, Microsoft, Coinbase, Netflix, and more.
5 – LBank
LBank is a smaller exchange compared to the ones listed above. Nevertheless, it’s definitely one worth checking for your Bitcoin purchases. It has all the features you will need, including easy deposits, low fees, copytrading, staking & savings, and of course no mandatory identity verification.
6 – Poloniex
Poloniex is a very old exchange established way back in 2014. With a decade in operation, it’s considered reliable and safe. It doesn’t have the greatest volume and liquidity, but can be a good choice for less demanding investors. If you intend to do derivatives trading, do note that Poloniex only has about 20 assets for leverage trading. Spot trading has over 700, giving you ample choices for diversified investment.
7 – ProBit Global
ProBit Global is a spot-only exchange with over 500 good altcoins to invest in. Many of these altcoins are risky investments, so for investors who don’t want to do tons of research it may be best to stick to Bitcoin or a few high-cap, reliable altcoins such as Ethereum, Solana, Polkadot, Avax, Optimism, Arbitrum, and others. ProBit also doesn’t have any staking, making it less than ideal for long-term spot holding of these tokens.
8 – CoinW
CoinW is another older exchange established way back in 2017. Its interface and usability could use improvements, but it can be a good choice for privacy. An added bonus to using CoinW is its prepaid Visa card, available almost worldwide (except a few sanctioned countries). This debit card allows for easy spending of crypto at practically any retail merchant, or direct withdrawal of cash on any ATM.
9 – BitUnix
Last but not least, BitUnix is a reliable newcomer established in 2021. It doesn’t have great liquidity, making it less than ideal for high-frequency day trading. It also only has about 100 coins listed. But with over $5,000 signup bonuses and optional KYC, it can be good alternative for private Bitcoin investments.
FAQs:
- Do I need to KYC to buy crypto with cards or bank transfers?
In most cases, exchanges will require you to do identity verification for depositing fiat (USD, EUR, or other traditional currencies) through bank transfers or debit and credit cards. Essentially, by submitting your bank or card details you are already providing exchanges with your identity anyway.
A way to bypass this is to use a reliable exchange fully available in your country to buy Bitcoin or USDT in spot. Do your identity checks (KYC) on this exchange, then simply send Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, USDC or other cryptocurrencies directly to another exchange that doesn’t enforce KCY.
Exchanges without mandatory KYC will not require you to do KYC for crypto deposits.
- Are there any restrictions if I don't do KYC?
Exchanges we listed here do not have any trading restrictions for non-verified accounts. However, most will impose daily withdrawal limits. For example, this daily withdrawal limit is $10,000 on Poloniex, and 2 BTC on CoinW. Typically the limit is around 1 BTC per day, just to prevent money laundering, scams, or other abuse.
- Do I need to use a VPN if I'm in United States?
Because of many restrictions and regulatory uncertainty, many crypto exchanges do not service customers from United States. These restrictions often extend to United Kingdom and Canada as well.
In our list, only BitUnix and BitMart are fully available to U.S. customers. Other exchanges will prevent you from making an account unless you use a VPN to change your IP to another country.
- Can I withdraw crypto from these exchanges to my private wallet?
Yes, you can withdraw your Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other coins and tokens to your private wallets, including Metamask. In fact, as long as you have a basic understanding of crypto wallets and private keys, this will be the safest way to store your cryptocurrency.
Do not forget to back up your seed phrases or private keys, and keep them safe.
Crypto exchanges without KYC are excellent for keeping your funds safe from prying eyes. Many people nowadays go to great lengths to improve their personal privacy, and there is no reason not to improve your financial privacy too.
Don’t forget that crypto still doesn’t offer complete privacy, and isn’t fully anonymous. Also, using CEXs with optional KYC shouldn’t be used to avoid paying taxes, or other illegal activities. The point of no KYC is to be able to freely trade assets without arbitrary restrictions that can be wildly different even within a single country.
No government should tell you what you can and can’t do with your own money, and these exchanges will help you spend or invest your money on things you believe in.
We hope our list of best no-KYC exchanges is useful. Invest wisely!
