Introduction
Bitstamp has existed since 2011 and holds licences in Luxembourg and Slovenia. OKX operates in Europe via Malta, charges lower fees and offers more products — but also has a criminal guilty plea in the United States behind it. Data as at August 2026.
Head to head
| Bitstamp | OKX | |
|---|---|---|
| Licences | MiCA (CSSF Luxembourg) + MiFID II (ATVP Slovenia) | MiCA (MFSA Malta) + MiFID II (MFSA Malta) |
| Entity | Bitstamp Europe S.A. (LU) · Bitstamp Financial Services Ltd (SI) — part of Robinhood since June 2025 | OKX Europe Ltd (MT) |
| Operating since | 2011 | 2017 |
| Spot fees (entry tier, maker/taker) | 0.30% / 0.40% | 0.08% / 0.10% with an X-Perps account (otherwise 0.20% / 0.35%) |
| Perpetuals | Yes, flat introductory rate with a maker rebate | Yes — 0.02% / 0.05% entry tier, plus equity perps |
| Currencies | EUR and USD | EUR and USD |
| Capital efficiency | Staking, separate from trading | Earn, but not on collateral |
| Proof of reserves | Quarterly | Monthly |
| Hack and loss history | No loss of customer funds in the period reviewed | Withdrawals frozen for five weeks at OKEx in October 2020 |
| Enforcement history | 3 decisions, including a French court ruling from 2025 | 4 decisions, including $504.7m in the US |
| Exchange score | 5.4 / 10 | 7.9 / 10 |
Costs
OKX charges 0.08%/0.10% on the entry tier, but only with an X-Perps account; without that account it starts at 0.20%/0.35%. Bitstamp starts at 0.30%/0.40%. Even in the least favourable OKX scenario OKX is therefore cheaper, and with the perps account considerably so.
Safety and supervision
Both have two European licences, and both have a history. At OKX it is the heavier one: in February 2025 the company pleaded guilty in the United States to operating a money transmitting business without a licence and paid more than $504 million, and on top of that there are two Maltese fines and a Dutch fine of €2.25 million on the tally. Bitstamp has three decisions, of which the French ruling from 2025 is the heaviest.
Products
OKX offers spot, perpetuals and equity perps; Bitstamp spot and perpetuals. For anyone who wants to trade equities through derivatives, OKX is the only one of the two. Neither lets collateral earn interest while it serves as margin; anyone who steers on that should take the yield-on-collateral comparison alongside.
How the scores are built
Bitstamp scores 5.4 and OKX 7.9. The score is the weighted sum of five pillars: regulation and oversight (25%), safety of funds (25%), product range (20%), costs (20%) and yield (10%). The full build-up is set out in the methodology.
Which one for whom?
Bitstamp if a long, quiet record of service weighs more heavily than fees. OKX if you steer on costs and product breadth, and the American guilty plea is in the past for you. Both are EU-licensed; that is the floor, not the difference.
Frequently asked questions
What does that American guilty plea by OKX mean?
In February 2025 OKX pleaded guilty to running a money transmitting business without a licence in the United States and paid more than $504 million. It concerns American customers it should not have served, not the European entity.
Do I get the low rate at OKX automatically?
No. The entry tier of 0.08%/0.10% applies with an X-Perps account. Without that account OKX starts at 0.20%/0.35%.
Which of the two has the longest record of service?
Bitstamp, active since 2011. That counts, but it does not protect against everything: in 2025 Bitstamp was held liable in France because it served customers there without registration.