What Bitstamp is
Founded in 2011 in Slovenia by Nejc Kodrič and Damijan Merlak, Bitstamp is the longest-lived cryptocurrency exchange still in business. Having grown into Europe's reference platform for spot trading of Bitcoin and Ethereum against euros and dollars, it built its reputation on regulatory compliance and operational caution rather than on the breadth of its listings. In June 2025 it was acquired by Robinhood for 200 million dollars: the deal marked the American broker's entry into the institutional and international crypto market. The brand lives on as "Bitstamp by Robinhood". Bitstamp announced that from 15 October 2026 it would invite the retail customers of its European entity, in batches, to manage their accounts from the Robinhood app: account, funds and licence remain with Bitstamp Europe S.A. (Verified: October 2026)
Regulation and licences
- MiCA: YES — CASP licence granted in May 2025 by the CSSF (Luxembourg), with passporting across the entire European Economic Area: it covers trading platform, order execution and custody. (Verified: October 2026)
- Since June 2025 the company has belonged to Robinhood Markets (a 200 million dollar acquisition completed on 2 June 2025). (Verified: September 2026)
- For users in the EU: Bitstamp can legally operate in the EU even after the expiry of the MiCA transitional regime (01/07/2026).
Security
In January 2015 Bitstamp suffered the theft of roughly 19,000 BTC (about 5 million dollars at the time) from its hot wallet: the company covered the loss in full and no customer lost funds. There have been no breaches of customer funds since. The vast majority of assets are stated to be in cold storage, and the platform has maintained a compliance record that was among the reasons for Robinhood's purchase. (Verified: September 2026)
Headquarters and contacts
- Bitstamp Europe S.A., 40, avenue Monterey, L-2163 Luxembourg: this is the European Union entity authorised as a CASP by the CSSF (licence no. N00000003), according to Bitstamp's official blog (October 2026). The parent company is Robinhood Markets (United States).
- Official website: https://www.bitstamp.net/
Alternatives
- Kraken — another veteran (2011), full MiCA via the Central Bank of Ireland
- Bybit — MiCA via Austria, strong on derivatives
- Crypto.com — MiCA via Malta, app + card ecosystem
FAQ
- Is Bitstamp legal in the EU? Yes: it holds the MiCA licence granted by Luxembourg's CSSF (May 2025), valid across the entire European Economic Area even after the July 2026 tightening.
- What changes with Robinhood? For European retail customers, the app changes. According to the announcement of 28 September 2026, from 15 October Bitstamp is inviting them, in batches, to link their account to the Robinhood app. For the first group the deadline is 14 November 2026: after that, the old Bitstamp interface remains available for consultation only (history and statements), while trading and other functions move to the Robinhood app. It is not an account transfer: the counterparty and custodian of crypto and funds remains Bitstamp Europe S.A., with its Luxembourg MiCA licence. Institutional clients are not affected. Robinhood's acquisition of Bitstamp (200 million dollars) closed in June 2025.
- Has Bitstamp ever been hacked? Yes, once: in 2015, roughly 19,000 BTC. The company covered everything and customers lost nothing; since then there have been no known incidents involving funds.
Verified sources
- https://blog.bitstamp.net/post/bitstamp-secures-casp-license-under-mica/
- https://www.theblock.co/post/356701/robinhood-bitstamp-acquisition
- https://robinhood.com/us/en/newsroom/robinhood-completes-acquisition-of-bitstamp/
- https://craft.co/bitstamp/executives
- https://blog.bitstamp.net/post/account-access-update-for-bitstamp-europe-retail-users/
- https://www.esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-12/CASPS.csv
Leadership
JG
Jean-Baptiste Graftieaux
Global CEO
BZ
