If you’re wanting to get started buying and selling cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, Dash, or Stellar, but are wondering which exchange to use, this CEX.io review should help you decide.
In this review to one of the most popular crypto exchanges around, I will cover the following topics:
- What CEX.io is
- A brief history of the exchange
- The advantages and disadvantages of the platform
- Which digital currencies you can buy and with which fiat currencies
- …and how much it will cost you in commission (CEX.io fees) to buy them
By the end of this CEX.io review, you should be able to decide if the exchange is the right cryptocurrency exchange for you to buy or trade your digital assets at. You should know about its past, its security features, the coins it offers, the currencies you can use there, and how much CEX.io fees are.
With so much to cover, we should probably make a start! Let’s see what this popular exchange has to offer…
- 1 CEX.io Review: What is CEX.io?
- 2 CEX.io Review: History
- 3 CEX.io Review: Advantages and Disadvantages of CEX.io
- 4 CEX.io Review: Which Coins Can You Buy on CEX.io?
- 5 CEX.io Review: Payment Methods and Fiat Currencies
- 6 CEX.io Review: Account Verification?
- 7 CEX.io Review: Advantages of Having a Verified Account
- 8 CEX.io Review: Who Should Use CEX.io?
- 9 CEX.io Review: Conclusion
CEX.io Review: What is CEX.io?
Let’s start this CEX.io review from the basics. CEX.io is a cryptocurrency exchange platform. It accepts multiple deposit types and supports several different digital assets. It is great for both advanced users and beginners getting started with buying and selling cryptocurrencies.
If you were wondering: Is CEX.io legit? Or, is CEX.io safe? The answer is yes and no. The site is certainly legit, as it has been registered in the United States as a Money Services Business. The agency that it’s licensed with is the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). This means they’re highly unlikely to suddenly pull an exit scam on you!
CEX.io also provides users with protection under a level two DSS certificate. This means it has proved itself as having a certain level of security to store, process, and transmit payment card data.
That said, CEX.io should not be considered as completely secure. It is a cryptocurrency exchange, after all. The fact that they store vast amounts of different currencies makes it a big target for hackers.
The history of digital currency is full of examples of exchanges being hacked and there is nothing to suggest the future will be any different. This is why you should never store your cryptocurrency on an exchange! Instead, you should consider using a hardware wallet, which you can read all about in my Trezor vs Ledger guide.
Next, let’s look at how the exchange evolved into the trusted platform it is today.
CEX.io Review: History
CEX.io was founded in London, UK, in 2013. Originally, it was a cloud mining provider that owned the GHash.io mining pool. Back in 2014, GHash was one of the largest mining pools around.
In early 2015, the decision was made by CEX.io to stop providing cloud mining services. This was based on the low Bitcoin price at the time, as well as the fact that the company didn’t own any mining hardware. The GHash.io mining pool was terminated. However, CEX.io would live on, solely as a cryptocurrency exchange platform.
CEX.io Review: Advantages and Disadvantages of CEX.io
CEX.io Review: Which Coins Can You Buy on CEX.io?
CEX.io Review: Advantages and Disadvantages of CEX.io
CEX.io Review: Which Coins Can You Buy on CEX.io?
There are a few different digital assets that you can buy using either Bitcoin or fiat currency on CEX.io. The list includes several coins that are not available at the likes of Coinbase. I’ve listed all the assets that are currently available below:
Bitcoin (BTC)
Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
Bitcoin Gold (BTG)
Ethereum (ETH)
Ripple (XRP)
Dash (DASH)
Stellar (XLM)
Zcash (ZEC)
CEX.io Review: Payment Methods and Fiat Currencies
One of the best things about CEX.io is that the platform accepts a lot of different fiat currencies. This makes it useful for people from many different countries. I’ve listed each currency that the exchange accepts below:
- United States dollar (USD)
- Euro (EUR)
- Pound Sterling (GBP)
- Ruble (RUB)
CEX.io also accepts various payment methods to fund the account with either these fiat currencies or cryptocurrency. Of course, I’ve listed them and the fees each charge below. It wouldn’t be a very good CEX.io review if I hadn’t!
Visa/MasterCard
Visa and Master card deposits charge a fee that is a percentage of the total transaction and a separate small payment. The CEX.io fees for each currency are slightly different:
- USD – 3.5% + $0.25.
- EUR – 3.5% + 0.24 EUR.
- RUB – 5% + 15.57 RUB.
- GBP – 3.5% + £0.20.
Bank Transfers and Cryptocurrencies
CEX.io do not charge any commission for bank transfers and cryptocurrency deposits. Bank transfers are available to use with all currencies except the Ruble. You must be fully verified to use these features, however.
CEX.io Review: Account Verification?
There are various levels of accounts on CEX.io. They are:
Various levels of accounts on CEX.io: Basic, Verified, Verified Plus, Corporate
With each account, tier comes different advantages. These include additional payment options as well as higher limits on transactions and withdrawals.
The corporate and verified plus accounts are for more advanced users. Therefore, I won’t be going into too much detail about them.
However, even new users will likely want to reach the “verified” account tier. I’ve explained the advantages of doing so after the section on basic accounts.
Basic Accounts
Basic accounts at CEX.io are the default account that you will create as soon as you sign up for CEX.io. The only payment method accepted for fiat deposits using a basic account is a Visa or MasterCard. I’ve listed the limits for basic account deposits in each currency below:
- USD – daily: $1,000, monthly: $3,000
- EUR – daily: 1,000 EUR, monthly: 3,000 EUR
- RUB – daily: 60,000 RUB, monthly: 180,000 RUB
- GBP – daily: £800, monthly: £2,000
Note: Individual payment methods have their own “recommended” maximum and minimum deposit amounts. The CEX.io website states that the total amounts made using different methods must not be more than the totals listed above.
Verified Accounts
If users want to withdraw fiat funds or increase their payment limits, they must verify their identity. Don’t worry though. This is easy. The next part of this CEX.io review will explain exactly how to do it. I’ll then go through the precise advantages of having a verified user account.
How to Get a CEX.io Verified Account: Stage 1
Users need to submit some personal information and documents to reach the verified account tier. It’s all standard stuff though. The information is needed to make sure the company complies with anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) regulations. Let’ start our CEX.io review of account verification.
Below, I’ve listed all the required documents needed and how to submit them to CEX.io. Follow these steps carefully. If you don’t give a document in the way the company wants it, they will reject your request to upgrade your account and you’ll have to start again. When buying and selling a cryptocurrency, that could mean you miss out on a huge price swing!
- First, you must submit the details from a government-issued identity document. This could be your passport, ID card, or driving license.
- Fill in the form with your personal information. This includes gender, first name, middle name (optional) last name, date of birth, place of birth, contact number, and a link to social media (optional).
- Next, users must fill in their addresses. This includes a residential address (where you’re living at the time you sign up to CEX.io) and your permanent address. If the two are the same, there is an option to tell the exchange this. Click the box labeled “same as residential”. It’s next to the “permanent address” fields.
- The next step in verifying your identity is to submit a scan or photograph of a few identity documents. These must meet the following requirements:
- The issue date must be in the future (document must be valid on the day it is submitted).
- Copies of both sides of the document must be submitted.
- Scanned images must be in full color and in a high resolution.
- Documents must be in either jpg, gif, png, tiff, or pdf format.
- The file must be no larger than 15MB.
- The photograph or scan must be no older than three months.
- Documents must be completed using the Latin alphabet (a, b, c, d…)
How to Get a CEX.io Verified Account: Stage 2
Let’s continue or CEX.io review of the verification process. Users must then submit their identity document, a selfie of themselves holding the document, and a proof of address.
The identity document must be issued by the government and must be the same as you used to fill in the above form. Accepted identity documents are national IDs, passports, driving licenses.
The selfie holding the identity document must include the owner of the document (you) holding the document. There are quite a few guidelines and it can be difficult to get a clear enough shot. For this reason, it might be better to get a friend or relative to take your “selfie”. The photograph must meet the following criteria.
- You must be looking straight at the camera.
- The background must be light or a neutral color.
- The selfie itself must be in full color.
- There must be no “red eye” on it.
- There must be nothing obscuring the view of your face (sunglasses, hats, headbands, bandanas, etc.)
- The information on the document must be clearly visible.
The proof of residency document must also be a photograph or scan. It must include your address (the one stated in the verification form). The following will be accepted as a proof of residency document:
- Utility bill (not a mobile phone, TV contract, or printed internet bills).
- Electricity bill.
- Bank statement.
- Tax return, or council tax bill.
The CEX.io support document does state that other proof of residency documents will be accepted too. However, it does exclude electronic bills and statements, online screenshots, mobile phone bills, and credit card statements.
CEX.io Review: Advantages of Having a Verified Account
As I’ve mentioned, users with a verified account can use more payment methods and have higher deposit and withdrawal limits. It’s also vital that users have a verified account if they want to withdraw in fiat currencies. So, it’s very important to mention this in the CEX.io review.
With an account on a higher tier than basic (verified, verified plus, or corporate) you can deposit and withdraw with bank transfers and any of the cryptocurrencies listed at CEX.io (above).
The total account limits for all these higher tier accounts are unlimited but there are some recommended deposit and withdrawal limits associated with each payment method. We’ve not listed them this time because they’re enormous!
CEX.io Review: Who Should Use CEX.io?
Mentioning target users is very important for a CEX.io review. CEX.io is great for both beginners and advanced users. Below, we’ve listed some features that make the account a good one for both user types.
Why CEX.io is Good for Beginners
- Very user-friendly first buy window with popular buying options set up for you — $200, $500, and $1,000. This simple buy screen is the first screen users will see after registering an account. Each has an easy to use scroll down box. Use these to select which digital asset you want to buy and which currency you want to play with.
- Great support section. For new traders or investors, it can be a bit scary buying digital currency for the first time. The support section of the website has many FAQs and if that isn’t enough, contacting CEX.io is easy thanks to the email request form.
- Users must search out the more advanced buying and selling options. This makes the process less scary because some exchanges greet users with a page like the one below. This is understandably very confusing for them:
Source: cledd
Why CEX.io is Good for Advanced Users
- It offers all the buying options you’d expect from an advanced platform. They’re presented on a clean and easy-to-navigate platform (pictured above).
- It can trade on a margin (using borrowed money). Again, this is absolutely not recommended for any new users!
- No limits for verified users. If you’re a master trader, you’ll be able to spin up huge profits and withdraw them with no trouble using a variety of different deposit and withdrawal methods. Pretty cool, eh?
CEX.io Review: Conclusion
So, that’s our review to one of the world’s most popular fiat-to-cryptocurrency exchanges. With its numerous deposit options, multiple digital assets, and user-friendly design, it’s obvious why CEX.io has been so successful.
Now that you’ve finished reading the guide, you should have a better idea about what the CEX.io platform is and if it is for you. You know how to make your first cryptocurrency buys using the simplified buying welcome screen and know how to upgrade your account. You also know all the benefits of having a fully verified account.
During this CEX.io review, you should also have learned the advantages and disadvantages of the platform. This includes what makes it good for beginner investors or traders, as well as what makes it good for advanced users.
With all your newfound knowledge, what do you think? Is CEX.io a scam? Is it not what it seems? Or is it, in fact, a credible, worthwhile exchange? Will you be using it for your cryptocurrency needs?
