What this exchange is
KuCoin launched in 2017 and built its reputation on altcoins: many coins now traded everywhere first got a serious order book here. Hence the nickname. On spot pair count it sits comfortably in the top five.
Trading bots built into the interface
A notable difference from most competitors: grid and averaging bots are built into the exchange and configured without programming. Pick a pair, set a price range and a number of levels.
They work honestly and predictably, but it helps to understand what they do: a grid bot earns on oscillation inside its range and loses when price leaves it. It is a tool for a sideways market, not a set-and-forget arrangement.
Fees and the KCS token
Spot rates are standard; the discount comes from volume and from holding KCS, the exchange's own token. KCS also pays a share of part of the venue's fee income, which is uncommon among exchange tokens.
Withdrawal fees per network are in the live table above.
What to know
September 2020. Around 280 million dollars was taken from the exchange's hot wallets. KuCoin covered the loss and recovered a substantial part of the funds with help from projects and other venues; users were not affected. By industry standards the response was fast and in good faith.
January 2025. The exchange pleaded guilty before US authorities to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, paid around 297 million dollars and left the US market for two years; its founders stepped back from day-to-day control. Consequences for users elsewhere are limited, but checks always tighten after settlements like this.
Funding, withdrawals and P2P
Network support is broad. P2P exists but is small: you will find advertisements in the major currencies and probably not in rarer ones.
Who it suits
Anyone trading altcoins who wants breadth without dropping to genuinely marginal venues. And anyone interested in built-in bots: doing the same elsewhere usually means writing code.