Bitvavo Review
Bitvavo is a European cryptocurrency exchange whose headquarters are also located in the Netherlands. It is currently the cheapest trading platform in the Netherlands, and the offer consists of more than 150 cryptocurrencies. This review lets you read everything you need to find your way around Bitvavo.
Low cost
As you can also read on our exchange page about Bitvavo, Bitvavo has relatively low trading costs. With a monthly volume of up to 100,000 euros, the taker and maker fees are 0.25% and 0.15%, respectively, while the prices continue to decrease above that amount. With iDEAL, you can transfer euros directly and easily to your Bitvavo account.
| Trading Volume (30 Days) | Taker fee | Maker fee |
| € 0+ | 0,25% | 0,15% |
| € 100.000+ | 0,20% | 0,10% |
| € 250.000+ | 0,16% | 0,08% |
| € 500.000+ | 0,12% | 0,06% |
| € 1.000.000+ | 0,10% | 0,05% |
| € 2.500.000+ | 0,08% | 0,04% |
| € 5.000.000+ | 0,06% | 0,04% |
| € 10.000.000+ | 0,05% | 0,03% |
| € 25.000.000+ | 0,04% | 0,03% |
The maximum is 10,000 euros per transaction, but there is no limit if you opt for a SEPA transfer. However, this usually takes a little longer. SEPA Instant Transfer increases IDEAL’s limit to 15,000 euros per transaction, and as the name suggests, this transfer is also instant. You will only be charged for the three payment methods mentioned. All trading fees and fees for bank transactions can be found below.
| Deposit amount | Total fees | Relative fees | Max amount |
| Bancontact | € 0,00 | 0,00% | € 10.000 |
| EPS Überweisung | € 0,00 | 1,75% | € 1.000 |
| Giropay | € 0,00 | 1,75% | € 1.000 |
| iDEAL | € 0,00 | 0,00% | € 10.000 |
| MyBank | € 0,00 | 1,50% | € 5.000 |
| SEPA | € 0,00 | 0,00% | – |
| SEPA Instant transfer | € 0,00 | 0,00% | € 15.000 |
| Sofort | € 0,00 | 2,25% | € 1.000 |
Account
To trade on Bitvavo, you do not have to verify your identity under a deposit of 5,000 euros. Below that amount, you can also easily use the (free) app, making the switch to crypto investing even easier. All you need is your first and last name, email address, and password. As you can read on our exchange page, European laws regarding Know Your Customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering measures (AML) apply above 5,000 euros. That means you need to verify your identity. You can do that by taking a selfie while holding your ID. This can be a passport, driver’s license or an ID card.
Safety
It should be emphasized that Bitvavo is only accessible from European countries. If you live abroad or travel a lot, you must choose another exchange or use a VPN. With the latter, you will have to prove via your e-mail address that the device used is yours so that the company can prevent your account from being emptied by hackers. We hope the exchange will be accessible from abroad, even without a VPN. The platform could grow faster. Below is the full list of supported countries:
| Belgium | Lithuania | San Marino |
| Bulgaria | Liechtenstein | Slovenia |
| Croatia | Portugal | Slovakia |
| Cyprus | Malta | Czech Republic |
| Denmark | Monaco Spain | Sweden |
| Finland | Netherlands | Switzerland |
| Greece | Norway | Poland |
| Hungary | Austria | Italy |
In addition to the vigilance around IP addresses, Bitvavo monitors which wallet cryptocurrency is sent to. You must verify wallet addresses by e-mail before linking them to the exchange. Dutch and European regulations require this, but it is also an extra security measure that protects you differently. Finally, Bitvavo also has support for two-factor authentication (2FA).
What makes it even more secure is that most of Bitvavo’s tokens are stored in cold storage. That means that there is not much to steal. It is very safe, but it can also negatively impact liquidity. The supply in cold storage will be changeable and adjusted based on what is tradable, but presumably, this is not arranged if you blink once.
What percentage of each coin is in cold storage? Some transparency on this would be very nice. It would also make it possible, for example, to choose to place Bitvavo your coins in a hardware wallet so that you are almost certainly protected against internet criminals. In any case, it is a very tactical measure that other exchanges can take as an example.
The trading platform
The exchange offers more than 150 cryptocurrencies, which have grown rapidly over the past few years. This number will continue to grow. Tokens are added now and then. Bitvavo’s offering is a mix of the coins that every exchange should have, tokens that can only be found in so many places and popular, smaller tickets that will be in high demand. The platform was previously not known for also providing tokens that add less fundamental value, but nowadays, you can also go there for a selection of meme coins.
It is not the largest exchange you can find, and you can sometimes face liquidity problems. You can also only buy with euros and not with, for example, dollars. This also applies if you want to sell one token for another. For instance, you can’t sell Bitcoin for ether or vice versa. Then you have to sell one and buy back the other. That will also have to do with liquidity; there won’t be enough liquidity to make such trading pairs possible.
In addition to the simple interface that you can read more about on our exchange page about Bitvavo, there is also an advanced mode. It has a fairly complete graph with all the bells and whistles. You can choose a candlestick chart, but also, for example, a line chart and Heikin Ashi candles. In terms of indicators, almost the entire range of TradingView is present, except for the community indicators and indicators you have to pay for at TradingView. And you also have access to an order book and corresponding depth chart. That depth graph showed us a small software bug because it doesn’t zoom out quite right. Fortunately, this will be easily remedied.
The simple mode only has support for ‘direct’ buying, where you buy tokens for the price that applies at that moment. That’s a market order. You can buy and sell in advanced mode using limit and stop-limit orders. This allows you to decide from which price you buy, and when you want to avoid filling the order. From advanced mode, you can also easily see the charges in the chart and stop them if the plans change.
As icing on the cake, Bitvavo also has an app for Android and iOS. The app is very clear and easy to use. The advanced mode is only accessible via the computer, but on a small screen the usefulness of a full graph is still very limited. Transferring euros is easy and fast from the app. Thanks to the presence of a dark mode, you save your eyes in less well-lit rooms.
You can filter the list of coins by price, which token has performed best, alphabetically, and by highest trading volume. You can also create a list of favourites. So you have everything at hand to have a good overview of your portfolio.
Conclusion
All in all, Bitvavo is the go-to exchange if you are looking for a Dutch platform with an offer that appeals to every type of crypto investor, whether you are just getting started, actively trading or have a HODL strategy. The only real improvement we have encountered is Bitvavo’s scale. The platform could have been bigger, but if that’s the biggest problem, what do we have to complain about?
