France Exchanges: The 4 Best Exchanges Available in France

Bonjour, French crypto enthusiasts.

For a while, as you may know, France took a hard-line stance about allowing cryptocurrency exchanges to provide a service to the country’s crypto traders. But, thankfully, France has become hugely active and progressive in regulating cryptocurrencies for French crypto traders by creating a solid regulatory framework that other European Union countries can adopt.

You probably want to know the best Bitcoin exchange to use in France, with low fees and multiple payment options, such as a debit card or wire transfer. If you want to buy Bitcoin safely or altcoins, we’re here to provide an unbiased opinion on popular exchanges. Our tried and trusted ranking system helps you find the best crypto platform, transfer funds, and get started.

Please read about our selected winners and discover the best crypto exchange to use in France.

Ranking Methodology: What Makes a Crypto Platform for French Trading?

• France friendly*: Of course, the crypto exchanges must be Pro-France and adhere to French regulations
• Exchange and Broker: So you can buy, sell Bitcoin or altcoins, and trade cryptocurrencies, ideally using wire transfer or your credit or debit card
• Reputation: Secure, reputable, and trustworthy (no dodgy business!)

Diving Deeper Into Our Winners

Binance is the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, but it’s little known that Binance “spans an entire ecosystem.” The average 2 billion daily trading volume makes Binance one of the largest and most popular crypto exchanges for all levels of crypto investors, enthusiasts, and traders.

Quick Look

• Zero deposit fees
• Over 400 cryptocurrencies supported and more than 1,600 trading pairs
• Blockchain and crypto education for beginners to advanced traders
• Low fees – transaction fees vary but are reasonable
• 24/7 support in French
• Trust Wallet – Binance’s official crypto wallet
• Payment methods – Buy Bitcoin or crypto directly with fiat currencies using a credit or debit card
• Deposit EUR with your debit card
• Buy Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies with your cash balance
• P2P trading – bank transfer and 100+ options available
• Third-party accepted payment methods – Simplex, Banxa (SEPA)
• Customizable crypto gift card 
•  Institutional & VIP trading at several levels deep

2021 was a choppy year of regulatory scrutiny as Binance tried to establish a presence in France. However, good news, in November 2021, Binance announced its intention to finance a €100 million initiative with France FinTec to support the French blockchain and cryptocurrency sector. The project is called Objective Moon. In addition, Binance will establish a French office for research and development and help incubate and set up training and start-up programs in the cryptocurrency space.

Binance is also one of the faster exchanges globally, with 1,400,000+ transactions per second and 24/7 support for its users. In addition, Binance now has a fully-operational French website with top-level backing for cryptocurrency traders in France.

The Binance Ecosystem

• Binance Chain – a blockchain software system driven by a community of worldwide contributors and developers
• Binance Labs – “an infrastructure impact fund and an initiative to incubate, invest in, and empower blockchain projects”
• Binance Info -an objective and open encyclopedia of cryptocurrency knowledge, where anyone can actively contribute information to the Binance community
• Binance Research – data-driven insights and analysis for cryptocurrency investors and “institutional-grade research reports”
• Binance Charity – a not-for-profit foundation committed to “advancing blockchain-enabled philanthropy and global sustainable development”
• Binance Academy – an open-access hub for cryptocurrency and blockchain technology education

Binance and the community developed a blockchain software system, Binance Chain. The native asset is $BNB. The token has many forms of utility and is the “gas” that powers the Binance Ecosystem.

“Global Freedom – Our vision is to increase the freedom of money globally. We believe that by spreading this freedom, we can significantly improve lives around the world” – Binance website.

In 2019 the Binance exchange was hacked. Unfortunately, the cyber thieves got away with $40 million Bitcoin (BTC). Yes, you might think it’s a terrible incident. However, Binance has a SAFU (Secure Asset Fund for Users), covering all exchange losses, and reimbursed all traders. Though the event was unwelcome, the outcome enhanced trust in Binance’s reputation in the cryptocurrency space. Binance is a trusted, reputable and transparent exchange that French crypto enthusiasts and traders eagerly welcome.

When we talk about finding a trustworthy cryptocurrency exchange and broker, the first thing you might want to know is, “Can I trust this platform?” Gate.io is one of the top ten reputable crypto exchanges globally. GoinGecko (the world’s largest independent cryptocurrency data aggregator) gave Gate.io a trust score of 10/10. They placed the platform as the third-best exchange in the world. According to CER.live (The first crypto exchanges ranking and CERtification platform), Gate.io’s cybersecurity is excellent. CER.live ranked Gate.io as the top crypto exchange for cybersecurity for two consecutive years.

Quick Look

• Low trading fees of 0.2%
• Easiest verification process
• Zero deposit fees
• Low withdrawal fees (for example, 0% + 0.011 ETH for Ethereum)
• Massive selection of over 1,280 coins and over 2,200 crypto pairs to trade with
• High liquidity for fast order transactions
• Small minimum order size of $10
• No deposit or withdrawal fees
• User-friendly platform and trading interface
• Rebate scheme for VIP traders
• Secure platform
• 10/10 Trust Score

Gate.io is one of the most straightforward for opening a new account. As soon as you have registered and confirmed your details, your cryptocurrency account is good to go. Then, you’re ready to start buying Bitcoin, though Gate.io isn’t just a Bitcoin exchange. You can buy a cryptocurrency and purchase Bitcoin in France at a reasonable exchange rate and use a Bitcoin wallet to store your holdings. In addition, you can withdraw crypto to your Bitcoin wallet or cryptocurrency wallet, and Gate.io offers an exchange wallet or their own “S1” hardware wallet.

Gate.io has a vast range of over 1,280+ cryptocurrencies and more than 2,250 pairs to trade (at the time of writing – January 2022), including Bitcoin. The extensive range creates significant trading opportunities for French crypto traders. In addition, the maker and taker trading fees of 0.2% are comparable to other crypto platforms, and the high-volume discounts are equally favorable.

We promised an unbiased opinion, so it’s only fitting to mention a few downsides to choosing Gate.io as your Bitcoin or crypto trading platform. First, the exchange doesn’t support fiat currencies (January 2022), limiting payment methods a little. Compared to Binance, the giant of trading volume, Gate.io has a way to go yet with $1.49 billion. Still, they’re catching up, and as more crypto traders join the platform, it’s not unreasonable to anticipate future higher trading volumes.  

The biggest grouse for traders on Gate.io is no fiat currency trading or conversion options. If you want to sell your Bitcoin or cryptos for traditional currency, you must send your crypto to an off-ramp platform. You then convert it to your chosen currency and withdraw it to your bank. Though it’s not a massive drawback, the process is a bit fiddly and frustrating when you want to get your money into your bank. The biggest plus for Gate.io is the ease of opening an account. 

As mentioned, the verification process is super-fast. As soon as you register and confirm your application, you are ready to deposit into your account and start trading.

• Payment methods – Buy Bitcoin or tokens instantly with fiat currencies using your credit or credit card
• Offline storage – most of the crypto assets are stored in secure offline storage
• Best-in-class security – every Coinbase account has 2-step verification 
• Insurance protected – crypto stored on Coinbase servers has insurance cover
• Coinbase App – available to iOS and Android for on-the-go crypto trading
• The user-friendly trading platform is easy and intuitive to navigate
• Free USD wallet and hosted cryptocurrency wallet service
• No fees for transferring Bitcoin or tokens from one Coinbase wallet to another
• Coinbase card – zero fees for spending USDC (flat 2.49% transaction fee for other crypto purchases)
• Online bank transfer
• Fiat trading

Quick Look

• Most suited to advanced traders
• Quick and easy to open an account – less than 15 minutes
• No minimum deposits
• Payment methods – you can buy Bitcoin or tokens with credit and debit cards
• Fully regulated crypto exchange
• High levels of security for individual and institutional investors and traders
• Easy and intuitive for beginners
• The minimum transaction amount is €10.
• Kraken mobile app available on iOS and Android
• Deposit in Euros using SEPA or SWIFT

When cryptocurrency platforms first emerged onto the internet, buying Bitcoin (BTC) or altcoins was ridiculously complex and a terrifying experience for crypto beginners. You were never 100% sure you’d done it right and managed to get your coins into a secure wallet.

If you completed your Bitcoin or crypto transaction, you might have breathed a big sigh of relief. Phew. Then, weeks or months later, you tried to sell your cryptocurrencies or convert them to “real money .”Haha, it was not happening. After several hours of bashing your head up the wall with frustration, you likely gave up and decided to hold on to (HODL) your coins until the conversion process became more accessible.

Coinbase is, excuse us, idiot-proof. Buying cryptocurrencies on the platform is the most uncomplicated process imaginable. Create an account, get out your debit card or credit card, choose your cryptocurrency and submit your order. Job done. Your crypto portfolio is easy to find, and when you’re ready to sell, go to the “sell” or “trade” tab and make your choice.

Coinbase is linked to Coinbase Pro. You can log in with the exact details. If you have any issues converting your cryptocurrencies or stablecoins, log in to Coinbase Pro, and your balance automatically shows for you to transfer with zero fees. Add and verify a bank account and once done, you can withdraw your fiat currencies to your bank, and, in our experience, funds are deposited to your account super fast.

The only pitfall with Coinbase is they don’t list the emerging low-priced altcoins. It is, however, a good thing because the rationale is to protect their customers from cryptocurrencies with unproven histories, like new meme coins, for instance. Dogecoin (DOGE) was only added to Coinbase in June 2021, way later than most exchanges.

Coin Clarity’s Sleeper Pick

With over 73 million customers worldwide, Coinbase is now available to France. Parfait! Excellente. It’s easy to buy, sell and convert cryptocurrencies on Coinbase, a reputable platform. Moreover, the payment methods are more flexible than many other crypto exchanges in France. Buy Bitcoin in France with a Bitcoin broker or choose from Coinbase’s listed multiple cryptocurrencies.

Kraken, based in the United States, launched in 2013 and is one exchange that monitors security diligently, resulting in the fact that hackers have not, to date, managed to “break in” to the platform.

Kraken has good liquidity and is an advanced crypto trading platform with low non-instant buy fees. There are more than 115 cryptocurrencies and 420 trading pairs available, but it’s fair to say that the platform is more suited to experienced French crypto traders than beginners.

One advanced feature is margin trading. Kraken has a “dark pool” for high-volume traders and investors who want to trade cryptos or buy Bitcoin anonymously. For crypto beginners in France, it’s advisable to avoid margin trading. It’s the “ultimate white water rafting, swimming with sharks” way of trading cryptocurrencies. It’s unlikely to end well. Fundamentally, you’re leveraging cryptocurrency pairs using Kraken’s money, up to 5x, which can go wrong unless you’re a highly experienced crypto trader. Thankfully, Kraken assesses eligibility before allowing you to trade on margin.

There are a few negatives for Kraken. Cryptocurrency educational materials are limited, and purchasing fees can be higher than other platforms. There are fees of 3.75% + €0.25 on the total spending amount on the card, which are higher fees than most exchanges. Fees for stablecoins are only 0.9% and 1.5% for other cryptos. Banking fees are 0.5%. Some traders complain that customer service can, at times, be slow. Trading volume is minuscule compared to Binance, Coinbase, and Gate.io.

Overall. Kraken is a reputable, trusted cryptocurrency exchange suitable for advanced traders. However, we advise checking out the other three winners above as a crypto beginner.

The Coin Clarity Verdict on France Exchanges

So, there you have it. This post outlined three winning exchanges to open retail investor accounts in France and one slept-on exchange for French crypto traders and investors. You can now buy Bitcoin in France. Depositing funds is easy. You can buy Bitcoin and altcoins if you wish with a selection of payment methods. Bitcoin is the #1 listed cryptocurrency by market cap.

Finally, Bitcoin trading or any crypto trading is speculative, so be aware of the risks. Make sure you have a personal wallet if you buy Bitcoin or altcoins, and keep your private keys safe.