Bitbank Review
Bitbank is a centralized exchange founded in 2016 and headquartered in Japan. It serves residents of 1 country or US state and lists 21 assets. It is best suited to Japanese yen traders who place limit orders and want to be paid for them. Information verified September 2, 2026.
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How Bitbank Scores
Key Facts
| Type | Centralized exchange |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Japan |
| Licenses |
|
| Fiat currencies | JPY |
| Payment methods | bank transfer |
| Maker/taker fee | — |
| KYC required | Yes |
| Proof of reserves | — |
Where Bitbank Is Available
| Jurisdiction | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| Brazil | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| Canada | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| France | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| Germany | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| India | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| Ireland | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| Italy | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| Japan | Available | Terms art.15: registration from an IP allocated outside Japan is grounds for suspension or forced termination |
| Mexico | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| Netherlands | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| Nigeria | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| Singapore | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| South Africa | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| South Korea | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| Spain | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| Switzerland | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| United Arab Emirates | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| United Kingdom | Not available | Only Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account. |
| United States | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Alabama | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Alaska | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Arizona | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Arkansas | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| California | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Colorado | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Connecticut | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Delaware | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Florida | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Georgia | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Hawaii | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Idaho | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Illinois | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Indiana | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Iowa | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Kansas | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Kentucky | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Louisiana | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Maine | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Maryland | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Massachusetts | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Michigan | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Minnesota | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Mississippi | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Missouri | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Montana | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Nebraska | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Nevada | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| New Hampshire | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| New Jersey | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| New Mexico | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| New York | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| North Carolina | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| North Dakota | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Ohio | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Oklahoma | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Oregon | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Pennsylvania | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Rhode Island | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| South Carolina | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| South Dakota | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Tennessee | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Texas | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Utah | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Vermont | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Virginia | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Washington | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| West Virginia | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Wisconsin | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
| Wyoming | Not available | Terms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries |
Assets You Can Trade on Bitbank
Fees explained
Bitbank runs a negative maker fee. As of September 2026, a maker order that fills on bitbank pays you 0.02% of the trade value as a reward rather than charging you (source: bitbank support, "What is a negative fee?"). Bitbank describes this as a campaign, so treat it as a current rate rather than a permanent one. A maker order is one that rests on the order book; a market order is always a taker, and taker orders are charged rather than rebated.
Yen withdrawals are the fee you will notice, and they are charged in two bands by size (source: bitbank support, "How much is the Japanese yen withdrawal fee?"). Crypto withdrawal fees are set per asset.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Maker order | 0.02% paid to you |
| Taker order | Charged, rate by pair on bitbank's fee page |
| Yen withdrawal under ¥30,000 | ¥550 |
| Yen withdrawal of ¥30,000 or more | ¥770 |
| Crypto withdrawal | Set per asset |
The full rate card, including taker rates by pair, sits on bitbank's fee page, which loads only in a browser.
A cost estimate for a $500 purchase on Bitbank and Binance appears here once the published fee schedules are verified.
History and ownership
Bitbank Inc. is a registered crypto asset exchange service provider in Japan. It appears on the Financial Services Agency's register under the Kanto Local Finance Bureau, registration number 00004, with a registration date of September 29, 2017 and a head office in Yaesu, Chuo-ku, Tokyo (source: Financial Services Agency, list of crypto asset exchange service providers, current as of August 21, 2026). Only 27 firms held that registration on the same list.
The registration number is worth pausing on. Bitbank was the fourth firm ever entered on the Japanese register, and Japan has run a licensing regime for crypto exchanges since 2017, longer than almost anywhere else. A Japanese registration carries requirements on segregation of customer assets, cold storage, and reporting that a firm must keep meeting to stay listed, and the register is republished with a current date so you can check the entry yourself rather than take the company's word for it.
RampAtlas could not retrieve audited group accounts or a shareholder list for the company from a primary source, so the registration is the substantive check available to a customer.
Products and markets
Bitbank's public ticker endpoint returned 62 trading pairs in September 2026, of which 47 are quoted in Japanese yen and 15 in Bitcoin (source: Bitbank public API, tickers endpoint). The Financial Services Agency register lists the assets Bitbank is registered to handle, and that list runs to roughly 45 tokens, from Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP through to Polkadot, Solana, Sui, and Optimism (source: same register).
Those two lists line up, which is the point of the regime. In Japan an exchange cannot simply list a token because it is popular; the asset has to be handled through the registration, and the regulator publishes what each firm is registered for. The result is a curated list with no memecoin churn and no surprise delisting of an asset nobody vetted.
Alongside the exchange, Bitbank runs an instant-buy storefront, margin trading, a lending product, staking, a credit card tie-in, and a business service (source: Bitbank site navigation, read September 2026). Anyone comparing Japanese options should start at Japan and Buy Bitcoin in Japan.
Security record and custody
Registration with the Financial Services Agency is the main custody assurance here, and it is a stronger one than most exchanges anywhere can offer. Firms on the register are supervised on an ongoing basis rather than licensed once and forgotten, and the agency's own guidance on the list warns users to check whether a provider they are dealing with is registered and whether it has been subject to administrative action (source: Financial Services Agency, list of crypto asset exchange service providers, current as of August 21, 2026).
RampAtlas found no hack, insolvency, or enforcement action against Bitbank Inc. in the Financial Services Agency's published materials as of September 2026. The company remains on the current register, which the agency updates and republishes with a date on the face of the document.
Note what the registration does not do. It does not insure you against price movements, and it does not make your balance a bank deposit. On any cex the exchange holds the private key and your balance is a claim on the firm. The regime reduces the chance that the claim goes bad; it does not eliminate it.
Deposits and withdrawals
Yen deposits are accepted by bank transfer from Japanese accounts, and yen withdrawals are charged in two bands (source: bitbank support, "How much is the Japanese yen withdrawal fee?"). On a small withdrawal that is a large proportional cost, so batching withdrawals rather than taking money out weekly is worth doing.
| Rail | Cost |
|---|---|
| Yen deposit by bank transfer from a Japanese account | Accepted |
| Yen withdrawal under ¥30,000 | ¥550 |
| Yen withdrawal of ¥30,000 or more | ¥770 |
| Crypto deposit | Standard on-chain transfer |
| Crypto withdrawal | Set per asset |
Crypto withdrawal fees are set per asset rather than floated against network conditions, which makes them easy to plan for. Deposits of crypto are the standard on-chain transfers. As always, check the network fee and the chain before sending, because the cost of moving a stablecoin varies by an order of magnitude between networks.
Support and usability
Bitbank is a Japanese-language platform first. The interface, the support centre, and the fee documentation are written for a domestic audience, and much of it loads only in a browser rather than answering a plain request, which makes independent verification harder than it should be.
For a Japanese resident placing limit orders, the experience is straightforward and the economics are unusual in a good way: the maker rebate means a patient trader is paid to provide liquidity instead of paying to consume it. That is the single feature most likely to decide whether this exchange suits you.
Verdict
0.02%
Maker rebate
paid to the maker, bitbank support, September 2026
00004
FSA registration
Kanto Local Finance Bureau, registered September 29, 2017
62
Trading pairs
Bitbank public API tickers endpoint, September 2026
47
Yen-quoted pairs
Bitbank public API tickers endpoint, September 2026
Bitbank fits a Japanese resident who places limit order trades, funds in yen, and wants a counterparty on the Financial Services Agency register rather than an offshore venue. The 0.02% maker rebate is genuinely rare, and a curated 47-pair yen market list plus a supervised registration is a solid combination for buying and holding.
Look elsewhere if you trade with market orders, want a long altcoin list, or need an English-language platform, since the rebate does not apply to takers and the asset list is deliberately narrow. Small, frequent yen withdrawals are also expensive at ¥550 a time. Compare the alternatives at Compare.
Staking on Bitbank
| Asset | Published rate | Lock-up | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| EthereumETH | not published | — | Global |
Rates are as Bitbank published them on the date above and are not a promise of return.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Maker orders earn a 0.02% rebate rather than paying a fee
- Yen deposits are accepted from any Japanese bank account
Cons
- The rebate is a campaign, not a permanent rate
- Yen withdrawals cost ¥550 or ¥770 depending on size
Guides
- Crypto Estate Planning: Making Sure Your Coins Aren't Lost With You
Passing on cryptocurrency requires two things that an ordinary will does not provide on its own, a record of what exists and where, and a route by which the person inheriting it can reach the keys, because no court order can recover a seed phrase nobody wrote down.
- Crypto Tax in Australia: CGT, Records, and the ATO
In Australia the Australian Taxation Office treats a crypto asset as a capital gains tax asset, so disposing of it by selling, swapping, or spending it is a CGT event, while tokens you receive from activities such as staking are treated as income when you receive them.
- Crypto Tax in Canada: How the CRA Treats Cryptocurrency
In Canada a crypto disposal produces either a capital gain or business income, and where it is a capital gain the Income Tax Act makes one half of that gain taxable and adds it to your income for the year at your marginal rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Bitbank available in United States?
- No. Bitbank does not serve United States residents.
- Does Bitbank require KYC?
- Yes. Bitbank requires identity verification.