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.

Verified How we verify

How Bitbank Scores

Composite score: 3.2 / 100Points earned by Bitbank on each factor, against that factor’s weight. How the factors are scored is set out in our methodology.
0102030Cost: 0 / 30Cost0 / 30Trust: 0 / 25Trust0 / 25Availability: 0.3 / 20Availability0.3 / 20Assets: 2.9 / 15Assets2.9 / 15Usability: 0 / 10Usability0 / 10

Key Facts

TypeCentralized exchange
Founded2016
HeadquartersJapan
Licenses
  • Japan FSA / Kanto Local Finance Bureau Crypto-asset Exchange Service Provider registration (japan)
Fiat currenciesJPY
Payment methodsbank transfer
Maker/taker fee
KYC requiredYes
Proof of reserves

Where Bitbank Is Available

JurisdictionStatusNotes
AustraliaNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
BrazilNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
CanadaNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
FranceNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
GermanyNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
IndiaNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
IrelandNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
ItalyNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
JapanAvailableTerms art.15: registration from an IP allocated outside Japan is grounds for suspension or forced termination
MexicoNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
NetherlandsNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
NigeriaNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
SingaporeNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
South AfricaNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
South KoreaNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
SpainNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
SwitzerlandNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
United Arab EmiratesNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
United KingdomNot availableOnly Japan-resident individuals and Japanese corporations may open an account.
United StatesNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
AlabamaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
AlaskaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
ArizonaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
ArkansasNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
CaliforniaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
ColoradoNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
ConnecticutNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
DelawareNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
FloridaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
GeorgiaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
HawaiiNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
IdahoNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
IllinoisNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
IndianaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
IowaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
KansasNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
KentuckyNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
LouisianaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
MaineNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
MarylandNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
MassachusettsNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
MichiganNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
MinnesotaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
MississippiNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
MissouriNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
MontanaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
NebraskaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
NevadaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
New HampshireNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
New JerseyNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
New MexicoNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
New YorkNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
North CarolinaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
North DakotaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
OhioNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
OklahomaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
OregonNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
PennsylvaniaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
Rhode IslandNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
South CarolinaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
South DakotaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
TennesseeNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
TexasNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
UtahNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
VermontNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
VirginiaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
WashingtonNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
West VirginiaNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
WisconsinNot availableTerms art.15 bars registration from a non-Japan IP; the same clause covers all 19 non-Japan tracked countries
WyomingNot availableTerms 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.

bitbank published fees, September 2026 (sources: bitbank support articles on negative fees and yen withdrawal fees)
ItemFee
Maker order0.02% paid to you
Taker orderCharged, rate by pair on bitbank's fee page
Yen withdrawal under ¥30,000¥550
Yen withdrawal of ¥30,000 or more¥770
Crypto withdrawalSet 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.

bitbank funding rails and their costs, September 2026 (source: bitbank support, yen withdrawal fee article)
RailCost
Yen deposit by bank transfer from a Japanese accountAccepted
Yen withdrawal under ¥30,000¥550
Yen withdrawal of ¥30,000 or more¥770
Crypto depositStandard on-chain transfer
Crypto withdrawalSet 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

AssetPublished rateLock-upWhere
EthereumETHnot publishedGlobal

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.

See also