Crypto in the United States
15 exchanges we have verified serve residents of the United States, and 91 of the 150 assets we track are available on at least two of them. We have not recorded a jurisdiction-wide restriction on buying cryptocurrency in the United States. Last verified September 2, 2026.
Verified How we verify
Legal Status and Regulation
Buying cryptocurrency is legal for United States residents, and two layers of rules decide which exchanges can serve you. Federally, a platform that swaps dollars for crypto is a money services business and must register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a requirement set out in FinCEN guidance issued in 2013 and restated in 2019. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission divide oversight of the assets themselves, and the two agencies published a joint statement on 17 March 2026 describing how they classify tokens. The GENIUS Act, signed on 18 July 2025, is the first federal statute covering payment stablecoins, and its provisions take effect on 18 January 2027. The bigger practical constraint is state law. Each state runs its own money transmitter licensing, and New York also requires a BitLicense under 23 NYCRR Part 200, which is why several global exchanges decline New York residents outright. As of September 2026, no federal market structure bill for crypto has become law.
Buying Crypto in United States
If you live in the United States you can buy cryptocurrency from an exchange that holds the right licenses, and the practical question is which platforms are licensed where you live. Federal registration gets a platform in the door, but state money transmitter law decides whether it will open an account for you. As of September 2026 the exchanges that serve US residents settle in dollars over ordinary domestic bank rails, and the tax reporting on your purchases is changing this year.
How buying works here
The account you open is with a US-facing legal entity, not the global brand. Kraken serves US clients through Payward Inc. under state money services business licensing (source: Kraken availability of clients by country). Coinbase operates as Coinbase, Inc. with a New York virtual currency license and money transmitter licenses elsewhere, and Bitstamp by Robinhood holds a New York virtual currency license through Bitstamp USA, Inc. (source: New York Department of Financial Services virtual currency business register). Bullish serves the country through Bullish US Operations LLC, which holds New York license 0000046 plus money transmitter licenses in selected states (source: Bullish licenses and disclosures).
That entity structure is why your state matters more than your country. Every platform runs kyc on signup, which means a Social Security number, a government photo ID, and often a selfie check before your first dollar moves. Expect the identity check to gate deposits, not just trading. Once you are verified, buying works the same on every cex: fund in dollars, then place a market order or a limit order against the pair you want. For a step-by-step on a single asset, see Buy Bitcoin in United States.
Payment rails and banks
Dollar funding runs on the same rails as any other US financial account. The card route is the fastest and the most expensive by a wide margin, and ACH is slower than it looks on some venues.
| Rail | Typical use | Fee/time as stated | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACH via Plaid, on Kraken | Everyday bank funding | No fee, near-instant | Kraken cash deposit methods and funding options, fetched September 2026 |
| FedWire via Dart Bank, on Kraken | Domestic wire | No fee, zero to one business days | Kraken cash deposit methods and funding options, fetched September 2026 |
| SWIFT via Customers Bank, on Kraken | International wire | No fee, one to three business days | Kraken cash deposit methods and funding options, fetched September 2026 |
| Debit card, on Kraken | Card purchase | 25 cents plus 3.75 percent | Kraken cash deposit methods and funding options, fetched September 2026 |
| ACH, on Crypto.com Exchange | Retail dollar deposit and withdrawal | No platform fee, one dollar minimum; one to five business days in, one to three out; 100 dollar withdrawal minimum | Crypto.com help center, US retail users USD cash deposit and withdrawal via ACH |
First deposits from new accounts can take longer while additional verification runs.
Exchanges people use
These platforms have a sourced record of serving US residents, and the coverage varies from one to the next.
| Exchange | Status as stated | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Coinbase | Operates as Coinbase, Inc. with a New York virtual currency license and money transmitter licenses elsewhere | New York Department of Financial Services virtual currency business register |
| Kraken | Serves US clients through Payward Inc. under state money services business licensing | Kraken availability of clients by country |
| Gemini | Lists all 50 states | Gemini areas-of-availability page |
| Bitstamp by Robinhood | Holds a New York virtual currency license through Bitstamp USA, Inc. | New York Department of Financial Services virtual currency business register |
| Crypto.com Exchange | Accepts US retail dollar deposits | Crypto.com help center, US retail users USD cash deposit and withdrawal via ACH |
| Bullish | Serves the country through Bullish US Operations LLC, New York license 0000046 plus money transmitter licenses in selected states | Bullish licenses and disclosures |
| Binance US | US-only venue run by BAM Trading Services, Inc.; 38 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico | Binance US supported and unsupported states and regions |
| OKX | Reaches the country only through OKX INC. in approved operating locations | OKX terms of service |
Check the state list before signing up, because a national brand does not mean national coverage. The full picture sits on Exchanges available in United States.
Taxes in practice
The Internal Revenue Service treats digital assets as property, so the taxable event is the disposal rather than the purchase. Buying and holding creates nothing to report; selling, swapping one token for another, or spending crypto does. Your holding period sets the rate, with one year the dividing line between short term and long term treatment (source: IRS digital assets guidance, updated 28 August 2026).
The reporting side is what changed. Brokers started reporting gross proceeds on Form 1099-DA for 2025 transactions, and cost basis reporting was added for 2026, so the figures your exchange sends the agency and the figures on your return need to agree. Keep your own record of what you paid and when, because basis that moved between platforms is where the mismatches show up.
Property
Asset treatment
IRS digital assets guidance, updated 28 August 2026
1 year
Long-term holding line
IRS digital assets guidance, updated 28 August 2026
Form 1099-DA
Broker reporting form
gross proceeds from 2025, cost basis added for 2026
Common problems
State coverage is the first thing that breaks.
Several large global venues are closed to the country entirely. KuCoin names the United States and its territories a restricted location in its terms of use, Bitunix lists it as a prohibited jurisdiction including all territories, Bybit EU names it in its service restricted countries list, and Bitvavo only opens accounts for residents of the SEPA zone. Trying to reach one of those through a workaround puts your funds outside any US consumer protection. If a term here is unfamiliar, start with on ramp off ramp and custodial.
Exchanges Available in the United States
| Exchange | Type | Typical fee on $500 | KYC | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strike | broker | $5.55 | Required | Visit Strike |
| Robinhood Crypto | broker | $9.50 | Required | Visit Robinhood Crypto |
| Bitstamp by Robinhood | centralized exchange | $11.00 | Required | Visit Bitstamp by Robinhood |
| Kraken | centralized exchange | — | Required | Visit Kraken |
| Crypto.com Exchange | centralized exchange | — | Required | Visit Crypto.com Exchange |
| Coinbase Exchange | centralized exchange | — | Required | Visit Coinbase Exchange |
| Uphold | broker | — | Required | Visit Uphold |
| Toobit | centralized exchange | — | Not required | Visit Toobit |
| eToro | broker | — | Required | Visit eToro |
| Gemini | centralized exchange | — | Required | Visit Gemini |
Fees are estimated from each exchange’s published schedule for a $500 market buy. Rankings follow our methodology and are not influenced by affiliate relationships.
Popular Assets in the United States
- Buy Bitcoin in the United States
- Buy Ethereum in the United States
- Buy Tether in the United States
- Buy BNB in the United States
- Buy XRP in the United States
- Buy USDC in the United States
- Buy Solana in the United States
- Buy TRON in the United States
- Buy Figure Heloc in the United States
- Buy Hyperliquid in the United States
Buyability in United States
The 10 coins we have verified an exchange for in United States, graded on how many verified exchanges sell them here and what the cheapest $500 purchase costs. Price never moves a grade.
| Coin | Ticker | Grade | Verified exchanges | Cheapest on $500 | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bitcoin | BTC | A | 15 | $2.00 | Bitcoin here |
 Ethereum | ETH | A | 13 | $2.00 | Ethereum here |
 Solana | SOL | A | 12 | $2.00 | Solana here |
 Chainlink | LINK | A | 12 | $2.28 | Chainlink here |
 Bitcoin Cash | BCH | A | 12 | $2.25 | Bitcoin Cash here |
 Litecoin | LTC | A | 12 | $2.15 | Litecoin here |
 Dogecoin | DOGE | A | 11 | $2.04 | Dogecoin here |
 Uniswap | UNI | A | 11 | $2.14 | Uniswap here |
 XRP | XRP | A | 10 | $2.01 | XRP here |
 Stellar | XLM | A | 10 | $2.16 | Stellar here |
Staking in the United States
1 exchange we track publishes staking rules specific to the United States, covering 2 assets. Every other exchange follows its global offer. Rates are as published on the date shown and are not a promise of return.
Tax Overview
The Internal Revenue Service treats digital assets as property, so selling, trading, or spending crypto is a taxable disposal. As of September 2026, a gain on an asset held one year or less is short term and taxed at ordinary income rates, while a gain on an asset held more than one year is long term and taxed at 0, 15, or 20 percent depending on your income. Crypto received in exchange for goods or services is ordinary income, as are mining and staking rewards, valued when you receive them. Brokers began reporting gross proceeds on Form 1099-DA for 2025 transactions, with cost basis reporting added for 2026 (source: IRS digital assets guidance, updated 28 August 2026).
Tax holding clock
Bought on September 5, 2026 in the United States: a sale before September 5, 2027 is taxed as a short-term capital gain; from that date the gain is taxed as a long-term capital gain.
- Regime
- Capital gains
- Holding period
- 365 days
- Annual allowance
- None published
- Verified
- September 2, 2026
This is an explanation of how the rules work, not tax advice, and your own position depends on facts this page cannot see.
US States
- Crypto in Alabama
- Crypto in Alaska
- Crypto in Arizona
- Crypto in Arkansas
- Crypto in California
- Crypto in Colorado
- Crypto in Connecticut
- Crypto in Delaware
- Crypto in Florida
- Crypto in Georgia
- Crypto in Hawaii
- Crypto in Idaho
- Crypto in Illinois
- Crypto in Indiana
- Crypto in Iowa
- Crypto in Kansas
- Crypto in Kentucky
- Crypto in Louisiana
- Crypto in Maine
- Crypto in Maryland
- Crypto in Massachusetts
- Crypto in Michigan
- Crypto in Minnesota
- Crypto in Mississippi
- Crypto in Missouri
- Crypto in Montana
- Crypto in Nebraska
- Crypto in Nevada
- Crypto in New Hampshire
- Crypto in New Jersey
- Crypto in New Mexico
- Crypto in New York
- Crypto in North Carolina
- Crypto in North Dakota
- Crypto in Ohio
- Crypto in Oklahoma
- Crypto in Oregon
- Crypto in Pennsylvania
- Crypto in Rhode Island
- Crypto in South Carolina
- Crypto in South Dakota
- Crypto in Tennessee
- Crypto in Texas
- Crypto in Utah
- Crypto in Vermont
- Crypto in Virginia
- Crypto in Washington
- Crypto in West Virginia
- Crypto in Wisconsin
- Crypto in Wyoming
Guides
- What to Do When an Exchange Freezes Withdrawals
When withdrawals stop, the first job is working out which of four things is happening: a routine hold on a recent deposit, a compliance review of your account, a temporary pause on one asset or network, or a venue-wide halt, because only the last one is an emergency and the first is usually documented on the exchange's own fee page.
- Exchange Verification Tiers and Limits Explained
A verification tier is the level of identity evidence an exchange holds about you, and it controls what you are allowed to do: which deposit and withdrawal rails you can use, how much you can move in a given period, and in some cases which products and assets are available to your account at all.
- How to Use a Block Explorer to Check a Transaction
A block explorer is a public search engine for a blockchain, and you check a transaction by pasting its hash into the search box and reading three fields: the status, the number of confirmations, and the receiving address.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is cryptocurrency legal in the United States?
- 15 exchanges we have verified serve residents of the United States. We have not recorded a jurisdiction-wide restriction on buying cryptocurrency in the United States. See the regulation section for detail.
- Which exchanges work in the United States?
- Strike, Robinhood Crypto, and Bitstamp by Robinhood serve residents of the United States.
- Do I pay tax on crypto in the United States?
- The Internal Revenue Service treats digital assets as property, so selling, trading, or spending crypto is a taxable disposal. As of September 2026, a gain on an asset held one year or less is short term and taxed at ordinary income rates, while a gain on an asset held more than one year is long term and taxed at 0, 15, or 20 percent depending on your income. Crypto received in exchange for goods or services is ordinary income, as are mining and staking rewards, valued when you receive them. Brokers began reporting gross proceeds on Form 1099-DA for 2025 transactions, with cost basis reporting added for 2026 (source: IRS digital assets guidance, updated 28 August 2026).