France is a country that recognizes the potential of cryptocurrencies. It can be termed a crypto-friendly country whose laws have a clear-cut definition of not just cryptocurrencies but also utility tokens. It is estimated that about 5% of French adults owned cryptocurrency in 2022. Bitcoin is, of course, the most popular choice with 72% of crypto owner respondents possessing Bitcoin.
While France is big on regulating crypto assets, its clear regulatory framework has actually helped in developing the crypto industry in the country. There are crypto exchanges like Coinhouse and Paymium that are based in France and many international exchanges have also gotten licenses to operate in the country.
As of March 2023, about 60 crypto firms are registered with France’s financial market regulator. Obviously, you cannot go through every single cryptocurrency exchange to select one for trading. Therefore, we have compiled this list of the top crypto and Bitcoin exchanges in France to make things easier for you.
8 Top Crypto Exchanges in France
Coinhouse
Coinhouse is a popular cryptocurrency exchange in France. Formed in 2015, it was the first digital asset provider to be licensed by the French Financial Market Regulator. Therefore, it stringently follows all the KYC and AML/CFT norms set by the French authorities.
The biggest advantage of Coinhouse is the instant crypto buying and selling services it provides. It also provides in-person assistance for large-value transactions. Apart from that, Coinhouse provides asset management services where experts manage your crypto savings and make adjustments according to your investment profile.
You can also enable Recurring Buy to automate your crypto purchases and optimize your investment strategy. Coinhouse also supports staking and does not charge any fees for entering or exiting the program.
For individual investors, Coinhouse offers Classic, Premium and Platinum accounts and you can choose between them as per your requirement.
Features
✔️Native French exchange
✔️40+ cryptocurrencies available
✔️Classic, Premium and Platinum accounts for investors
✔️First crypto exchange to be registered by AMF
Pros and Cons
✅Beginner-friendly platform ❌Low number of coins
✅Mandatory KYC ❌High fees
✅Supports staking
✅Good customer support
Trading Fees
Coinhouse exchange trading fees
Customer Reviews
Coinhouse has efficient customer service
Coinhouse’s fees can be quite high
Why We Picked It
Coinhouse is a native French exchange and quite an accessible one as far as crypto exchanges go. It follows all the required KYC norms and enables instant crypto buy/sell. There are assets available for staking and Coinhouse also has an efficient and responsive customer service.
Paymium
Paymium is a French cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2011. It is a bilingual exchange available in both French and English. Paymium has a simple interface that enables you to easily purchase and sell cryptocurrencies. You can start investing with as low as €1 on Paymium.
For professional traders, Paymium offers strong APIs, tools for automating trades and a dedicated account manager. It also has a referral program where you can earn a 30% commission for inviting your friends to Paymium. Along with the desktop version, it has a mobile app available for both Android and iOS devices.
Features
✔️Native French exchange
✔️5+ cryptocurrencies available
✔️Bilingual platform
✔️Available on desktop, Android and iOS
Pros and Cons
✅Low minimum deposit ❌Limited cryptocurrencies available
✅Easy-to-use platform ❌No asset staking
✅Recurring Buy feature
✅Referral program
Trading Fees
Paymium limit order fees
Customer Reviews
Paymium has good customer service
Assets have been frozen on Paymium
Why We Picked It
Paymium is a French cryptocurrency exchange that has been in the business for a long time. It is a KYC-compliant platform registered with the AMF and makes crypto trading easy for everyone. You can automate your trades here and professional traders can get services for large-value transactions.
Binance
Anything is possible on Binance. It is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world and lets you trade 350+ cryptocurrencies at nominal rates. Not only that, it enables business owners to accept crypto payments with Binance Pay. NFT enthusiasts can explore popular collections, fan tokens and IGOs here.
Shoppers get the choice to use the Visa-powered Binance card to make crypto payments and get 8% BNB cashback on eligible transactions. Holding the BNB token can also get you other perks on Binance such as a reduction in the trading fees and rewards for taking the token via the Binance Vault.
Binance also has a P2P platform where you can negotiate directly with potential crypto buyers and sellers and choose between 700 payment methods to settle trades. With Binance Earn, you get a number of staking options with high APYs. Plus, the exchange uses 10% of the trading fees to maintain a secure asset fund meant to protect user funds.
Features
✔️Largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world
✔️More than 350 cryptocurrencies available for trading
✔️Supports P2P trading
✔️Has an NFT marketplace
✔️Native utility token is called BNB
Pros and Cons
✅Excellent crypto selection ❌Not a good choice for beginners
✅Supports many trade types ❌Legal problems in many places
✅Binance card with cashback
✅Secure Asset Fund for user assets
Trading Fees
Binance cryptocurrency exchange trading fees
Customer Reviews
The Binance Visa card is useful for customers
Binance’s customer support needs to be better
Why We Picked It
Binance is unparalleled in terms of the variety of crypto products it offers to users. It supports spot, margin, options as well as P2P trading. There is an NFT marketplace where popular and underrated collections can be explored. The trading fees on Binance are low and a portion of it goes to the secure user asset fund for the protection of user assets.
Coinbase
Coinbase is quite an old exchange, atleast by the crypto industry standards. It is a very straightforward platform with a simple, no-nonsense design that helps beginner traders feel at ease with crypto trading.
It is a public company in America as well and maintains accountability standards far higher than the average crypto exchange.
Coinbase has a solid and reliable mobile app that is perfect for trading from anywhere via your mobile phone. While Coinbase is a very pro-beginners exchange, it also has functionalities suitable for more advanced traders.
Coinbase Pro gives professional traders access to several sophisticated market tracking and analysis tools.
Coinbase is a secure platform and has never faced a platform-wide large attack in its history. It automatically enrolls users for 2FA when they register and encourages them to pick unique and strong passwords for their accounts.
Features
✔️Second-largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world
✔️Over 250 tradeable assets available
✔️Publicly traded company on NASDAQ
✔️Basic and Pro platforms for users
✔️2FA, unique passwords and cold wallets for security
Pros and Cons
✅Decent crypto selection ❌Fees are higher than others
✅Beginner-friendly platform ❌Customer service is bad
✅Fantastic mobile app
✅Native wallet for storing crypto
Trading Fees
Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange trading fees
Customer Reviews
The trading process on Coinbase is flawless
Coinbase’s verification process can be lengthy and frustrating
Why We Picked It
Coinbase is an excellent choice for traders still getting used to crypto trading due to its simple and straightforward interface. It caters to the more advanced trader demographic via its Pro version. Coinbase is the first crypto company to be listed on NASDAQ and therefore, its auditing and accountability standards are much higher than other cryptocurrency exchanges.
Crypto.com
Crypto.com is a very famous exchange with 80 million users known for its excellent mobile app. With this app, it seeks to popularize trading on the go anytime from your mobile phone.
With 250+ cryptocurrencies, Crypto.com has a wide variety of assets that can be bought, sold and traded. Additionally, it has 500+ pairs with up to 5x leverage available for margin trading. For derivatives trading, more than 100 perpetuals, quarterly futures and warrant contracts are there. To sweeten the deal, Crypto.com offers discounts on trading fees if you stake its native token CRO.
Crypto.com is an ISO 27001 certified exchange that also ensures that all user accounts are multi-factor authenticated and have address whitelisting on.
Features
✔️250+ cryptocurrencies available for trading
✔️Native utility coin is known as Cronos(CRO)
✔️Crypto-based loans are available
✔️Native Crypto.com wallet for storing assets
Pros and Cons
✅Great crypto collection ❌Educational material is limited
✅Fantastic asset staking options ❌Not very beginner-friendly
✅Assets kept in cold storage
✅Referral program with good rewards
Trading Fees
Crypto.com exchange trading fees
Customer Reviews
The Crypto.com app is great for crypto trading
Users have reported problems with withdrawal on Crypto.com
Why We Picked It
The crypto.com app is full of interesting features and you should definitely check it out once. You can not only stake CRO to get rewards but also use it to get discounts on trading fees. Crypto loans are available here and it also offers a prepaid Visa card with several perks and benefits.
eToro
eToro is primarily a social trading platform though it does offer cryptocurrencies for trading and staking. It is an Israel-based brokerage platform that offers 3,000+ assets for investment at 0% commission. eToro was one of the first platforms to introduce copy trading and it remains a master of the same.
On eToro, you can copy the trading strategies of top traders in real time and apply them to your own trades. You can get diversified exposure to different market segments with eToro’s portfolio manager. There are also a few assets with pretty good rewards available here for staking.
Features
✔️Place for social trading and investment
✔️75+ cryptocurrencies available for trading
✔️Stocks, ETFs and Options are supported
✔️VIP program with five tiers for users
Pros and Cons
✅Several types of assets available ❌Fewer cryptocurrencies
✅Strictly regulated brokerage ❌Expensive for crypto trades
✅Copy trading is supported
✅eToro Academy for investment
education
Trading Fees
eToro platform fees for buying and selling cryptocurrency
eToro charges for crypto-to-crypto conversions
Customer Reviews
eToro offers clients dedicated account managers
eToro’s fees can be very high
Why We Picked It
eToro is a great place for multi-asset trading. If you want to trade assets of different natures such as ETFs and cryptocurrencies in one place, eToro is the way to go. It has a robust copy trading system and offers dedicated account managers to users. There are learning resources available on eToro Academy as well.
Uphold
Uphold is a multi-asset trading platform like eToro. You can trade not only cryptocurrencies but also conventional fiat currencies and precious metals like gold and silver. Not only that, but you can also trade between assets i.e. say, trading Bitcoin for gold, for example.
There are no fees on Uphold. Instead, it charges a commission for trading which is 1.5% in Europe for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether. Uphold also supports staking and you can earn decent rewards with your crypto assets.
Uphold’s “Cryptionary is a great feature for learning about crypto trading and terms related to cryptocurrencies in general. Accounts are secured with 2FA here and regular audits and penetration tests are standard on Uphold.
Features
✔️Cryptocurrency, fiat currency and precious metals available
✔️250+ cryptocurrencies for trading
✔️Regular audits, penetration tests and bug bounty for security
Pros and Cons
✅Satisfactory coin collection ❌Trades can be expensive
✅Minimum deposit requirements ❌Equity trading not available
are low in Europe
✅No fees for deposits and withdrawals
Trading Fees
Uphold platform fees explained
Customer Reviews
Uphold is a platform that is very easy to navigate
Withdrawals funds can be difficult on Uphold
Why We Picked It
Uphold’s cryptocurrency collection is comparable with any other major crypto exchange. But you get the added advantage of cross-asset trading here i.e. you can trade assets of one type for another on Uphold. It is a secure platform with regular audits and security tests.
Bitstamp
Bitstamp is registered as a Payment Institution in Luxembourg and has been a reliable platform for trading cryptocurrency since its inception in 2011. While it is not full of features like many other exchanges, it excels at the basic tasks of a cryptocurrency exchange.
Bitstamp offers users bank-grade security and insurance for their assets. Funds are instantly deposited here and there is the instant cash out option in places as well.
Bitstamp’s main mobile app can be used by anyone- be it a newbie or an advanced trader. The app supports several popular payment options such as PayPal, bank transfers and debit and credit cards.
The Bitstamp Pro app, meanwhile, caters to professionals and provides them with real-time charts, order books and other advanced analytical tools.
Features
✔️One of the oldest crypto exchanges
✔️More than 82 tradeable assets available
✔️Has both a desktop version and mobile apps
Pros and Cons
✅Properly licensed platform ❌Margin trading not supported
✅KYC verification is compulsory ❌Limited staking opportunities
✅Average trading fees
✅Easily navigable platform
Trading Fees
Bitstamp cryptocurrency exchange trading fees
Customer Reviews
Bitstamp is a trustworthy and reliable exchange
Users had issues withdrawing funds from Bitstamp
Why We Picked It
Bitstamp has been around for a long time and is a safe and reliable platform for trading cryptocurrency. It has two separate mobile apps geared towards addressing the needs of inexperienced and advanced traders. It offers bank-grade security and instant deposit and cash out options as well.
Top 2 Decentralized Exchanges in France
UniSwap
UniSwap is in a league of its own among decentralized cryptocurrency exchanges. It was, after all, UniSwap’s success that eventually led to the development of many other DeFi platforms.
Since it is an Ethereum-based project, UniSwap primarily supports the swapping of ERC-20 tokens. It is a platform that uses the Automated Market Maker(AMM) protocol and therefore, has no central order books to match crypto buyers and sellers. Instead, it relies on self-executing smart contracts to define how liquidity is to be provided and tokens are to be swapped.
This automation of the whole process ensures that UniSwap is resistant to manipulations and system attacks. Further, UniSwap is one of the few decentralized exchanges that are beginner-friendly and can be used easily by people with various levels of crypto trading experience.
Features
✔️Runs on the Ethereum blockchain
✔️Employs the AMM protocol
✔️Open-source code project
✔️Native utility token is known as UNI
Pros and Cons
✅ERC-20 tokens for trading ❌Listed coins are not vetted
✅Supports NFT purchases ❌Ethereum gas fees can be notoriously
✅Accessible platform high
✅Governed by the UNI holders
Trading Fees
UniSwap cryptocurrency exchange pool fees
Customer Reviews
UniSwap is a popular decentralized exchange on Ethereum
UniSwap has no complaint registration mechanism
Why We Picked It
UniSwap is a very accessible platform compared to other decentralized exchanges. You can instantly start trading here by connecting a crypto wallet. You don’t have to worry about your funds being stolen because your private keys remain with you. It does not ask for any ID information and allows you to trade anonymously.
PancakeSwap
A ‘Swap’ exchange launched during the DeFi golden year of 2020, BNB Chain-based PancakeSwap is an improvement over UniSwap in many ways. Firstly, PancakeSwap users don’t have to deal with frequent network congestion. As a result, their transactions are processed quickly and they don’t have to pay expensive gas fees.
Secondly, PancakeSwap has many products that are bound to raise the curiosity of every crypto trader. There are yield farms where you can earn passive income, syrup pools where you can stake PancakeSwap’s native CAKE token, lottery programs where you can win rewards and Initial Farm Offerings(IFOs) to get early access to new tokens.
PancakeSwap also has very low fees and enables you to efficiently swap stable pairs with its StableSwap feature. All the smart contracts on PancakeSwap are open-source to maintain transparency. These contracts are all multisig and have been time-locked for more security.
Firms like Snowmist and Certik have conducted security audits for PancakeSwap and given the platform positive ratings for the same.
Features
✔️Constructed on the BNB Chain
✔️Employs the AMM protocol
✔️Native utility token is known as CAKE
✔️Open-source smart contracts
Pros and Cons
✅Access to BEP-20 tokens for swapping ❌BTC trading is not possible
✅Ingenuine product suite ❌Problem of low-quality coins
✅Trading fees are quite low
✅Positive ratings in security audits
Trading Fees
PancakeSwap cryptocurrency exchange trading fees
Customer Reviews
PancakeSwap is an exchange popular among crypto traders
PancakeSwap does not verify coins before listing them
Why We Picked It
Crypto trading is fun on PancakeSwap due to its cute and colorful design and innovative product suite. The fees here are quite low as per the industry standards. StableSwap gives you the opportunity to swap stable pairs with more efficiency. Products like the lottery program and PancakeSwap’s IFOs are worth checking out once.
Is Crypto Trade Legal in France?
Yes, crypto trading is legal in France. The French government is in general supportive of crypto assets provided that they are properly regulated. The PACTE Act, which was implemented in 2019, brought Initial Coin Offerings(ICOs) and Digital Assets Service Providers(DASPs) under the regulatory supervision of the French Financial Markets Authority(AMF).
For DASPs, there are two levels of registration and licensing regulations- mandatory registration for four specific digital assets services and an optional license for all other services.
Registration is mandatory if a DASP intends to offer services related to the custody of digital assets, buying and selling of digital assets with legal tender, exchanging of digital assets and running a digital asset trading platform.
In the case of ICOs, token issuers need to apply for an optional visa so that they can be included in the AMF’s white list. To acquire the visa, token issuers have to comply with the French anti-money laundering and countering terror financing(AML/CFT) regulations and adhere to other standards related to transparency and security.
In 2019, the government defined the taxation regime for digital assets as well. Individuals have to pay a 30% capital gains tax on the sale of digital assets. Capital gains also need to be disclosed when filing income tax returns and accounts with any cryptocurrency exchange based outside of France are to be disclosed as well.
For companies, it depends on the final use of digital assets by the company that determines how they are to be treated for accounting and taxation purposes.
The Bottom Line
French traders have a plethora of options available to them for trading cryptocurrencies. Further, the country’s regulatory framework and stringent AML/CFT standards ensure that they are able to do so safely. Among the many choices available to you, you can pick between French exchanges, international exchanges or a mixture of both.
Just remember that cryptocurrencies are some of the most volatile assets and you can lose money as easily as you can earn profits. Therefore, it is important to get sound financial advice from a qualified professional before investing your money in cryptocurrencies.