Wallets/kucoin
KuCoin
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Overview
KuCoin is a global crypto exchange + Jan 2025 DOJ $297M settlement + Mar 2026 CFTC permanent US exit [1, 2, [global-cro]]. 2025 baseline: KuCoin 38M+ connected users worldwide + ~$1.6B daily trading volume + Jan 2025 DOJ guilty plea + $297M penalties + forfeitures ($184.5M criminal forfeiture + $112.9M criminal fine); 1.5M US registered users at time of DOJ settlement + $184.5M+ US-derived fees; founders Chun "Michael" Gan + Ke "Eric" Tang depart company per DOJ settlement terms; Mar 2026 — CFTC permanent US ban + $500K civil penalty (CFTC order removed time limit from earlier two-year DOJ-mandated US exit → indefinite ban).
Distinctive KuCoin positioning [1, 2, 3, 4]:
- Global crypto exchange + Jan 2025 DOJ $297M settlement + Mar 2026 CFTC permanent US exit
- KuCoin 38M+ connected users worldwide + ~$1.6B daily trading volume
- Jan 2025 DOJ guilty plea: $297M penalties + forfeitures ($184.5M criminal forfeiture + $112.9M criminal fine); 1.5M US registered users at time of DOJ settlement + $184.5M+ US-derived fees
- Founders Chun "Michael" Gan + Ke "Eric" Tang depart company per DOJ settlement terms
- Mar 2026 CFTC permanent US ban + $500K civil penalty (CFTC order removed time limit from earlier two-year DOJ-mandated US exit → indefinite ban) — distinctive KuCoin global crypto exchange permanent US exit
- Sep 2017 KuCoin founding by Chun "Michael" Gan + Ke "Eric" Tang in Hong Kong
History
Aug 2017 — KuCoin founded by Chun "Michael" Gan + Ke "Eric" Tang in Hong Kong + later relocated to Seychelles (post-Chinese crypto trading ban).
Sep 2017 — KuCoin platform launches.
Jan 2025 — KuCoin DOJ guilty plea + $297M settlement ($184.5M criminal forfeiture + $112.9M criminal fine); 1.5M US registered users at time of settlement + $184.5M+ US-derived fees; founders Chun "Michael" Gan + Ke "Eric" Tang depart company per DOJ settlement terms; KuCoin agrees to exit US market for at least two years [2, 3, 4].
Mar 2026 — CFTC permanent US ban + $500K civil penalty (CFTC order removed time limit from earlier two-year DOJ-mandated US exit → indefinite ban) [1].
Ownership & operator
Operating entity: Mek Global Limited (Seychelles entity; permanent US exit post-Mar 2026 CFTC order).
Major shareholders: Chun "Michael" Gan (founder; departed post-Jan 2025 DOJ settlement) + Ke "Eric" Tang (founder; departed post-Jan 2025 DOJ settlement) + crypto venture capital + private float.
Regulators: Seychelles + permanent US exit post-Mar 2026 CFTC order + multi-jurisdiction compliance pursuit (ex-US).
Technical integration
KuCoin mobile app (iOS + Android) + kucoin.com web + KuCoin API (REST + WebSocket + FIX); KuCoin Spot + KuCoin Futures + KuCoin Earn + KuCoin Pool-X + KuCoin Margin + KuCoin Bot + KuCoin Lending + KCS Token (KuCoin native exchange token); USDT + USDC + BTC + ETH funding; cross-chain bridging.
Users & growth
2025: KuCoin 38M+ connected users worldwide + ~$1.6B daily trading volume; Jan 2025 DOJ settlement context: 1.5M US registered users at time of settlement + $184.5M+ US-derived fees.
Use cases
Global (ex-US permanent post-Mar 2026 CFTC order; ex-China) crypto retail + derivatives + spot + on-chain trading via KuCoin mobile + web + API; KuCoin Spot + KuCoin Futures + KuCoin Earn + KuCoin Pool-X + KuCoin Margin + KuCoin Bot + KuCoin Lending + KCS Token (KuCoin native exchange token).
Implementations & partners
Operator: Mek Global Limited (Seychelles entity; permanent US exit post-Mar 2026 CFTC order).
Subsidiaries: KuCoin Spot + KuCoin Futures + KuCoin Earn + KuCoin Pool-X + KuCoin Margin + KuCoin Bot + KuCoin Lending + KCS Token (KuCoin native exchange token).
Major global centralized crypto exchange competitors: [[binance]] (global #1 by volume; CZ-founded; 2023 US DOJ $4.3B settlement) + [[coinbase]] (US #1; NASDAQ: COIN) + [[okx]] (global top-5; Star Xu-founded) + [[bybit]] (global top-5; Ben Zhou-founded; Dubai HQ; 2025 $1.5B hack survival) + [[bitget]] (top-4 derivatives; 150M+ users; Universal Exchange UEX) + [[mexc]] (#3 global CEX by spot volume Dec 2025) + [[htx]] (formerly Huobi; Sep 2023 Justin Sun rebrand) + [[gemini]] (US Winklevoss; Sep 12 2025 NASDAQ IPO at $3.3B) + [[kraken]] (US #2).
Regulators: Seychelles + permanent US exit post-Mar 2026 CFTC order + multi-jurisdiction compliance pursuit (ex-US).
Fun facts
- Global crypto exchange + Jan 2025 DOJ $297M settlement + Mar 2026 CFTC permanent US exit.
- KuCoin 38M+ connected users worldwide + ~$1.6B daily trading volume.
- Jan 2025 DOJ guilty plea: $297M penalties + forfeitures ($184.5M criminal forfeiture + $112.9M criminal fine); 1.5M US registered users at time of DOJ settlement + $184.5M+ US-derived fees.
- Founders Chun "Michael" Gan + Ke "Eric" Tang depart company per DOJ settlement terms.
- Mar 2026 CFTC permanent US ban + $500K civil penalty (CFTC order removed time limit from earlier two-year DOJ-mandated US exit → indefinite ban).
- Aug 2017 KuCoin founding by Chun "Michael" Gan + Ke "Eric" Tang in Hong Kong + later relocated to Seychelles.
Comparison
| Feature | KuCoin | [[binance]] (global #1 by volume + 2023 DOJ $4.3B settlement rival) | [[htx]] (formerly Huobi + Sep 2023 Justin Sun rebrand + May 2026 UK Russia sanctions rival) | [[bitget]] (top-4 derivatives + 150M+ users + Universal Exchange rival) | [[mexc]] (#3 global CEX by spot volume Dec 2025 rival) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Mek Global Limited (Seychelles entity; permanent US exit post-Mar 2026 CFTC order) | Binance Holdings Ltd (Cayman Islands) | HTX (Seychelles entity; Justin Sun-controlled post-2022 acquisition) | Bitget Limited (Seychelles) | MEXC Global (Singapore-founded; Seychelles entity) |
| Type | Global crypto exchange + Jan 2025 DOJ $297M settlement + Mar 2026 CFTC permanent US exit + 38M+ users worldwide + ~$1.6B daily trading volume + founders Gan + Tang departed post-DOJ settlement | Global #1 by volume + 250M+ users + Binance Smart Chain (BNB Chain) + 2023 US DOJ $4.3B settlement | Justin Sun-controlled global crypto exchange + Sep 2023 HTX rebrand to mark 10-year anniversary + 10M+ users + May 2026 UK Russia sanctions | Top-4 derivatives + 150M+ users + Universal Exchange (UEX) + $8.17T 2025 derivatives volume + 82% institutional spot share | #3 global CEX by spot volume Dec 2025 + 40M+ users in 170+ countries + 2,278 spot pairs (6x competitors) + altcoin trading volume growth leader |
| Country | Seychelles + permanent US exit post-Mar 2026 | Cayman Islands + global (ex-US) | Seychelles + 100+ countries (ex-US; ex-China) | Seychelles + 100+ countries (ex-US) | Seychelles + 170+ countries (ex-US) |
| Distinctive | Aug 2017 KuCoin founding by Chun "Michael" Gan + Ke "Eric" Tang in Hong Kong; later Seychelles relocation post-Chinese crypto trading ban; Sep 2017 KuCoin platform launch; Jan 2025 DOJ guilty plea + $297M settlement + 1.5M US users + $184.5M US-derived fees + founders departure; Mar 2026 CFTC permanent US ban + $500K civil penalty | 2017 founding by CZ; 2023 US DOJ $4.3B settlement + CZ 4-month US prison + permanent CEO ban | Sep 2013 Huobi founding by Leon Li in Beijing; 2017 Chinese government crypto trading ban → Huobi international relocation; 2022 Justin Sun acquisition; Sep 2023 HTX rebrand | 2018 founding; 2024 Gracy Chen CEO; 2025 Universal Exchange (UEX) launch | Apr 2018 founding as MXC; 2021 MEXC rename; 2025 #3 global CEX by spot volume Dec 2025 |
Status
Active, global crypto exchange + Jan 2025 DOJ $297M settlement + Mar 2026 CFTC permanent US exit [1, 2, 3, 4]:
- Mek Global Limited (Seychelles entity; permanent US exit post-Mar 2026 CFTC order) since Aug 2017 KuCoin founding by Chun "Michael" Gan + Ke "Eric" Tang in Hong Kong.
- 38M+ connected users worldwide + ~$1.6B daily trading volume.
- Jan 2025 DOJ guilty plea + $297M settlement + founders Gan + Tang departed.
- Mar 2026 CFTC permanent US ban + $500K civil penalty.
- Seychelles + permanent US exit + multi-jurisdiction compliance pursuit (ex-US).
Sources
- 1 KuCoin operator barred from U.S. after CFTC order — CoinDesk
- 2 Kucoin Will Exit The U.S. for Atleast Two Years as Part of DOJ Settlement — CoinDesk
- 3 KuCoin Announces Settlement with the DOJ, Ushering in a New Chapter of Compliance and Growth — PRNewswire
- 4 KuCoin faces $297 million settlement with DOJ — Invezz
- [global-cro] In-corpus:
reports/countries/global.md
Source
Biography extracted from kucoin.md. See matrix.md for standards-support matrix if present.