Is KuCoin available in the US?

No, KuCoin is not available in the US as of November 2026. It closed US accounts in January 2025 and blocks US IP addresses, and two separate federal cases now keep it out. One is a criminal plea with a two-year exit commitment. The other is a civil court order from a CFTC case that bars US users indefinitely unless KuCoin registers. For background on the exchange itself, see what is KuCoin.

Is KuCoin legal in the US?

Not for US users. On January 27, 2025, Peken Global, which has operated KuCoin since at least September 2019, pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. It agreed to pay more than $297 million and to exit the US market for at least two years. Prosecutors said KuCoin never registered with FinCEN and never filed suspicious activity reports, even though about 1.5 million registered users were located in the US. FinCEN's role is covered in what does FinCEN do in crypto.

The derivatives side is a separate matter. In March 2024 the CFTC sued KuCoin for offering futures and other leveraged products to US customers without registering, and said its identity checks did not stop US traders. The CFTC also said KuCoin imposed no IP address restrictions and did not account for VPNs.

Is KuCoin banned in the US?

In practice, yes, and that ban is now longer than the two-year plea term. On March 30, 2026, a federal judge in New York entered a consent order in the CFTC case requiring Peken Global to pay a $500,000 penalty and to permanently prohibit US participants unless it registers as a foreign board of trade, The Block reported. The CFTC did not seek disgorgement, citing Peken's cooperation and the related criminal case.

For people still holding assets, KuCoin's January 2025 announcement says US accounts closed on January 23, 2025 at 9 p.m. EST and logins are disabled. Withdrawals now go through customer service with a 30 USDT fee. Using a VPN to get back in breaks KuCoin's own restrictions. Which agencies oversee exchanges is explained in who regulates crypto in the US.

Is KuCoin safe and legit?

KuCoin is a real exchange that still serves other countries, but its record is mixed. Beyond the US cases, Chainalysis linked a 2020 theft of about $280 million from KuCoin to North Korea's Lazarus Group, and KuCoin recovered about 84% of it, ForkLog reported. Because KuCoin holds customer crypto, the risks in what happens if a crypto exchange goes bankrupt apply to any user, and for US residents there is no licensed version to use.