[Exchanges](https://revain.org/exchanges/) › Bitonic

# Bitonic: licences, security, fees and reviews

Centralized exchange

## In short

- **Legal entity**: Bitonic B.V., Hoogte Kadijk 143F 8, 1018 BH Amsterdam
- **Fees**: Spot taker: 1.0% per buy or sell in the app or account (may be lower for high volume)
- **Risks and caveats**: Bitonic is custodial: customer bitcoin is held by Bitonic's foundation unless withdrawn to a personal wallet.
- **Checked**: 31 October 2026

## Key facts

- **Type**: Centralized exchange
- **Exchange launched**: 2012
- **Country of registration**: Netherlands
- **Operator**: Bitonic B.V.
- **Official site**: [bitonic.nl](https://bitonic.nl/)

Key facts checked on 31 October 2026 against official sources and regulator registers.

## What is Bitonic

Bitonic is a Dutch bitcoin-only broker, founded on 1 May 2012, where customers buy, sell and store bitcoin in an app or on the web, with automatic purchases and an OTC desk. Bitonic B.V. holds a MiCA licence from the Dutch AFM, granted on 21 November 2025.

## Good to know

- Bitonic trades only bitcoin; it does not list other coins. [↗](https://bitonic.nl/en)
- Customer euros and bitcoin are held in a separate foundation, Stichting Bitonic Payments, apart from Bitonic B.V. [↗](https://bitonic.nl/en/news/298/bitonic-receives-micar-license-from-the-dutch-authority-for-the-financial-markets)
- Bitonic's own exchange platform BL3P closed on 20 December 2024; former BL3P users log in at Bitonic. [↗](https://bitonic.nl/en/news/301/bl3p-permanently-offline)
- In October 2026 attackers took over five accounts through a flaw in a PDF upload function; 0.003 BTC was taken from three and reimbursed. [↗](https://bitonic.nl/en/news/308/security-incident-at-bitonic-update)

## Services

| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Spot trading | Buy and sell bitcoin against euro in the app and on the web, with target orders |
| Custody / wallet | Stores customers' bitcoin 1:1, mostly in multisig cold storage |
| OTC | Trading desk for large amounts from €200,000 |
| Staking / Earn | Auto Invest: recurring automatic bitcoin purchases |

## Licences and registrations

| Jurisdiction | Entity | Licence / registration | Regulator |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | Bitonic B.V. | MiCA crypto-asset service provider authorisation (Article 63), granted 21 November 2025; custody, exchange for funds, order execution and transfer services, passported to 30 EEA states | [Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM)](https://www.esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-12/CASPS.csv) |

## Security and audits

- Most customer bitcoin is kept in multi-signature cold storage; holdings are 1:1.
- Customer funds sit in a separate foundation, apart from company finances.
- Bitcoin is held 1-to-1 and Bitonic runs its own infrastructure with data stored on servers in the Netherlands.

## Security incidents

| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| March 2021 | Outage: A DDoS attack made Bitonic's services unreachable for a substantial time, so buying and selling via bitonic.nl was not possible (notice published 30 March 2021). | [bitonic.nl](https://bitonic.nl/en/news/225/ddos-attack-and-downtime-website) |
| 21 September 2025 | Outage: Failure of a storage node at Bitonic's main datacentre made the website and app unavailable from 06:35 to about 20:00 CEST; trading and withdrawals were not possible during that time. Bitonic says no funds were at risk. | [bitonic.nl](https://bitonic.nl/en/news/297/post-mortem-on-the-outage-of-last-sunday) |
| 25 October 2026 | Hack: Attackers used a flaw in the PDF upload function of Bitonic's verification system to reach the system holding login credentials and took over five accounts; 0.003 BTC (about €200) was withdrawn from three of them. Bitonic took services and its hot wallet offline, fixed the flaw and restored service at 05:00 the next morning; cold wallets were not involved. Bitonic informed the AFM and the Dutch Data Protection Authority. Funds returned: Bitonic says it fully reimbursed the affected customers the same night. | [bitonic.nl](https://bitonic.nl/en/news/308/security-incident-at-bitonic-update) |

## Fees

| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Spot taker | 1.0% per buy or sell in the app or account (may be lower for high volume) |
| Deposits | Free via iDEAL/Wero, manual SEPA and bitcoin; 0.5% via Bancontact or Easy SEPA |
| Withdrawals | Euro free; bitcoin pays a dynamic network fee |

## Who can use it

- MiCA services are passported to the Netherlands and 29 other EEA states.

## History

| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 May 2012 | Bitonic is founded, the first bitcoin company in the Netherlands. |
| January 2014 | Bitonic announces its European exchange platform, codenamed BL3P, open to private parties first. |
| 2020 | Bitonic is registered with De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) as a crypto service provider. |
| 20 December 2024 | The BL3P trading platform closes; users move to Bitonic. |
| 21 November 2025 | Bitonic receives a MiCA licence from the Dutch AFM. |
| 25 October 2026 | A security incident: five accounts are taken over and 0.003 BTC is taken from three, then reimbursed. |

## Risks and caveats

- Bitonic is custodial: customer bitcoin is held by Bitonic's foundation unless withdrawn to a personal wallet.
- In October 2026 attackers took over five customer accounts; Bitonic could not yet fully rule out that other personal data was viewed.
- A storage failure on 21 September 2025 stopped trading and withdrawals for most of a day.

## About the company

- **Legal entity**: Bitonic B.V., Hoogte Kadijk 143F 8, 1018 BH Amsterdam
- **Founded**: 1 May 2012
- **Founders**: Jouke, Niels and Robert (first names as given by Bitonic)
- **Headquarters**: Amsterdam, Netherlands; Chamber of Commerce no. 58276149

## Official links

- Website: [bitonic.nl/en](https://bitonic.nl/en)
- Fees: [bitonic.nl/en/pricing](https://bitonic.nl/en/pricing)
- Security: [bitonic.nl/en/security](https://bitonic.nl/en/security)
- Terms of use: [bitonic.nl/en/legal](https://bitonic.nl/en/legal)
- Blog: [bitonic.nl/en/news](https://bitonic.nl/en/news)

## Questions and answers

**Is Bitonic regulated?**

Yes. Bitonic B.V. holds a MiCA crypto-asset service provider licence from the Dutch AFM, granted on 21 November 2025.

**What are Bitonic's fees?**

Buying or selling in the app or account costs 1.0%; iDEAL deposits and euro withdrawals are free, bitcoin withdrawals pay a network fee.

**Was Bitonic hacked?**

On 25 October 2026 attackers took over five accounts via a PDF upload flaw; 0.003 BTC was taken from three and fully reimbursed. Cold wallets were not involved.

**What happened to BL3P?**

Bitonic closed its BL3P trading platform on 20 December 2024; former users log in at Bitonic.

## Sources

- [Bitonic — home page](https://bitonic.nl/en)
- [Bitonic — About](https://bitonic.nl/en/about)
- [Bitonic — Security](https://bitonic.nl/en/security)
- [Bitonic — Pricing](https://bitonic.nl/en/pricing)
- [Bitonic — MiCAR licence news (21 November 2025)](https://bitonic.nl/en/news/298/bitonic-receives-micar-license-from-the-dutch-authority-for-the-financial-markets)
- [Bitonic — Security incident (update), 26 October 2026](https://bitonic.nl/en/news/308/security-incident-at-bitonic-update)
- [Bitonic — Post mortem on the outage (23 September 2025)](https://bitonic.nl/en/news/297/post-mortem-on-the-outage-of-last-sunday)
- [Bitonic — DDoS attack and downtime website (30 March 2021)](https://bitonic.nl/en/news/225/ddos-attack-and-downtime-website)
- [Bitonic — Bitonic starts with Bitcoin exchange (21 January 2014)](https://bitonic.nl/en/news/22/bitonic-starts-with-bitcoin-exchange)
- [Bitonic — BL3P permanently offline (28 April 2026)](https://bitonic.nl/en/news/301/bl3p-permanently-offline)
- [ESMA — interim MiCA register of CASPs (CSV)](https://www.esma.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-12/CASPS.csv)

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Page updated: 2026-10-31

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Source: https://revain.org/exchanges/bitonic/