Bitstamp Crypto Exchange Review: Is It Still the Best for XRP and EUR Trading?

When you want to buy XRP with euros, Bitstamp is one of the few exchanges that still makes it easy. Not because it’s flashy or full of gimmicks, but because it’s been doing this since 2013-long before most people knew what Ripple was. If you’re in Europe and you care about stability over hype, Bitstamp might be your best bet. But if you’re in the U.S., looking for low fees, or need fast customer service, you’ll hit walls fast.

Why Bitstamp Still Matters for XRP

Bitstamp wasn’t just the first Ripple Gateway-it was the only one that mattered for years. Back in 2013, when XRP was still under $0.02, Bitstamp was the only place you could reliably trade it for euros or dollars. Today, even with dozens of exchanges listing XRP, Bitstamp still holds the deepest order books for XRP/EUR and XRP/USD. According to TradingView’s March 2025 data, its liquidity for these pairs is 35% higher than most Tier-2 exchanges. That means less slippage, tighter spreads, and faster fills-especially important if you’re moving larger amounts.

That’s not luck. It’s legacy. Ripple partnered with Bitstamp early and kept them in its incentive program for over a decade. Even after the SEC sued Ripple in 2020, Bitstamp never pulled XRP trading. They kept the gateway open, and traders noticed. Today, XRP still makes up about 12% of Bitstamp’s total trading volume, per CryptoCompare’s Q1 2025 report. For comparison, Binance’s XRP volume is bigger, but it’s spread across dozens of pairs. Bitstamp’s focus on XRP means you’re not fighting for attention with 200 other coins.

Regulation You Can Trust (If You’re Outside the U.S.)

Bitstamp doesn’t pretend to be a global giant. It’s a European exchange with a strict compliance mindset. It’s registered with FinCEN in the U.S. (MSB #31000063131004) and FINTRAC in Canada, but it doesn’t serve U.S. customers anymore. That’s not a bug-it’s a feature. By stepping away from the U.S. market after 2022, Bitstamp avoided the regulatory chaos that swallowed other exchanges. You won’t find Bitstamp on the list of exchanges banned by the SEC. That’s because they never tried to bend the rules.

They store 95% of customer assets in cold wallets, use TLS 1.3 encryption, and require two-factor authentication. No biometrics, no hardware wallet integration-but that’s not unusual for a traditional finance-style exchange. What they lack in flashy security features, they make up for in audits and licensing. Traders Union gives them a 9/10 for regulation, higher than Kraken and far ahead of Binance. If your priority is legal safety over convenience, Bitstamp checks the box.

Fees Are Not Cheap-But They’re Simple

Don’t come to Bitstamp looking for discounts. Their maker fee is 0.2%, taker fee is 0.3%. No matter how much you trade. No BNB-style token to buy. No volume tiers. No loyalty rewards. It’s flat, simple, and predictable. That’s good if you hate complexity. Bad if you’re a high-volume trader.

Compare that to Binance, where fees drop to 0.02% with BNB, or Coinbase, which offers 0.5% for small traders but drops to 0.4% with higher volume. Bitstamp doesn’t play that game. Their fee structure hasn’t changed since January 2024. That’s a plus for beginners who don’t want to memorize a fee chart. But if you’re moving $100,000 a month, you’re paying 10x more than you would on Binance. For most retail traders, though, the difference is under $5 per trade. It’s not the cheapest, but it’s fair.

Deposits and Withdrawals: Slow, But Reliable

You can deposit via SEPA, bank wire, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or credit card. Minimum deposit is $25. Withdrawals include crypto, bank transfer, and card. But here’s the catch: fiat withdrawals take time. SEPA transfers usually clear in 1-2 business days. Wire transfers? Up to 5. And if you’re withdrawing XRP? Don’t expect instant. User reports on Reddit show average XRP withdrawal times of 72 hours. That’s not a system failure-it’s a manual review process. Bitstamp flags every crypto withdrawal for compliance checks, especially if it’s going to a new address. It’s slow, but it’s intentional.

For European users, this isn’t a dealbreaker. Germans and French traders consistently rate Bitstamp’s EUR on-ramp as the most reliable in the region. On ProvenExpert, German users give it 4.1/5 stars just for that. If you’re buying XRP with euros and holding long-term, the wait is worth it. If you need to move money fast? Use a different exchange.

The Customer Support Problem

This is where Bitstamp breaks down for most people. Support hours are 9 AM to 5 PM GMT, Monday to Friday. No weekend help. No live chat. Just email and phone. And according to FXEmpire’s Q1 2025 testing, average email response time is 62 hours. That’s over two and a half days. On Trustpilot, 41% of negative reviews mention this. One user wrote: “I asked about a delayed deposit. Waited 7 days. Got a template reply. Didn’t solve anything.”

Account verification is another pain point. Bitstamp says it takes 3-7 business days. Real users report 10-14 days, especially during market spikes. G2.com reviews show 63% of negative feedback is about delays in approval. One person said they spent two months trying to recover coins after their account got locked. That’s not normal. It’s not a glitch. It’s their process. They prioritize compliance over speed. If you’re not patient, you’ll hate this exchange.

Who Is This For? Who Should Avoid It?

Bitstamp isn’t for everyone. Here’s who it works for:

• European traders who want to buy XRP, ETH, or BTC with euros without jumping through hoops.
• Institutional users who need regulated, audited infrastructure and don’t mind slower interfaces.
• Long-term holders who aren’t day trading and value security over speed.

And here’s who should look elsewhere:

• U.S. residents-you can’t even sign up.
• High-frequency traders-fees are too high, execution is slower than Kraken’s.
• Beginners-there are only 17 beginner guides. Kraken has 89. Coinbase has 142.
• Anyone who needs fast support-if you’re stuck and need help yesterday, you’ll be disappointed.

What’s Next for Bitstamp?

Bitstamp isn’t standing still. In March 2025, they launched recurring buys for XRP and other coins-minimum $25 per transaction. In April, they announced they’re testing Ripple’s PayString protocol, which could let users send XRP using email-like addresses instead of long wallet strings. And starting September 2025, they’ll join the European Central Bank’s digital euro sandbox. That’s huge. It means they’re preparing to bridge traditional finance and crypto in a way few exchanges are.

But here’s the reality: their revenue dropped 17% year-over-year in Q1 2025, mostly because they lost the U.S. market. Bernstein Research says they’re at risk of fading. Fidelity Digital Assets says their European foothold keeps them alive. Both could be right. Bitstamp isn’t growing. But it’s not collapsing either. It’s holding steady-like a bank that never chased the boom.

The Bottom Line

Bitstamp is the crypto exchange your grandfather would use. No bells. No whistles. Just regulation, security, and a solid XRP gateway. It’s not the fastest, cheapest, or easiest. But if you’re in Europe and you want to trade XRP with euros without worrying about your funds vanishing because the exchange got hacked or banned, it’s one of the safest options left.

Use it if you’re patient, European, and focused on XRP or EUR pairs. Walk away if you need speed, support, or U.S. access. It’s not the future of crypto. But for now, it’s still one of the most reliable places to be.