Bitstamp
Summary
Bitstamp is a Luxembourg-headquartered cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2011 by Nejc Kodric and Damijan Merlak, widely regarded as the world's longest-running active crypto exchange. It was acquired by Robinhood Markets for approximately $200 million in June 2025 and holds over 50 active licenses and registrations globally, including an EU MiCA CASP license and a MiFID MTF license. The exchange has maintained a strong regulatory compliance posture for most of its history, though it suffered a significant $5.3 million hack in 2015 and a 2025 French court found it civilly liable for a period of unregistered operation in France.
Connected Entities
1 entities · 10 linked investigations- + 7 more
Timeline(17 events)
2011-08-01
Bitstamp founded by Nejc Kodric and Damijan Merlak in Slovenia with approximately €1,000 in startup capital.
Bitstamp - Wikipedia2013-04-01
Bitstamp relocates registration to the United Kingdom and begins requiring identity verification from customers.
Bitstamp - Wikipedia2014-02-01
Attackers launch distributed denial-of-service attack against Bitstamp and demand 75 BTC ransom; leadership refuses to pay.
Bitstamp - Wikipedia2014-12-11
Bitstamp systems administrator downloads malicious document during phishing attack, giving attackers a foothold into the exchange infrastructure.
Details of $5 Million Bitstamp Hack Revealed - CoinDesk2015-01-04
Attackers drain Bitstamp hot wallet, stealing approximately 18,866 BTC (~$5.3 million). Service is suspended for nearly a week.
Hackers steal $5 million from major bitcoin exchange - Fortune2016-04-01
Luxembourg's CSSF grants Bitstamp a payment institution license, the first for a cryptocurrency exchange in the EU.
Bitstamp Becomes First MiCA-Licensed Exchange in Luxembourg - Luxembourg for Finance2018-10-29
NXMH (affiliated with South Korean conglomerate NXC Corporation) acquires approximately 80% of Bitstamp. Founder Nejc Kodric retains 10% and continues as CEO.
Bitstamp Announces Sale to NXMH - GlobeNewswire2022-12-01
Xiaofei Chen indicted in the Southern District of Texas for using Bitstamp accounts to launder $520,000 obtained through identity theft.
Suburban man convicted of Bitstamp cryptocurrency fraud scheme - DOJ SDTX2023-02-07
Bitstamp registers with France's AMF — more than two years after the PACTE Act transitional deadline of December 19, 2020.
The Liability of Crypto-Asset Service Providers for Failure to Register With the AMF - Goodwin Law2023-05-01
Ripple acquires Pantera Capital's minority stake in Bitstamp for an undisclosed sum, becoming a minority shareholder.
Ripple president explains why the company acquired a stake in Bitstamp - The Block2023-10-12
Xiaofei Chen pleads guilty to aggravated identity theft in the Bitstamp fraud case.
Sugar Land resident sent to prison for Bitstamp cryptocurrency fraud scheme - DOJ SDTX2024-01-01
Xiaofei Chen sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for identity theft and money laundering involving a Bitstamp account.
Sugar Land resident sent to prison for Bitstamp cryptocurrency fraud scheme - DOJ SDTX2024-06-06
Robinhood Markets announces agreement to acquire Bitstamp for approximately $200 million in cash.
Robinhood to Acquire Bitstamp - Robinhood Investor Relations2024-10-01
Bitstamp Financial Services receives MiFID Multilateral Trading Facility (MTF) license from Slovenia's Securities Market Agency, enabling regulated crypto derivatives trading.
Bitstamp secures MiFID MTF license from European regulator - Crypto.news2025-05-16
Luxembourg's CSSF grants Bitstamp a CASP license under the EU's MiCA regulation, covering exchange, order execution, and custody services across the EEA.
Bitstamp Secures CASP License Under MiCA - Bitstamp Blog2025-06-02
Robinhood completes the $200 million acquisition of Bitstamp. The platform is rebranded as 'Bitstamp by Robinhood.'
Robinhood Completes $200M Acquisition of Bitstamp - CoinDesk2025-06-26
Court of Appeal of Grenoble rules Bitstamp Europe civilly liable for operating in France without AMF registration between December 2020 and February 2023; orders payment of €27,950 to a user.
The Liability of Crypto-Asset Service Providers for Failure to Register With the AMF - Goodwin LawDecision Log
- hash: D49Bie7NJL735fVbMy849Db6d7CapPnh5qS2brayxVtn
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain and source URLs are archived via the Internet Archive.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 5/31/2026, 7:31:50 AM
last updated: 5/31/2026, 7:31:55 AM
avoid.net — verified advice for a post-truth world