KuCoin in five lines
- Hundreds of altcoins, many of them listed earlier than on bigger exchanges. That is KuCoin’s real selling point.
- The MAD P2P market is thin, but KuCoin says it charges no P2P fees. Methods include Attijariwafa, CIH, BMCE and Al Barid Bank.
- In January 2025 its operator pleaded guilty in the US and agreed to pay more than $297 million.
- A $285 million hack in 2020, with users reimbursed. Mandatory KYC since July 2023.
- MiCA: an Austrian authorisation from November 2025, then a regulator freeze in 2026. No Moroccan licence. Our rating: 3.8/5.
- Founded
- 2017
- HQ / entity
- Seychelles
- Licences & registrations
- FMA Austria MiCA authorisation (Nov 2025, operations not yet started) · US DOJ guilty plea 2025
- Spot fees
- 0.10% maker/taker
- Dirham & P2P
- Thin MAD P2P, no P2P fees
- Available from Morocco
- Yes
Our verdict on KuCoin for Moroccan users
Yes, Moroccans can use KuCoin, but treat it as a specialist altcoin exchange, not a first account. Residents can open and verify an account, yet the dirham P2P market is thin, its operator pleaded guilty in the US in 2025, and, like every platform, it has no Moroccan licence.
KuCoin earns its place on Moroccan phones for one reason: choice. A student in Fès who reads about a new gaming token on X, or a developer in Tétouan who wants exposure to a small layer-1 project, will often find the coin on KuCoin long before it reaches the largest exchanges. The order books for those coins are real, and the trading engine is quick.
Almost everything else argues for caution. Dirham access is weak, with only a handful of P2P merchants. The company’s US case ended in a guilty plea in 2025. Its new EU entity spent part of 2026 under a regulatory ban on new business. And the coins that make KuCoin attractive are also the most volatile and most exposed to pump-and-dump schemes. We rate it 3.8/5: a capable specialist tool, not a place for savings and not a first exchange. Our full scoring method is on the how we review page.
Is KuCoin available and legal in Morocco?
KuCoin accepts Moroccan residents, and Morocco does not appear on the third-party restricted lists we checked. Accounts are opened with KuCoin’s international entity in the Seychelles.
What that does not give you is any Moroccan legal cover. The Office des Changes said in November 2017 that transactions in virtual currencies breach exchange regulations, and that statement is still online. Draft law 42.25, which would let the AMMC license crypto service providers, was published for consultation in November 2025 and had not been adopted at the time of writing. In 2026 the Office des Changes also sent formal notices to some residents over P2P activity. Our guide on whether crypto is legal in Morocco sets out the timeline.
KuCoin’s licences, briefly
KuCoin’s regulatory footprint is narrower than that of Binance, OKX or Bybit. The most important item is in the EU:
- Austria (MiCA). The FMA authorised KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH as a crypto-asset service provider on 27 November 2025. On 19 February 2026 it banned the entity from taking new business because its anti-money-laundering and sanctions officer posts were not properly staffed. The ban was lifted on 18 May 2026, but the FMA’s notice says the start of business operations was still not permitted, pending governance conditions.FMA Austria
- Other markets. KuCoin has announced registrations and local ventures in a few other countries. We did not verify each of them, and none covers Morocco.
The 2025 US guilty plea
In January 2025 PEKEN Global Limited, the Seychelles company that operates KuCoin, pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to one count of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Prosecutors said KuCoin had failed to run effective anti-money-laundering and know-your-customer programmes, had not registered with FinCEN, and had been used to move proceeds from darknet markets, malware, ransomware and fraud. The penalties total more than $297 million: a criminal fine of about $112.9 million and forfeiture of about $184.5 million. KuCoin agreed to leave the US market for at least two years, and its co-founders Chun Gan and Ke Tang no longer have a role in management.US DOJ
For a Moroccan user, the plea has practical side effects rather than direct ones. KuCoin’s compliance team is under pressure to prove it has changed, which tends to mean more document requests, slower reviews of unusual deposits and occasional freezes. It also tells you something about the platform’s past culture. We would not keep more on KuCoin than we need for the next few trades. Our guide to crypto scams and frozen accounts in Morocco explains how to prepare for a review.
Was KuCoin hacked, and were users repaid?
On 26 September 2020 attackers obtained private keys to several KuCoin hot wallets and drained them. CEO Johnny Lyu later put the loss at about $285 million across more than 150 tokens. According to KuCoin, partner projects and exchanges recovered about 78% by freezing or reissuing tokens, law enforcement and security firms helped with another 6%, and KuCoin’s insurance fund covered the rest, so customers were reimbursed.Decrypt Those recovery figures come from KuCoin’s own account.
There are two lessons for users in Morocco. First, a well-capitalised exchange can absorb a hack, but you cannot count on it. Second, self-custody matters for anything you plan to hold. Our wallet guide explains how to move coins off an exchange without errors.
Does KuCoin require KYC?
Yes. For years KuCoin was known as an exchange where small users could trade without identity checks. That ended on 15 July 2023, when mandatory KYC began for new users. Accounts that are not verified now face strict limits: they can sell and withdraw, but not deposit.CoinDesk
For Moroccans, verification is done with a passport or national ID card and a selfie. Use your real details. A P2P merchant who offers to “verify for you”, or an account bought on Telegram, is a common route to stolen funds and to trouble with your bank.
Can you buy USDT with dirhams on KuCoin?
You can, but expect few sellers. KuCoin has a USDT/MAD P2P market. On the page we fetched at our latest check, payment methods included Attijariwafa, CIH, Al Barid Bank and BMCE, and KuCoin stated that it charges no fees on P2P trading.KuCoin P2P The prices displayed, between 8.38 and 9.9 MAD per USDT, looked stale or unusual next to the live markets elsewhere, so we do not quote them as a current rate. Datawallet, a comparison site, describes only a handful of MAD advertisers.
On the same morning, Binance listed about 610 USDT/MAD ads and OKX about 290, with buying prices around 10.34–10.40 MAD. So in practice, many Moroccan KuCoin users buy USDT on a deeper P2P market and transfer it to KuCoin. Our USDT P2P guide covers merchant ratings, escrow and fake receipts.
| What you want | Best route from Morocco | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|
| USDT with dirhams | Binance or OKX P2P | P2P guide |
| A small altcoin | Send USDT to KuCoin, then trade | This review |
| Dirhams back | Sell USDT on a deep P2P market | Selling guide |
| Long-term storage | Self-custody wallet | Wallet guide |
When you sell, the same logic applies in reverse. Our guide to selling crypto in Morocco explains when to release coins and how to avoid chargeback-style scams.
Fees on KuCoin
KuCoin’s standard spot fee is 0.10% for makers and takers at the base tier. Paying fees in KCS, the platform token, gives a discount, and VIP tiers lower the rate further. P2P carries no platform fee, as noted above. Withdrawals cost a network fee that varies by chain; TRON and other low-cost networks are the usual choice for USDT.
The hidden cost on KuCoin is not the fee but the spread on small tokens. A coin with a thin order book can move several percent between your order and the next one. Use limit orders and check the depth chart before buying anything outside the top 100.
Trade on specialist platforms with what you can afford to lose, and hold the core of your crypto on an account with clear licences.
Licensed in several jurisdictions · external linkAltcoins: the opportunity and the trap
The long list of tokens is why KuCoin exists, and also why many beginners lose money there. New listings often spike on day one and fade within weeks. Some tokens are promoted in Telegram and WhatsApp groups in Darija or French, with “insider” tips and screenshots of gains. In most cases the people sharing the tip already hold the coin.
A few rules help. Read the project’s documentation and check who controls the token supply. Look at trading volume over weeks, not hours. And never buy a token because someone in a group says KuCoin “is about to list it on Binance”. Our step-by-step buying guide covers the basics before you go anywhere near small caps.
Who should choose KuCoin, and who should not
KuCoin fits if
- You want access to small and new tokens
- You already hold USDT and know how to transfer it
- You use limit orders and small position sizes
- You like a P2P section with no platform fee
Look elsewhere if
- You need a deep dirham P2P market
- You are wary of exchanges with a criminal plea
- You want a firm EU licence behind your account
- You plan to store savings on the exchange
For buying with dirhams, Binance and OKX have far deeper P2P markets; see our OKX review. For a long-standing account to hold USDT or Bitcoin bought on P2P, CEX.IO has operated since 2013 with FinCEN registration and US state money-transmitter licences; Moroccan Visa and Mastercard deposits are not available there, so it is funded with crypto. All options are compared in our exchange reviews hub, and our ranking of the best crypto exchanges in Morocco shows where KuCoin sits among the ten.
Open an account, deposit crypto you already own and convert at spot price. No leverage required.
Licensed in several jurisdictions · external linkSources
Official and press sources cited in this guide. An external link does not imply any partnership.
- FMA Austriafma.gv.at
- US DOJjustice.gov
- Decryptdecrypt.co
- CoinDeskcoindesk.com
- KuCoin P2Pkucoin.com
FAQ
Is KuCoin available in Morocco?
Yes, in practice. Moroccan residents can open an account, and KuCoin's P2P section lists USDT/MAD ads. KuCoin holds no Moroccan licence, because none exists, and the Office des Changes position of 2017 on crypto transactions still applies to residents. Identity verification has been mandatory for new users since July 2023.
Is KuCoin safe after the hack?
In September 2020 attackers stole about 285 million dollars from KuCoin hot wallets. KuCoin said it recovered about 84% with partners and law enforcement and covered the rest from its insurance fund, so users were made whole. Those recovery figures come from KuCoin itself. Keep only trading balances on any exchange.
Why did KuCoin plead guilty in the US?
In January 2025 PEKEN Global, the Seychelles company behind KuCoin, pleaded guilty in New York to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. It agreed to pay more than 297 million dollars and to leave the US market for at least two years. Its two co-founders stepped away from management.
Does KuCoin charge fees on P2P?
KuCoin's P2P page states that it charges no fees on P2P trading. The cost is in the merchant's price. On a thin market like MAD, that price can be worse than on Binance or OKX, so compare before you buy and check that the ad's limits fit your order.
Does KuCoin have a MiCA licence?
Its EU entity, KuCoin EU Exchange GmbH, received a MiCA authorisation from Austria's FMA on 27 November 2025. The FMA later banned new business from February to May 2026 over unfilled compliance posts and, on its notice, said business operations had still not been allowed to start. That entity does not serve Morocco.
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