Bitpanda Review

Bitpanda is one of the broadest investment apps in Europe. It combines more than 650 cryptocurrencies with thousands of stocks and ETFs, precious metals, crypto indices, staking, savings plans and a payment card.

That range is impressive, but we do not recommend Bitpanda for regular crypto trading. Buying Bitcoin costs 0.99% and selling it costs another 0.99%. Other cryptocurrencies can cost up to 2.49% per transaction.

Bitpanda review summary

Bitpanda started as an Austrian crypto broker in 2014 and has expanded into a multi asset investment app. It now offers more than 7,500 stocks, over 2,500 ETFs and ETCs, four precious metals and a large range of automated investment products alongside crypto.

Regulation is extensive. Bitpanda has MiCA licences in Austria, Germany and Malta. Stocks and ETFs are provided through a separate financial services entity and held in a segregated securities account.

The regular crypto broker is the weak point. A complete Bitcoin buy and sell costs almost 2%, before any withdrawal charge. Smaller altcoins can cost 2.49% on each trade. For crypto in supported European countries, we prefer Bitvavo.

What does Bitpanda offer?

Bitpanda combines a large number of products in one account:

• more than 650 cryptocurrencies;
• more than 7,500 stocks and 2,500 ETFs;
• ETCs and commodities;
• gold, silver, platinum and palladium;
• crypto indices and savings plans;
• staking for more than 40 coins;
• margin trading and the Bitpanda Card.

Stocks and ETFs are real securities executed through the Quotrix system of the Düsseldorf Stock Exchange. They are held in a segregated securities account. Fractional securities are available, although fractions generally do not carry voting rights and cannot always be transferred.

Opening a Bitpanda account

1. Create an account and select your country of residence.
2. Confirm your email address and telephone number.
3. Complete identity verification.
4. Answer questions about experience, income and source of funds.
5. Deposit funds and select the required product.
6. Review the fee, spread and product terms before confirming.

Availability depends on the country. Stocks, the card, staking and margin trading are not necessarily offered to every user.

Bitpanda fees

Bitpanda displays the cost before an order is confirmed. Bitcoin costs 0.99% to buy and another 0.99% to sell. The displayed fee for other cryptocurrencies ranges from 0% to 2.49%.

Bitpanda Fusion is cheaper, but its lowest advertised rate is not available to a regular trader. The entry tier costs 0.25%. The 0.02% fee requires more than €250 million in trading volume.

Stocks and ETFs cost €1 per buy or sell order. Spreads, product expenses and foreign exchange costs may apply as well. The fixed euro fee has a large effect on small orders.

Bitpanda compared with Bitvavo

Bitvavo focuses on crypto and charges lower trading fees. Both platforms hold MiCA authorisation, but Bitpanda charges a premium for bringing several asset classes into one app.

Bitpanda wins on stocks, ETFs, metals and total product choice. Bitvavo wins for us on clearer and lower crypto costs. Investors seeking stocks or ETFs should also compare Bitpanda with a specialist securities broker.

Stocks and ETFs

The current Bitpanda securities account contains thousands of real stocks and ETFs. Orders are executed through a regulated trading system and holdings are kept separate from Bitpanda’s own assets.

This is a clear improvement over the older token model. Investors still need to consider the €1 order fee, spreads, currency conversion and the internal product costs of an ETF. On a €25 monthly order, the €1 fee alone equals 4%.

Precious metals

Bitpanda offers physically backed fractions of gold, silver, platinum and palladium. Bitpanda states that the metals are insured and held in a Swiss vault, with legal ownership remaining with the customer.

Costs vary considerably. Gold costs 0.5% to buy and 1% to sell, while silver and platinum cost 2.5% to buy and 2% to sell.

Staking, indices and margin

Staking is available for dozens of coins with periodic payouts. Bitpanda retains part of the rewards as its fee, so the net return can be below the underlying protocol reward.

Crypto indices rebalance automatically but carry additional costs. Margin trading increases exposure using borrowed funds. This magnifies gains and losses and may create ongoing funding costs.

Security and licences

Bitpanda has a strong European regulatory position with three MiCA licences and additional authorisations for securities and payments. This is a much stronger legal position than a platform without European approval.

A licence does not prevent market losses, product risk or high costs. Precious metals and securities are not simply covered by the MiCA licence either; they use other entities and legal terms.

Bitpanda user experiences

The app is accessible and the broad range is genuinely useful. Users do not need separate apps for crypto, stocks and metals. Our main criticism is the fragmented fee structure and the high cost of regular crypto trades.

Company details

Bitpanda GmbH is based at Stella-Klein-Löw Weg 17 in Vienna and is registered under number FN 569240 v.

The group uses different legal entities for crypto, payments, securities and metals. Users should check which entity provides each product.

Conclusion of our Bitpanda review

Bitpanda offers almost everything: crypto, stocks, ETFs, staking, metals and a payment card. It is well regulated and easy to use, but we consider it too expensive for regular crypto trading. Bitvavo is our preferred lower cost alternative in supported European countries.