bitFlyer Review: Crypto-crypto And Fiat-crypto Trading

This bitFlyer review covers how helpful can the platform be in your trading experience. In the early days of cryptocurrency exchanges, trading platforms concentrated on serving a select few users, mostly in a single country. Over time, they’ve expanded to attract users around the world. bitFlyer is among one such exchange.

Headquartered in Japan, the platform originally focused on serving Japanese users. However, in 2017 it expanded to the United States and the European Union. To serve more customers and possibly go global, bitFlyer reshuffled its management in March 2021 and introduced a new CEO, Kuniyoshi Hayashi, and a non-Japanese director, Joel Edgerton, to take over the position of COO at bitFlyer USA.

bitFlyer is regulated and offers many different functionalities like securely buying and selling virtual currencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Litecoin (LTC), Dash (DASH), Ripple (XRP), and Cardano (ADA).

bitFlyer’s global user base stands at more than 2.5 million users, making it the leading cryptocurrency exchange in Japan. It boasts of many well-known investors including the Digital Currency Group, Mizuho, SBI Investment, Recruit Strategic Partners, and Dash Ventures.

What Can You Do with bitFlyer?

Cryptocurrency trading

The bitFlyer platform enables easy virtual currency trading. To cater to different types of users, bitFlyer operates two different crypto trading platforms – “Easy Exchange” and “Lightning Pro Exchange.”

The Easy Exchange, as the name suggests, is meant for those who are new to the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Its functionalities and user interface are arranged in a way that is user-friendly and easy to navigate. The platform mostly facilitates the exchange of fiat currencies like the Japanese yen with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC).

Unfortunately, since it’s a beginner-level exchange, it lacks advanced features like in-depth charting. The bitFlyer Easy Exchange has beginner-friendly tools like simple price charts, order history, and price history.

bitFlyer Lightning Pro Exchange has advanced functionalities for experienced virtual currency traders. In addition to standard spot trading, the platform supports derivatives like margin trading and futures trading.

Since the lightning-fast platform caters to professional users, it features sophisticated charting tools with extensive technical indicators to help users make the right decisions at the right time. Additionally, the platform accommodates advanced order types subdivided into limit, market, and stop-loss categories.

Staking

The exchange allows users to stake native blockchain coins using the proof of stake consensus mechanism. For example, bitFlyer enables users to stake Lisk (LSK) tokens and earn staking rewards. The Lisk protocol uses the delegated proof of stake (DPoS) mechanism, allowing bitFlyer to run a node and allowing its users to delegate their LSK holdings to the node. In return, bitFlyer shares incentives with stakers in proportion to their staked amount.

To participate in bitFlyer’s LSK staking, users need to maintain at least 10 LSK coins in their bitFlyer account. Also, they must have completed their profiles before the rewards are distributed and they must not have account closures or insufficient funds in their margin wallet.

Funding Projects

Through its crowdfunding offering known as fundFlyer, bitFlyer allows users to fund projects and worthy causes using the leading cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. For example, teams can use the platform to raise funds for software development, political activities, and disaster management. In some cases, funders may “receive gifts” from the projects to which they contribute.

bitFlyer Fees and Commissions

The platform charges for its services depending on which product you use and where you are located. It doesn’t cost anything to create a bitFlyer account, but you may have to pay other fees depending on whether you are accessing bitFlyer Japan, Europe, or USA.

bitFlyer Japan Fees

Those trading on the Easy and Pro exchange incur a trading fee between 0.01 and 0.15 percent for spot trading involving the BTC/JYP pair. Also, the same transaction charges apply to standard trades involving the XRP/JPY, Ethereum (ETH)/JPY, Stellar Lumens (XLM)/JPY, and MONA/JPY trading pairs on the Lightning spot exchange. The platform charges fees in the cryptocurrency involved in the exchange.

Interacting with the ETH/BTC and BCH/BTC pairs results in a charge of 0.2 percent of the execution amount. It is free to trade futures on bitFlyer Pro Exchange. Users incur varying network fees depending on the coin they withdraw. For instance, Litecoin (LTC) has a network fee of 0.001 LTC while Bitcoin Cash charges 0.0002 BCH.

On deposits, JPY-based deposits via SBI Sumishin Net Bank are free, while using other banks incurs 330 JPY in fees for each deposit. JPY-based withdrawals not exceeding 30K Japanese yen incur 220 JPY and 550 JPY through Mitsui Sumitomo Bank and other banks, respectively. Withdrawal transactions of more than 30K JPY incur 440 JPY and 770 JPY depending on the bank you use.

bitFlyer Europe Fees

For users in Europe, account creation, maintenance, and crypto deposits are free. However, withdrawals have network-imposed fees. Spot trading fees for the BTC/EUR trading pair ranges between 0.10 and 0.20 percent, depending on a 30-day volume on the Lightning Pro exchange.

For example, those with a trading volume of less than one million euros in the last month part with 0.20 percent per transaction. On the other hand, those with a 30-day trading volume of more than 10 million EUR incur a transaction fee of 0.10 percent. This same rate applies to the BTC/JPY trading pair.

SEPA-based EUR deposits are free, while withdrawal fees range between 0.30 and 10.00 euros for amounts less than 250,000 EUR and more than 250,000 EUR, respectively. bitFlyer users who activate PayPal deposits pay a flat rate of 4.9 percent plus 0.35 EUR per transaction.

bitFlyer USA Fees

Just like bitFlyer Japan and Europe, bitFlyer USA offers free account creation, maintenance, and withdrawal charges depending on individual decentralized protocols. bitFlyer US has a wider category for costs incurred when trading BTC against the USD. The ranges cater to amounts less than 50,000 USD to over 500 million USD.

Those with a one-month trading volume below $50K pay a fee of 0.10 percent on the bitFlyer Lightning Pro Exchange. Traders with a monthly trading volume exceeding $500 million pay 0.03 percent on each trade.

ACH-based bank deposits and withdrawals are free. Fedwire-activated wire deposits are free, while withdrawals incur a 20 USD fee.

Buying and Transfer Limits

bitFlyer US limits ACH-based bank transfers to a maximum of $5K per seven days. The limit applies to both deposits and withdrawals.

bitFlyer Referral and Signup Promotions

The US platform runs a referral program in which referrers earn 15 USD when their referrals deposit and trade a minimum of 100 USD. Also, the referred person earns an equal reward. The platform doesn’t put a limit on the number of people you can invite.

You must have a fully verified account to join the referral program. Referrers earn incentives when they successfully point new users to the mobile app, but not to the web version.

To earn referral rewards, invitees must conduct buy/sell orders on the Easy Exchange, not on the professional trading platform.

Just like the bitFilyer fees, bitFlyer also has different referral promotions depending on the user’s region. Check out the full referral guidelines in our bitFlyer referral and affiliate program article. 

Currencies and Supported Countries

In the United States, bitFlyer supports the US dollar and a small array of cryptocurrencies including BTC, ETH, Ethereum Classic (ETC), BCH, and LTC. The platform operates in most of the United States including New York, Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, and North Dakota.

In the European Union, bitFlyer is accessible from all countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) like Denmark, Finland, Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, Estonia, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands, Iceland, Italy, and Estonia.

Unfortunately, bitFlyer isn’t available to users in over 40 countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Samoa, Serbia, Tunisia, Lebanon, Malawi, South Sudan, Russia, Ukraine, Pakistan, Cambodia, North Korea, and Venezuela, among others.

How Does bitFlyer Compare with Binance?

bitFlyer and Binance both provide different features for novices and professionals to enhance their trading experience. However, unlike bitFlyer, Binance makes it easy to switch between these two levels by simply flipping a switch. Additionally, Binance supports spot, margin, and futures trading.

In addition to trading, the platform also offers crowdfunding platforms to help startups seek investments. Binance beats bitFlyer on the number of supported countries, currencies, payment methods, and products. On the other hand, bitFlyer defeats Binance on its adherence to regulatory guidelines.

Want to know how bitFlyer compares with Binance when it comes to their referral program? Visit our Binance referral article and learn how you can earn 40% back in commissions.

Conclusion

Our bitFlyer review highlights a platform that’s expanding to provide services to a global audience. Its two exchange platforms comprehensively take care of both experts and beginners. Also, the bitFlyer referral program is among the most straightforward in the cryptocurrency space. Although the platform supports both crypto-crypto and fiat-crypto trading, it doesn’t have a wide array of listed cryptocurrencies and supported fiat currencies.

bitFlyer can be used as an on/off ramp platform. Its adherence to regulations in the US, Japan, and Europe gives users much-needed peace of mind when trading cryptocurrency.