Given how popular cryptocurrencies are right now, it's not surprising that individuals from all over the world want to join the crypto community. This is no different when it comes to Indians. So, if you’re looking for the best crypto exchange in India, you’ve come to the right place!
However, not all countries have the same regulations regarding crypto, which also means that not all popular crypto exchanges can be accessed in certain countries. When it comes to crypto trading in India, I will cover the most popular platforms in this article. However, if you want a sneak peek, do note that you can choose from such crypto giants as Binance, Kraken, or KuCoin.
Though, before looking into the most popular crypto exchanges India, I’ll also look over the whole crypto situation in the country, including the regulations related to it. Besides that, we'll go over the main criteria you should consider when choosing the top crypto exchange in India.
Here is the list of the crypto exchanges that will be covered in this article:
That being said, let’s take a look at the regulations India imposes on crypto.
Indian Crypto Regulations
So, before moving on to the list of “best crypto exchanges in India”, it's important to grasp the overall Indian cryptocurrency environment.
Looking back, one of the more noteworthy events in India took place in April 2018, when the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banned financial institutions from providing banking services to crypto exchanges. Fortunately, in March 2022, the ban was lifted.
Now, while it was (and still is) legal to trade crypto in India, for a pretty long time, there were no regulations imposed on cryptocurrencies. However, when there are no regulations, there is a favorable environment for illegal activity to occur.
And this is exactly what started happening in India. The Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department investigated at least 10 cryptocurrency exchanges in 2022 for allegedly helping foreign companies use cryptocurrency to launder money.
That’s why on March 7, 2023, the crypto industry has been brought into the AML regulatory framework in India as well. This means that crypto exchanges in India must register with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and comply with any regulations imposed by the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Besides that, crypto-related businesses must report any suspicious activity to FIU and employ Know Your Customer (KYC) verification procedures.
Another important change in the crypto industry in India happened on March 24, 2022, when new tax regulations towards cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) were introduced. Since then, Indians must pay a 30% Capital Gains Tax on all their crypto transactions, plus a surcharge and 4% cess, as well as a 1% Tax Deducted at Source (TDS). This applies to both buying and selling cryptocurrency, as well as gifting it.
So, naturally, all these changes towards crypto resulted in people searching for reliable and convenient crypto exchanges in India. Now, the question is, what makes an exchange the best crypto exchange in India?
Best Crypto Exchange in India: Evaluation Criteria
First things first, since I just discussed the regulations towards crypto in India, it’s pretty obvious that for an exchange to be dubbed as “the best crypto exchange in India,” it must comply with these regulations, right?
Now, do note that the registration with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) applies to India-based exchanges only. However, there are many great global exchanges that can be legally used in India without being registered with FIU. How? The answer is simple – they still must comply with AML requirements, but they don’t have to answer to FIU to do that.
Moving to another point, you should definitely check if the exchange you plan to use supports Indian Rupee (INR) as a payment method. Any well-established exchange should provide users with an option of purchasing crypto using fiat. Others even have trading pairs with fiat currencies. Thus, if you are Indian, you’d probably want an exchange that supports your national currency.
That being said, what else should you look out for when searching for the top crypto exchanges in India? Well, you should definitely consider what kind of features it offers, especially if you’re aiming for global exchange. Sometimes, no matter how feature-packed an exchange might be, it could exclude certain countries from using some of its features.
Lastly, it’s always important to look into the fees imposed by the exchange. Whether you’re looking for the best crypto exchange in India, or any other country, for that matter. With all the taxes that you have to pay for your crypto transactions, you surely want to have as low fees as possible.
So, that’s pretty much it. With that in mind, let’s proceed to the top crypto exchanges in India.