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Binance is the world’s largest crypto exchange, and for Swiss users it is still the cheapest serious way to buy and trade crypto: 0.1% spot fees, 0.075% if you pay them in BNB, hundreds of coins and the deepest liquidity in the market. It is also an offshore exchange with a regulatory rap sheet, no FINMA supervision and no deposit insurance, so the rules at the end of this review matter more than the platform tour.
Unbeatable on price and selection, and the platform itself has matured well. But this is offshore crypto infrastructure, not a Swiss bank: no FINMA supervision, no deposit protection, and a 2023 US settlement that cost the firm USD 4.3 billion. Use it as a cheap trading venue, withdraw meaningful holdings to self-custody, and size the whole crypto sleeve so its loss would not change your life. Beginners who just want Bitcoin simply should look at Relai first.
⚠ Crypto on an offshore exchange is a different risk class.
Nothing you hold on Binance is covered by Swiss deposit insurance or any investor compensation scheme, and Binance is not supervised by FINMA. If the exchange fails, freezes withdrawals or is sanctioned, there is no safety net.
The history is not hypothetical. In November 2023 Binance settled with the US Department of Justice for USD 4.3 billion over anti-money-laundering and sanctions failures, and its founder pleaded guilty and stepped down as CEO. The platform has continued operating and has since built out regulated EU entities under MiCA, but the lesson stands.
The rule that fixes most of this: an exchange is a shop, not a vault. Buy at Binance for the low fees, then withdraw anything meaningful to a wallet where you hold the keys. And leverage, futures and margin on Binance can wipe out a position exactly like CFDs elsewhere; this review covers unleveraged spot buying only.
Why Binance, and who it actually suits
Binance wins on exactly two things, and wins them by a distance: price and breadth. At 0.1% per spot trade, or 0.075% with fees paid in BNB, buying crypto costs a fraction of what eToro (1% per position) or a Swiss bank charges. And with hundreds of listed coins plus the deepest order books in the market, whatever you want to buy trades there with tight spreads.
Who it suits: anyone comfortable running a proper exchange account who wants low costs and full coin selection. Who it does not: someone who just wants to stack Bitcoin with zero learning curve, which is Relai’s job, or someone who wants their crypto sitting inside a regulated Swiss relationship, which none of the offshore exchanges offer.
Binance fees for Swiss users
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spot trading | 0.10% maker / 0.10% taker | Regular users, first VIP tiers barely matter under USD 1M volume |
| Spot with BNB discount | 0.075% | 25% off when fees are paid in BNB, toggle in settings |
| Deposit CHF | Varies by method | Bank transfer is the cheap route; card purchases carry a hefty surcharge |
| Crypto withdrawals | Network fee | Depends on coin and chain congestion, shown before you confirm |
| Custody | 0 | No account or custody fee |
Source: Binance’s fee schedule, checked 8 August 2026. The practical advice hiding in that table: fund by bank transfer, never by card, and switch the BNB fee discount on the day you open the account.
The comparison that matters: a CHF 1’000 Bitcoin buy costs about CHF 1 on Binance spot, about CHF 10 at eToro’s 1% crypto fee, and more again via most Swiss banks. Fees are Binance’s entire argument; everything else in this review is about managing the risks that come with them.
Regulation, honestly
Binance operates globally through entities outside Switzerland, and FINMA supervises none of them. In the EU it has been building regulated presence under the MiCA framework since 2025, which improves the picture for European retail clients, but Swiss users still face the same structural fact: your coins sit with an offshore custodian, protected by Binance’s own systems and proof-of-reserves reporting rather than by any government scheme. That is not a reason to avoid Binance; it is the reason the self-custody rule below is non-negotiable.
Opening an account with Binance
Fully digital, ten to fifteen minutes including identity verification. The screens below are from my own opening; Binance iterates its interface constantly, but the flow is stable: register, verify identity, enable two-factor authentication, deposit.
Do not skip the security steps: two-factor authentication via an authenticator app (not SMS) and the anti-phishing code are the two settings that matter most on any exchange account.
Logging in and funding the account
Funding from Switzerland: bank transfer is the cheap route, card purchases carry a hefty surcharge. Deposits land in fiat balance first; from there every spot purchase costs the standard 0.1%.
Binance pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
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My rules for crypto on an exchange
- The exchange is a shop, not a vault. Buy at Binance, then withdraw anything meaningful to a hardware wallet where you hold the keys.
- Size it to survive zero. Crypto is the sleeve of your portfolio you could lose entirely without changing your life. Single digits of net worth, for most people.
- Spot only. Futures, margin and leverage on Binance destroy accounts exactly like CFDs do elsewhere. If the interface mentions liquidation price, you are in the wrong place.
- Bank transfer in, BNB discount on. The two settings that keep Binance actually cheap.
- Declare it. Crypto belongs in your Swiss wealth tax at the year-end value; the tax office publishes official rates for the major coins. See my Swiss tax guide.
There is no practice mode worth using here, so the demo is a small real buy: open the account, transfer CHF 50 by bank transfer, buy Bitcoin at spot, then withdraw it to a wallet you control. That one loop teaches you the entire platform, fees and custody included; the network fees for that round are a few francs.
Binance FAQ
Is Binance safe?
Operationally it is the most battle-tested exchange alive: strong security tooling, proof-of-reserves reporting, and it processed the 2023 crisis of confidence without freezing withdrawals. Structurally it remains an offshore exchange with no FINMA supervision and no deposit insurance, which is why meaningful holdings belong in self-custody.
Is Binance regulated in Switzerland?
No. FINMA supervises none of Binance’s entities. In the EU, Binance has been building regulated presence under MiCA since 2025, but Swiss users transact with offshore entities and carry the counterparty risk themselves.
What happened with the US settlement?
In November 2023, Binance agreed to pay USD 4.3 billion to US authorities over anti-money-laundering and sanctions failures, and founder Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty and resigned as CEO. The platform kept operating; the episode is why the self-custody rule in this review is non-negotiable.
What does Binance really cost?
0.1% per spot trade, 0.075% with fees paid in BNB. Deposits by bank transfer are the cheap route; card purchases carry a hefty surcharge, and crypto withdrawals cost the network fee for the chain you use.
Binance or Relai?
Relai for simply stacking Bitcoin from Switzerland with near-zero learning curve and automatic self-custody. Binance for lower fees, every other coin, and full exchange features, with the custody discipline that requires. My take: Relai review.
Binance or eToro for crypto?
On price it is not close: 0.1% versus eToro’s 1% per position. eToro wins only if you want crypto and stocks in one beginner-friendly app and hold small amounts. My take: eToro review.
How is crypto taxed in Switzerland?
For private investors, capital gains are generally tax-free; holdings belong in your wealth tax at year-end values, and the federal tax administration publishes official rates for major coins. Frequent leveraged trading risks professional-trader classification. See my Swiss tax guide.
Should I use Binance Earn, staking or futures?
Staking through Earn adds exchange counterparty risk on top of protocol risk; treat it as an advanced choice, not free money. Futures and margin: no. They destroy retail accounts exactly like CFDs do, and nothing in this review’s rating covers them.
Compare & choose
The other comparisons on Investing Hero, each built the same way: every fee read from the provider’s own pricing page.
How this review is kept current. Every Binance figure on this page was read from binance.com on 8 August 2026, not from a comparison site, and reconciles with my provider data file. The regulatory section is re-checked on every update.
Sources. Trading fees were read from Binance’s own fee schedule on 8 August 2026 (0.10% spot, 0.075% with BNB discount, VIP tiers). The November 2023 settlement figures are from the US Department of Justice’s published resolution. Nothing is quoted from a comparison site. Educational content, not financial advice.
