Bitmart vs Yellow Card: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Bitmart and Yellow Card This side-by-side comparison reveals total cost (fees + spreads), security & licenses, coins/derivatives, deposits/withdrawals, and app quality. In 2 minutes you’ll see who wins for beginners, active traders, and long-term holders. Clear pros/cons, a quick verdict, and safe links to get started.

Last updated on August 16, 2025

Bitmart

Yellow Card

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

United States

Europe

Latin America

India

China

Canada

United Kingdom

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Bitmart is ideal if:

Wide crypto selection for altcoin enthusiasts — Great if you're exploring a broad range of tokens, including niche and newly launched assets.
Beginners and advanced users both catered to — Offers a simple Buy/Sell tool for newcomers and robust futures, spot, and charting interfaces for experienced traders.
Social and copy trading opportunities — Ideal if you want to mirror expert strategies or explore passive exposure through copy/social trading tools.

Yellow Card is ideal if:

Ideal if you prioritize local African access – it supports fiat on-ramps and local payment methods like mobile money, cash agents, and bank transfers across many African markets.
Perfect for simplicity and security – the user-friendly interface, strong AML/KYC processes, and embedded compliance make it approachable and trustworthy for new users.
Great for businesses needing robust infrastructure – with tools like embedded widgets, a Payments API, and invoice settlement, it's tailored for seamless crypto-fiat integration in emerging markets.

Bitmart isn’t ideal if:

No demo or practice mode — Beginners lacking a risk-free environment may find it harder to learn before committing real funds.
Security concerns persist post-2021 breach — Even with improved measures, the prior major hack may still cause hesitation around fund safety.
Limited fiat access and tools — Less ideal if you prefer direct fiat deposits/withdrawals or need features like bots, proof-of-reserves, or wallet insurance.

Yellow Card isn’t ideal if:

Not for variety seekers – the platform offers a narrow range of cryptocurrencies, making it unsuitable if you want exposure to many or newer digital assets.
Limited advanced tools – lacking features like futures, staking, or analytic dashboards, it’s less suited if you're into sophisticated trading strategies.
Not ideal for non-African users – it’s built around African markets and local payment methods, so those outside this region may find it inconvenient or inaccessible.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

BitMart uses tiered spot fees based on trading volume and a pairing class system (Class A, B, C). You can also reduce costs by holding or using the BMX native token, which typically grants a sizable discount on maker/taker rates.

Yellow Card does not use traditional maker or taker fees—instead, it applies a modest spread on spot trades, keeping the user experience simple without volume-based tiers or discounts tied to any native token.

Futures/Derivatives

Maker/Taker and Funding

Yellow Card doesn’t offer futures or derivative trading, so there are no associated maker/taker fees, funding charges, or leverage costs to consider.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

For high-liquidity pairs like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, spreads usually remain narrow and market-competitive, making them more cost-efficient for active traders.

The platform’s spread-based model keeps spreads consistently small for popular pairs, designed for clarity and predictability rather than frequent fluctuations tied to liquidity.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

Methods, Fees, Times

You can fund your account using bank transfers, mobile money, or cash-agents—with service fees that vary by channel (typically around 1–2%) and settlement times ranging from near-instant (in local mobile networks) to same-day for bank transfers.

On-chain Withdrawals

Fixed vs. Dynamic by Network (BTC, ETH, TRX, etc.)

Transfers on alt-chains like Polygon or Solana are free, while ERC-20 and TRC-20 stablecoin withdrawals carry a modest flat fee (about 1.5 USDT), and crypto withdrawals like BTC or ETH incur standard miner fees that adjust with network congestion.

Hidden Costs

Currency Conversion, Inactivity, KYC Express, etc.

There are no obscure charges like inactivity or express KYC fees; costs are transparent and tied to the payment method or network chosen, with currency conversions integrated into the pricing or spread rather than applied as additional hidden fees.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

Buying €500 in BTC (Fee + Spread + Withdrawal)

If you purchase €500 worth of BTC, your cost combines a small spread on the BTC price plus a service fee for converting your fiat (around 1–2%), and if you withdraw on-chain, a standard network fee applies—altogether designed to stay straightforward and avoid unexpected charges.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

BitMart supports a wide cryptocurrency catalog (1,400+ assets) and offers over 1,050 spot trading pairs; its top 20 by volume typically include the usual heavyweights like BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT among others.

Yellow Card supports a limited selection of core assets—Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Tether (USDT), Cardano (ADA), Solana (SOL), USD Coin (USDC), Polygon (MATIC), Celo Dollar (cUSD), Tether Gold (XAUt), and PayPal USD (PYUSD)—but does not provide a wide array of trading pairs or a ranked list by volume.

Product Range

You’ll find a full trading suite on BitMart

The platform specializes solely in spot buying and selling; it does not offer margin, perpetuals, options, crypto ETFs, staking or lending programs, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA features.

Liquidity

BitMart regularly achieves multi-billion-dollar daily volumes; its order books for liquid assets like BTC and ETH are deep and tight enough for efficient execution in most conditions.

While there’s basic liquidity for BTC and ETH via spot trades and commercial OTC access, the platform does not publish typical 24-hour volume or book-depth metrics, so these indicators remain undisclosed.

Tools

The platform offers limit, stop, and OCO orders, alongside charting tools, alerts, a native API/WebSocket interface, and integration with TradingView for advanced analysis.

Yellow Card provides simple buy/sell workflows with minimal advanced order types—no stop, limit, OCO, alert systems, in-app charts, or TradingView integration—but does offer an API and embeddable widget for businesses to integrate fiat-crypto on-ramps.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Product availability varies by region—certain jurisdictions may face restrictions, particularly around derivatives (e.g. perps and margin aren’t always available everywhere due to regulation).

As derivatives and advanced trading products are not offered anywhere, there is effectively no geographic variation—only basic spot services are accessible across supported African markets.

Innovation

BitMart continues innovating with features like a flexible vs. locked earn program, its in-house token launchpad, and expanded copy trading options that enhance user engagement.

The platform does not feature launchpads, launchpools, or different earn modalities; its innovation focus lies in seamless cross-border payments via Stablecoins, API integrations, and improving fiat on-ramp infrastructure.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

BitMart is operated by GBM Global Holdings Ltd., founded in 2017, and headquartered in the Cayman Islands.

The parent company, Yellow Card Financial Inc., was established in Delaware in 2016 and later converted into a C-corporation, with registered offices in Delaware and Alabama; it also operates through local subsidiaries across Africa to meet regional legal and tax obligations.

Licenses/Registration

It holds a Money Services Business (MSB) license from the U.S. FinCEN, indicating strong anti-money-laundering compliance—but lacks broader EU or MiCA-specific licenses.

Yellow Card holds a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from Botswana and a Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) license in South Africa, reflecting its commitment to working under formal regulatory frameworks in key African markets.

Custody

BitMart manages assets through a hybrid hot/cold wallet setup, with partial disclosures of hot wallet addresses as part of its transparency push; however, full proof-of-reserves or cold storage percentage data remains pending.

Customer cryptocurrencies are securely held via Fireblocks infrastructure, using MPC-CMP to safeguard private keys and equipped with high-level security certifications and regular penetration testing; the platform itself does not engage in staking or borrowing with user assets.

Insurance & Protection Funds

There’s no public information about dedicated insurance or user protection funds being in place to cover losses from hacks or other security incidents.

Yellow Card does not offer explicit insurance or dedicated protection funds for user assets; instead, its security emphasis lies on institutional-grade custody and compliance rather than insurance-based safeguards.

Incident History

In December 2021, BitMart suffered a high-profile security breach that resulted in around $196 million stolen; the team pledged reimbursements and has since reinforced security infrastructures.

There are no known reports or record of hacks, platform suspensions, asset freezing, or regulatory fines associated with Yellow Card, which suggests a clean operational history to date.

Risk Controls

The platform includes standard safety features like two-factor authentication, anti-phishing codes, API key restrictions, and an institutional-grade sub-account system.

Security controls include mandatory multi-factor authentication with options like 2FA and OTP, strong internal training and encryption protocols, real-time threat monitoring with auto-lock features, and robust anti-phishing guidance embedded in the platform experience.

Transparency

BitMart has taken steps toward openness by sharing hot wallet addresses and working on Merkle-tree based proof-of-reserves, although regular audit reports, SLA commitments, or full public reserve disclosures are not yet available.

While Yellow Card offers secure embedded infrastructure and compliance transparency, there is no indication that it publishes public monthly reports, maintains a viewable public wallet, or guarantees formal service levels (SLA) beyond its regulatory obligations.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

BitMart supports fiat deposits via credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard), bank transfers, and integrated third-party gateways like Simplex, MoonPay, Banxa and others; minimums start around USD 30, and processing varies by provider—from instant to a few days.

Yellow Card enables deposits via mobile money, bank transfers (manual), and cash agents, with minimum amounts varying by country and reflecting local currencies; mobile money deposits are typically instant, while manual bank transfers may take up to 48 hours to reflect.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

BitMart offers non-KYC access, plus two personal levels—Starter and Advanced—that unlock higher daily withdrawal caps (Starter

Users begin at an introductory tier with basic identity information and limited functionality, with higher tiers unlocked through document and funding verification—each providing progressively higher deposit, withdrawal, and trading limits.

Withdrawals

Crypto withdrawals support a broad range of networks (e.g., ERC-20, TRC-20, BEP-20), with limits and speeds depending on KYC level and network congestion; fiat withdrawals are also routed through select third-party gateways with similar variability.

Withdrawal options mirror deposit methods and differ by country; mobile money withdrawals tend to be quick, while bank transfers are slower, and on-chain crypto withdrawals use networks such as ERC-20 or TRC-20 where available, with specific limits tied to your KYC tier and jurisdiction.

Customer Support

BitMart offers 24/7 live chat, email/ticket support, and a help center; response speed is inconsistent by user feedback, and the knowledge base provides general guidance but may lack deeper troubleshooting.

Support is accessible via in-app chat 24/7 throughout the African operating regions, complemented by email assistance and a knowledge base to guide users through common issues or questions.

Languages & Localization

The user interface is available in English (with fiat shown in EUR/USD based on user region), though localized regulatory disclaimers can vary depending on where you access the platform from.

The app is localized in multiple African languages (Hausa, Swahili, Zulu, Yoruba, etc.), and displays amounts in both local fiat and USD, ensuring it fits the region’s linguistic and regulatory contexts.

App Quality & Stability

The BitMart mobile app is available for iOS and Android, offering a smooth trading experience overall; while occasional bugs or temporary crashes occur, regular updates aim to enhance stability and add new features.

The core experience is delivered through native mobile apps on Android and iOS, optimized for stability and security; as of August 1, 2025, legacy access via web and older operating systems will be phased out to improve performance and maintain high reliability.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

BitMart provides both “Lite” and “Pro” interface modes—“Lite” is clean and beginner-friendly, while “Pro” offers deeper charts and tools—so the learning curve remains gentle and scalable whether you’re new or advanced.

Yellow Card offers a clean, mobile-first interface designed for quick onboarding, especially for new users in Africa, with no “Lite” or “Pro” toggles—though businesses can use a more advanced API and widget for integration, while the app remains streamlined.

Performance

The upgrade to Futures V2.0 halved order latency and boosted system stability and matching capabilities, delivering smoother performance even during surges, though occasional order connector quirks reported by bot users can emerge.

The app is optimized for fast fiat-to-crypto conversions, even during peak demand, without reported crashes or slowdowns in high-volatility periods; KYC processes are integrated into the flow to minimize manual queues, particularly benefiting active markets.

Education

BitMart Academy equips users with structured content from beginner to advanced levels, but there’s no live demo or simulated trading available, and Spanish-language materials are limited or mixed with machine translations.

Yellow Card provides structured learning through its Academy initiative, boosted by Tether-powered financial literacy campaigns across African universities, though it does not currently offer interactive demos, simulators, or Spanish-language content.

Community

BitMart supports an affiliate/referral program, and while active user groups exist on Discord or Telegram unofficially, the platform doesn’t yet operate fully centralized forums or reward-based official communities.

A vibrant presence on platforms like social media complements their knowledge base, and they run targeted ambassador programs and referral campaigns—but there are no official community forums or Discord servers listed publicly.

Integrations

With full TradingView charting access via the “BITMART:” prefix, plus a robust API and WebSocket support, BitMart integrates seamlessly with external bots and tools—though tax/accounting tool partnerships remain sparse.

The platform emphasizes business integrations via its widget and Payments API for seamless fiat-crypto flows; however, it does not integrate with charting tools like TradingView, external trading bots, tax software, or accounting platforms.

Who Each One Is Best For

BitMart suits traders seeking a quick-start experience with flexible interfaces and strong third-party integrations, while developers or algorithmic traders benefit from reliable API access and TradingView support.

Yellow Card is ideal for individuals and businesses in Africa seeking simple, secure, and compliant fiat-to-crypto on-ramps using local payment methods—but not for users looking for advanced trading features, educational simulators, or broad third-party tooling.