Bitso review

Bitso connects cryptocurrency trading with local money accounts in Latin America. Its strongest use case is buying, selling and moving crypto from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina or Colombia without first treating every transaction as a foreign currency transfer. The basic app offers straightforward conversions, while Bitso Alpha provides an order book for more deliberate trading. The distinction matters because the price and commission structure depend on how and where a customer trades.

At a glance

• Founded: 2014.
• Headquarters: Mexico City, Mexico; the international crypto entity is incorporated in Gibraltar.
• Regulation and licences: Bitso International has distributed ledger technology permissions from the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission; local payment arrangements are separate.
• KYC requirement: Identity verification is required, with documents and checks depending on the country and account activity.
• Supported countries: Primarily Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.
• Number of cryptocurrencies: More than 100 advertised; availability varies by region and product.
• Fiat deposits: Local bank funding in Mexican pesos, Brazilian reais, Argentine pesos and Colombian pesos, subject to account eligibility.
• Mobile app: Yes, with a separate Bitso Alpha trading interface.

Sign up and KYC process

Opening a Bitso account involves providing personal information and completing the identity checks shown for the chosen country. The documented onboarding flow includes official identification and a selfie. Bitso can also request refreshed verification from existing customers, so approval at registration does not mean that the information will never need updating. A customer should use the country where they actually qualify for the service rather than assume that the same documents work throughout Latin America.

Bitso's local money services and international crypto services have different legal roles. Its Gibraltar permissions cover specified crypto activities, while local payment entities handle the relevant domestic currency services. This helps explain why deposit methods, limits and compliance questions can differ between countries even inside the same app. Before funding, the useful checks are the account's enabled currency, the required payment reference and the identity information attached to the transfer.

Fees

Bitso Alpha uses maker and taker commissions that depend on the market and trading volume over 30 days. For Mexican peso markets, the published entry tier below MXN 20,000 charges 0.60% for makers and 0.78% for takers. A maker order adds liquidity to the book; a taker order consumes existing liquidity. The distinction concerns execution, so merely choosing a limit price does not necessarily make an immediately executed order a maker trade.

Those peso rates are not a universal Bitso tariff. Other currency markets have their own schedules, and the basic conversion experience should be assessed using the final quote rather than an Alpha commission in isolation. Depositing money, executing a trade and withdrawing crypto are separate cost events. For a meaningful comparison inside Bitso, check the amount received after the quoted conversion and any withdrawal charge, using the same asset, payment route and transaction size.

Supported assets and features

Bitso advertises more than 100 crypto assets, including bitcoin, ether and solana. That headline describes the platform's broader selection, not a promise that every asset has the same local currency market or withdrawal network. The basic app is designed around buying, selling and managing holdings. Bitso Alpha adds the order book and trading tools, making it more relevant when choosing an execution price matters more than completing a quick conversion.

The regional funding model is a substantial part of Bitso's appeal. Someone earning pesos or reais can evaluate a crypto purchase in the currency they actually receive, rather than compare only a dollar price. However, local access should not be confused with identical functionality across countries. Asset listings, funding routes and additional products depend on eligibility, and a feature advertised for one market should be checked in the customer's own account before it becomes part of a payment plan.

Security

Bitso says it separates customer assets from corporate capital, uses wallets requiring multiple signatures and subjects its systems to independent reviews. Its account controls include authentication with an additional factor, withdrawal controls, device and session management, and login alerts. These are concrete safeguards a customer can evaluate separately from the company's general security messaging. In particular, reviewing active sessions and restricting withdrawals addresses account access risk rather than cryptocurrency price risk.

Bitso also publishes cryptographic evidence intended to account for customer funds. That transparency is useful, but reserve evidence and a regulatory permission do not guarantee future liquidity or compensate for market losses. The Gibraltar register identifies Bitso International's operator and specified permitted activities, including custody and trading. It should be read as an entity and activity framework, not as blanket insurance for every local balance or every product offered under the Bitso brand.

Pros

• Local currency access across several major markets in Latin America.
• Basic conversions and a separate order book trading interface.
• Published market fee schedules and configurable account security controls.

Cons

• Entry commissions on Mexican peso markets can be material for frequent trading.
• Features and funding arrangements vary between countries.
• Crypto permissions and local payment supervision cover different activities.

Verdict

Bitso is a practical regional exchange for customers who value local currency access and want the option to move from simple conversions to order book trading. Its fee schedule is detailed enough to compare specific markets, but the correct comparison starts with the customer's actual currency and execution method. The platform is less straightforward when someone expects a single global price, uniform product access or a licence that protects every service in the same way.