Uphold Review 2023

3.4
Uphold is #11 in our broker rankings.
Flag Traders in United States welcome

Trading in the Uphold environment offers a one-stop-shop for all your crypto requirements.

InstrumentsCryptos, Precious Metals, US Stocks, Environmental Assets
Demo AccountYes
Min. Deposit$0
Payment Methods
Min. Trade$1
Regulated ByFCA, FinCEN
MetaTrader 4No
MetaTrader 5No
cTraderNo
OmniTraderNo
AlgoTraderNo
TradingViewNo
Trading CentralNo
AutochartistNo
eSignalNo
STP AccountNo
ECN AccountNo
DMA AccountNo
MAM AccountNo
PAMM AccountNo
LAMM AccountNo
Demat AccountNo
Mobile AppsiOS & Android
Margin TradingNo
Volatility IndexNo
Spot TradingYes
Perpetual SwapsNo
ELWsNo
REITsNo
AI / Machine LearningNo
Robo AdvisorNo
P2P TradingNo
Negative Balance ProtectionNo
VPS HostingNo
TournamentsNo
Demo CompetitionsNo
Managed AccountsNo
Market MakerNo
Auto TradingYes
Social TradingNo
Copy TradingNo
Islamic AccountNo
Account Currencies
  • USD
  • EUR
  • GBP
Guaranteed Stop LossNo
Commodities
  • Gold
  • Palladium
  • Platinum
  • Precious Metals
  • Silver
Crypto TradingUphold offers trading on more than 100 crypto assets including via crypto-only pairs and crypto-fiat cross pairs.
Crypto Spread0.5% to 1% average
Crypto LendingNo
Crypto StakingYes
Crypto MiningNo
Crypto Auto Market MakerNo
Crypto Coins
  • 1INCH
  • AAVE
  • ADA
  • ALCX
  • ALGO
  • APE
  • API3
  • AR
  • ATOM
  • AUDIO
  • AVAX
  • AXS
  • BAL
  • BAT
  • BCH
  • BNT
  • BTC
  • BTCO
  • BTG
  • CAKE
  • CHR
  • COMP
  • CRV
  • CSPR
  • CVX
  • DAO
  • DASH
  • DCR
  • DGB
  • DOGE
  • DOT
  • DYDX
  • EGLD
  • ENJ
  • EOS
  • ETH
  • FIL
  • FLOW
  • FTM
  • GALA
  • GHST
  • GLMR
  • GODS
  • GRT
  • HBAR
  • HNT
  • INH
  • IOTA
  • KNC
  • KP3R
  • LINKLTC
  • LRC
  • LSK
  • LUNA
  • MANA
  • MATIC
  • MKR
  • MOVR
  • NANO
  • NEAR
  • NEO
  • NMR
  • NU
  • OMG
  • OXT
  • QNT
  • RAY
  • REQ
  • ROOK
  • RUNE
  • SAND
  • SGB
  • SHIB
  • SKL
  • SNX
  • SOL
  • SPELL
  • SRM
  • SUKU
  • THETA
  • TRAC
  • TRB
  • TRX
  • UNI
  • UPBTC
  • UPCO2
  • UPT
  • VET
  • WBTC
  • XCH
  • XLM
  • XRP
  • XTZ
  • XYO
  • ZIL
  • ZRX
Risk Warning – Your capital is at risk

Uphold is a crypto trading platform offering clients the option to buy, sell and trade multiple tokens. The brokerage provides simple to use payment facilities and several additional features, including digital wallets and cryptocurrency staking. Our 2023 review of Uphold covers typical fees and limits, security features, trading hours, the mobile app and more.

What Is Uphold?

Uphold is a digital platform offering crypto investing and currency exchange services. The company follows its ‘anything to anything’ motto to provide a complete experience, which includes user-friendly trading and integrated payment facilities. The FCA-registered brand aims to provide customers and businesses with fair, affordable and transparent financial amenities.

Note, services vary between countries. For example, US clients can sign up for a cryptocurrency debit card, automated trading executions and environmental assets.

Company Details

The Uphold broker-dealer was launched in 2015 and operates through three key affiliates:

The firm has several global offices with headquarters addresses in London and New York. Today, Uphold is an established multi-asset exchange with a presence in 184+ countries across 200+ currencies (crypto and fiat). The platform has supported over $4 billion in transactions since its launch and currently has over 10 million registered customers worldwide.

Uphold cryptocurrency wallet
Currency Exchange Services

Products

The assets listed below are available to UK and European clients (who signed up before 1st February 2022) under the Uphold Europe Limited (UPE) affiliate:

The assets below are available to trade under the US platform. New European customers (signed up after 1st February 2022) can also access these products:

Debit Card

Uphold offers a flexible Mastercard debit card. This is currently only available within the US, however, there are plans to make this available in other countries too.

The physical or virtual card allows payments to be made in alternatives to fiat currencies. This includes transactions using cryptocurrencies, metals, or utility tokens. The card also benefits from no foreign transaction fees and full network services, including global ATMs offered by Mastercard. In addition, cashback rewards are offered (1% back for USD transactions or 2% in cryptos for every purchase made with digital currencies).

Crypto Staking

Uphold also introduced cryptocurrency staking in 2022. This allows users to earn up to 25% in rewards. Staking is available on a selection of popular coins, including Ethereum, Cardano, Solana and Polkadot. Users receive a weekly notification of earnings through the Uphold mobile app.

Reward rates:

For beginners, crypto staking services allow clients to monetise their digital assets. Blockchains essentially use your crypto to check that transactions are verified and secured, known as ‘proof of stake’. And in return for helping to stabilise the network, you receive free tokens.

Trading Platform

Uphold offers online investors one proprietary, multi-currency trading terminal. This is available as a mobile application and is compatible with desktop devices. The platform is intuitive and suitable for beginners. With that said, it was disappointing to see a lack of advanced graphs and charting tools, however, interface tiles are fully customisable. This means you can bring your investments together in one convenient account.

The online platform also allows one-step trading between assets, for example, BTC to XRP. This creates a unique pricing advantage vs competitors that often require separate transactions along with two sets of fees. Additional features include a customisable portfolio view, dark mode and multi-language defaults.

Note, the platform only offers one order type – limit order.

Mobile App

The Uphold terminal and wallet are also available via a mobile app. This can be downloaded for free and is compatible with iOS and Android devices. Users can access the tools, features and functionality found on the desktop terminal including the one-step exchange.

Our review was particularly pleased with the simple and user-friendly design, making it suitable for novice investors. Clients can manage their account, open and close trades, check live pricing and transfer funds from wallets while on the go. Other features include a ‘from and to’ interface to pull funds directly into an asset to purchase, live market data and customisable navigation tiles.

Is Uphold a brokerage account?
Trading Platform

Account Types

Live Accounts

There is one live account for retail clients. Fortunately, it is quick and easy to open an account using the online registration form, taking an average of three minutes. Look out for the ‘sign up’ logo in the top right corner of each webpage.

There are no minimum deposit requirements. However, to access the full catalogue of tools and features, customers must comply with identity verification protocols. These include providing proof of residency, your social security number (US clients only) and a government-issued ID document, such as a passport. Unverified clients may be subject to limitations, including a $1,000 maximum transaction value.

Uphold trading accounts recently became available to UK residents. The broker received permission from the FCA to restart services in February 2022 under the temporary registration regime for crypto firms.

Note, EU clients signing up after the 1st February 2022 are not permitted to hold accounts in base currencies such as EUR and GBP. Instead, the broker recommends purchasing stablecoins as these are pegged to fiat currencies.

Demo Account

Uphold also offers a free demo account via the ‘Sandbox’ testing environment. Trading clients will need to open a separate account to use the features of the demo platform. You can access Bitcoin virtual funds to practise strategies risk-free while viewing platform features and tools.

Enter your personal details via the ‘sign up’ section on the webpage. It’s worth pointing out that these details will need to be different from the email address associated with the live account. When prompted for a verification code, enter ‘0000000’ to sign in and proceed.

Fees

The exchange operates a commission-free pricing model. Having said that, the platform’s services are not free. Transparency is evident though and day traders benefit from locked-in pricing before committing to a purchase.

Live prices include a small spread, typically around 0.5% to 1% for cryptocurrency purchases. The competitive pricing network is driven by the broker’s exchange model, which sources the best prices from three pools. Upon testing, a UK customer would face a 0.85% buy spread for BTC and a 1% fee for selling. This was much lower for fiat currencies with a 0.05% fee to purchase USD.

Importantly, peer-to-peer transactions are free. However, if a currency conversion is required, you will be charged. For example, if you want to transfer EUR but would like the beneficiary to receive Ethereum, you will pay the relevant conversion.

Payments

Deposits

It is free to deposit to your Uphold trading account, however, some fees on crypto networks may apply. Accepted payment methods include:

You can choose to hold your account balance in a variety of currencies and precious metals. However, a currency conversion fee applies for deposits from a denominated account currency to a different base currency or peer-to-peer transactions. For example, if you are sending GBP but would like the beneficiary to receive BTC, you will be charged a currency conversion fee of 0.85% for purchasing BTC with GBP.

Withdrawals

Uphold supports the same payment methods for withdrawals. Bank wire transfers incur no fees but crypto withdrawals are subject to network charges. Any dynamic network fees incurred via the crypto network, regardless of the asset, are visible to traders before confirming a transaction.

Minimum and maximum withdrawal limits apply for all payment methods. For example, there is a $5 minimum withdrawal for bank wire transfers (US ACH) and 0.25 LTC for Litecoin payments.

Processing times vary between payment methods. For example, bank wire transfers typically take 1-5 workings days. Cryptocurrencies are subject to their relevant network confirmation requirements.

Regulation

Uphold Europe Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under the Temporary Registration Regime. The company is also a registered EMD Agent and Electronic Money Issuer. Importantly, digital currency trading is not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme in the case of business insolvency. Additionally, crypto-asset services are not within the scope of The Financial Ombudsman Service.

The US affiliate is authorised by the United States Treasury Department regulator, FinCEN. Uphold Lithuania is not currently regulated by any governmental authority. This is not unusual among cryptocurrency trading firms. Still, always be cautious due to the highly volatile nature of digital assets.

It was good to see the company provides full governing transparency. There is a specific data transparency page available on the exchange’s website with real-time transaction flows, assets and solvency information. The proprietary Reserveledger and Reservechain technologies are also regularly assessed by independent auditors. In addition, Uphold adheres to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) for record-keeping compliance.

Security

Security protocols are enforced across all customer touchpoints. These include conducting Anti-Money Laundering and Know-Your-Customer compliance checks during account set-up. Bespoke technology also ensures the company adheres to local and international laws to protect Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

Traders are provided basic guidance on security best practices including implementing two-factor authentication (2FA), associated security keys and recognising scams.

Proof Of Reserves

Uphold provides proof of reserves for complete peace of mind. This is good to see, particularly following the collapse of FTX in November 2022, which will likely lead to many crypto firms publishing financial information to reassure customers.

Uphold publishes a real-time record of all transfers in, out and within the trading environment. The Reserveledger™ is a real-time anonymous record of the currencies and precious metals held in reserve. The publication is traceable and verifiable proof of solvency.

In November 2022, for example, the company was holding 102.2% in capital reserves. On the firm’s website, you can view reserve status by obligation, asset currency and a breakdown of funds by holding category.

Fund Safety

Uphold offers an insurance policy to protect retail customers against theft of cryptocurrency or fraudulent transfers. This policy may cover up to the total asset value held in offline storage.

Note, cryptocurrency investments made via Uphold are not protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

Educational Content & Tools

A variety of educational content and tools are available to online traders. The Uphold website hosts a dedicated webpage of resources and insights, suitable for even the most inexperienced crypto investors. Content includes:

Third-party applications are also available. These can be downloaded directly from the broker’s interface and can be integrated into your existing trading software. Available apps include Blockreward; earn points for online activities, SkillGaming; skills-based gaming network where traders can play for free and Unstoppable Domains; replace crypto-addresses with easy to remember domains.

Digital Wallets

Uphold provides a secure, cloud-based cold wallet solution similar to that of Coinbase or Gemini. It is a helpful feature vs Kraken which offers exchange services only.

The digital wallet can be used to designate holdings in different currencies and commodities including US Dollars, Ethereum, Bitcoin and more. You can also connect your wallet to your credit/debit card accounts.

Our review was pleased with the functionality available, including the ability able to make payments to online merchants, send money to peers and instantly convert between currencies.

Uphold trading volume
Crypto Wallet

Promotions

The exchange does not normally offer any bonuses or monetary promotions. With that said, our review did find historic incentives for global clients, including those in the US, UK, Argentina and Brazil. A 10 BTC bonus was available to customers depositing $250 worth of cryptocurrency during a specified period. A referral scheme is also available with referees eligible for up to $20 worth of BTC for new account sign-ups.

Always read bonus terms and conditions and understand the thresholds before opening an account.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Trading Hours

The cryptocurrency market is available to trade 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Digital assets are not typically subject to market closures, such as public holidays or weekends. Alternative assets such as US equities and environmental instruments have varying trading hours.

Uphold also offers after-hours trading on US equities (typically 9:30 AM to 4 PM ET). An upweighted fee may apply for this service.

Customer Service

Uphold offers limited customer contact options. It was disappointing to see no helpline phone number, live chat or office address. An email contact form is provided for clients to request help, though standard response times are not clear. Alternatively, an FAQ page is hosted on the broker’s website for common issues, queries and step-by-step guidance. Topics include details of margin trading, login security features, halted services and automated trading bot functionality. Still, there are negative reviews indicating unsupportive customer service.

Uphold Verdict

Our Uphold broker review was pleased with the security features, educational content, multi-asset trading and digital wallet offering. Nevertheless, the exchange does have some negative trader reviews indicating challenges with customer support and account lockouts. Overall though, Uphold is a good all-round broker, suitable for new and experienced crypto traders.

Accepted Countries

Uphold accepts traders from Australia, Canada, United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Qatar and most other countries.

Traders can not use Uphold from Cuba, Congo, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, Korea, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Thailand, Dominican Republic, Morocco, Nepal, Panama, Paraguay, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ecuador.

Compare Uphold

Compare Uphold with similar brokers that accept traders from your location. Among available brokers these are the most similar to Uphold:

  1. Revolut – Revolut is a popular financial app that also offers trading on equities and digital currencies.
  2. Pocket Option – Pocket Option is a global binary options broker with a sleek proprietary trading platform and competitive range of assets.
  3. Videforex – Videforex accepts deposits in a range of cryptos and fiat currencies. Payouts reach 98% per trade.
  4. Zacks Trade – Zacks Trade is a US based brokerage, built for the active trader. Trade stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds and more on a proprietary trading platform.

Uphold Comparison Table

Compare Uphold With Similar Brokers
Uphold Revolut Pocket Option Videforex Zacks Trade
Rating 3.4 3.1 4.2 3.5 3.9
Markets Cryptos, Precious Metals, US Stocks, Environmental Assets Stocks, Cryptos Binary Options, Currencies, Commodities, Stocks, Indices Binary Options, CFDs, Forex, Commodities, Indices, Cryptos Stocks, Crypto
Demo Account Yes No Yes Yes Yes
Minimum Deposit $0 $0 $50 $250 $2500
Minimum Trade $1 $1 $1 $1 $3
Regulators FCA, FinCEN FINRA, SEC IFMRRC FINRA
Bonus 50% Deposit Bonus 100% Deposit Bonus Up To $3000
Education No No No No No
Platforms MT5
Leverage 1:500
Payment Methods 8 8 23 8 3
Visit
Review Uphold
Review
Revolut
Review
Pocket Option
Review
Videforex
Review
Zacks Trade
Review

Compare Trading Instruments

Compare the markets and instruments offered by Uphold and its competitors. Please note, some markets may only be available via CFDs or other derivatives.

Compare Uphold Trading Instruments
Uphold Revolut Pocket Option Videforex Zacks Trade
CFD No No No Yes No
Forex No No Yes Yes No
Stocks Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Commodities Yes No Yes Yes No
Oil No No Yes Yes No
Gold Yes No Yes Yes No
Copper No No No Yes No
Silver Yes No Yes No No
Corn No No No No No
Crypto Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Futures No No No Yes No
Options No No No No Yes
ETFs No No No No Yes
Bonds No No No No Yes
Warrants No No No No No
Spreadbetting No No No No No
Volatility Index No No No No No

Uphold vs Other Brokers

Compare Uphold with any other broker by selecting the other broker below.

Uphold vs

FAQ

Is Uphold Classified As A Brokerage?

Uphold is a multi-asset digital trading platform. Also known as a crypto exchange, it provides broker services so customers can buy and sell crypto, as well as other assets like US equities and environmental instruments.

Is Uphold Still Trading XRP?

Yes – clients can buy, sell and trade Ripple (XRP). The broker is also among one of the first digital wallets to support full integration with the XRP Ledger. This means customers can deposit and withdraw the crypto coin to external XRP Ledger addresses.

Is Uphold A Trading Platform?

Uphold is a multi-asset trading platform available to global investors. Users benefit from one-step trading between assets, wallet storage, a mobile app, automated trading and more.

Why Has Uphold Trading Been Halted In The UK?

Uphold trading was paused in the UK for a short period whilst awaiting FCA authorisation. As of 2022, the broker is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under the Temporary Registration Regime for crypto-asset firms.

Is Uphold Free?

The broker operates a transparent pricing model. Variable spreads are integrated into asset prices, typically between 0.5% and 1% of the transaction value. It does, however, offer commission-free trading and zero deposit and withdrawal fees, though third-party charges may apply.

Trading in the Uphold environment offers a one-stop-shop for all your crypto requirements.