To safely use a regulated exchange like BITPOINT in 2026, you must verify its licences directly with Japanese and Philippine regulators, understand its past security incidents and current protections, and match its leveraged products and services to your own risk tolerance. Regulation reduces certain risks but never replaces personal due diligence.
This guide is published on the WikiBit blog for general safety education and is not financial, investment, or legal advice; always verify any exchange directly on its official regulator registers before depositing.
What is BITPOINT, and how is it positioned in Japan’s regulated crypto market?
BITPOINT is a Japan‑based virtual currency exchange that has operated since 2016 and holds registration as a crypto‑asset exchange service provider under Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA), as well as a digital‑currency license from the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) in the Philippines. It offers spot, margin, and derivatives trading plus services like staking, lending, and OTC for a range of major cryptocurrencies.
WikiBit’s company summary describes BITPOINT as a virtual currency exchange registered in Japan and regulated by the FSA under a Kanto Finance Bureau licence number that corresponds to a digital‑currency license issued to BITPOINT JAPAN Co., Ltd. The summary also notes an additional digital‑currency licence from CEZA in the Philippines under Bitpoint Apec Investment Corp., allowing the brand to operate in that economic zone. Public listings of registered crypto‑asset exchange service providers in Japan include BITPOINT among FSA‑approved platforms, which must meet capital, custody, and compliance requirements under the Payment Services Act. BITPOINT’s business scope has grown beyond simple spot trading to include margin and futures products, OTC services for institutions, staking, and lending, as well as mobile trading via its app.
How can you independently verify BITPOINT’s licences with the FSA and CEZA?
You can independently verify BITPOINT’s licences by searching for BITPOINT JAPAN on the FSA’s official list of registered crypto‑asset exchange service providers and by confirming any CEZA licence through Philippine regulatory or zone‑authority records. Matching the legal name, licence type, and registration number is essential to avoid clone‑firm risks.
Start with the FSA. The Japanese regulator publishes an official list of registered crypto‑asset exchange service providers, including registration numbers, corporate names, and authorised crypto assets. In that list, BITPOINT JAPAN Co., Ltd. appears with a Kanto Finance Bureau registration number and a catalogue of crypto‑assets it is allowed to handle, confirming that it is authorised under Japan’s Payment Services Act framework. Always make sure the name and address match what BITPOINT discloses on its own site. For CEZA, you should look for digital‑currency exchange licensees, where Bitpoint Apec Investment Corp. has been cited as a holder of such a licence in the Cagayan Economic Zone. Because offshore licencing regimes vary in robustness, treat CEZA status as an additional data point rather than a substitute for FSA oversight. If any licence claims you see on marketing materials cannot be found on FSA or CEZA official lists, treat that as a serious warning and contact the regulator directly.
Regulator sources to check for BITPOINT
Checking these sources yourself helps you distinguish the real, regulated BITPOINT from any potential clones or impersonators.
What did the 2019 BITPOINT hack reveal, and how should you interpret it in 2026?
The 2019 BITPOINT hack revealed that its hot‑wallet security controls were insufficient at the time, leading to the theft of roughly 28–32 million USD in crypto assets from online wallets. In 2026, you should treat this history as a reason to scrutinise its current security posture and user‑fund protections, rather than as an automatic disqualifier.
Incident reports show that in July 2019, hackers gained unauthorised access to BITPOINT’s hot wallets, stealing assets including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ripple. Analyses attribute the compromise to weak operational-security practices around hot‑wallet private keys, noting that Japanese regulators had previously ordered several exchanges, including BITPOINT, to strengthen internal controls after other domestic hacks. BITPOINT subsequently suspended trading, assessed losses, and stated that it would reimburse affected users before resuming operations following a safety review. When evaluating BITPOINT today, consider both the fact that a significant breach occurred and how it was handled: did the exchange improve its hot‑cold wallet segregation, monitoring, and incident‑response processes to FSA standards? Many FSA‑regulated exchanges have survived past incidents and now operate under tighter oversight; your decision comes down to whether current measures and independent assessments meet your personal risk threshold.
Which core products and leverage options does BITPOINT offer, and what risks do they carry?
BITPOINT offers spot trading, margin trading, futures contracts, OTC services, staking, lending, NFT trading, and fiat‑to‑crypto on‑ramps. Leverage is available up to 1:5 on some products, which can amplify both profits and losses and increase liquidation risk if markets move quickly against you.
The exchange’s profile highlights spot markets in major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin, plus additional assets approved under Japanese rules. Beyond spot, BITPOINT offers futures trading for users who want exposure to future price movements, and margin trading for both spot and futures, allowing customers to borrow funds from the platform to increase their trade size. OTC services target institutions and high‑net‑worth individuals seeking negotiated, large‑volume trades with lower market impact. Crypto lending and staking features promise passive yields on idle holdings, while NFT trading and fiat‑on‑ramp integrations (including ATMs and Apple Pay options in some workflows) expand its scope. Each of these products carries distinct risk: leverage magnifies drawdowns and can trigger forced liquidations; lending and staking introduce counterparty and protocol risk; NFTs and small‑cap assets can be highly illiquid. You should only use complex products if you fully understand their mechanics and have a robust risk‑management plan.
How should you evaluate BITPOINT’s security practices and your own account protections?
To evaluate BITPOINT’s security practices, review its custody model (hot vs cold storage), authentication options, and any public audits or security assessments, and then layer your own account protections on top. A regulated exchange should publish at least high‑level security information and encourage strong user‑side controls like two‑factor authentication.
WikiBit’s description notes that BITPOINT uses industry‑standard measures such as encryption, firewalls, and strict verification for registrations and withdrawals, aligning with common expectations under FSA oversight. To go deeper, check BITPOINT’s official website for explanations of how much of customer funds are held in cold storage, whether third‑party audits or penetration tests are conducted, and how they monitor for suspicious account activity. Given the 2019 hack, see whether the exchange describes specific improvements to wallet infrastructure and internal controls. On your side, always enable two‑factor authentication, use a unique, strong password, and limit API keys or device access where possible. For significant balances, consider storing only working capital on BITPOINT and keeping long‑term holdings in self‑custody wallets you control, so that any future exchange incident would only affect a manageable portion of your assets.
What user‑experience signals and fee considerations should you weigh before trading on BITPOINT?
User‑experience signals and fee considerations include interface usability, customer‑support responsiveness, fee competitiveness, and educational content. Reviews on WikiBit praise BITPOINT’s user‑friendly app, educational materials, and live chat, while some users mention relatively high transaction fees.
User comments compiled on the BITPOINT WikiBit page describe the platform as intuitive, beginner‑friendly, and reliable, with helpful educational resources such as video tutorials and interactive quizzes. Several users highlight quick trading and decent customer service; others mention that transaction fees could be improved. Before depositing, examine BITPOINT’s official fee schedule for trading fees, deposit/withdrawal charges, and any additional costs tied to margin, futures, OT C, staking, or lending services. Compare these to other regulated exchanges in Japan and globally, taking into account not just nominal fees but also spreads and execution quality. Finally, test the platform with small trades to see how order placement, charting, and account statements feel in practice. A good user experience should reinforce safety by making critical controls (such as setting withdrawal addresses or enabling security features) straightforward rather than confusing.
Practical factors to compare when assessing BITPOINT
Use these factors alongside regulatory and security checks to decide whether BITPOINT is a good fit for your profile.
How should non‑Japanese users think about jurisdiction, access, and tax when using BITPOINT?
Non‑Japanese users should think carefully about jurisdiction, access restrictions, and tax obligations when considering BITPOINT. Being regulated in Japan and licensed by CEZA does not automatically mean that you may legally use all services in your own country, and you remain responsible for complying with local laws and tax rules.
Before opening an account, review BITPOINT’s terms of service to see whether it accepts users from your country and whether any product restrictions apply. Some jurisdictions impose specific rules on leveraged crypto trading, derivatives, or advertising, and exchanges may geo‑restrict access accordingly. You should not attempt to bypass such restrictions with VPNs if doing so would violate local regulations. Also consider how Japanese and Philippine regulation interacts with your home country’s laws: for example, consumer‑protection or compensation schemes in Japan may not extend to foreign users in the same way. On the tax side, most countries treat crypto trading as taxable, so you should keep detailed records of trades, deposits, and withdrawals from BITPOINT and consult local tax guidance or a professional as needed.
Where does WikiBit fit into a due‑diligence workflow for a regulated exchange like BITPOINT?
WikiBit fits into a due‑diligence workflow as a convenient hub for checking BITPOINT’s regulatory claims, reading user reviews, and viewing field‑survey information, but it should always be paired with official regulator registers and reputable external analyses. It helps you quickly spot both green flags (like licences) and areas that need deeper checking (like past hacks).
A fast first step is to look BITPOINT up on a regulatory‑record tool such as WikiBit to confirm that it shows FSA and CEZA licences, a long operating history, and aggregated user feedback. Then, follow through by searching the FSA’s official list of registered crypto‑asset exchange service providers to confirm BITPOINT’s registration details, and look for independent coverage of the 2019 hack and subsequent security upgrades. WikiBit’s user‑comment section can highlight day‑to‑day experiences—both positive and negative—that may not appear in formal reports. However, you should never treat a high WikiBit rating or “Regulated” badge as the final word. Always confirm on the official regulator’s register and cross‑reference at least one independent financial or security publication before trusting any exchange with substantial funds.
WikiBit Expert Views
When dealing with regulated exchanges like BITPOINT, investors sometimes relax their guard too quickly, assuming that a licence alone eliminates risk. In reality, regulation sets a floor for operational standards and consumer disclosure, but it does not prevent market volatility, leverage mis‑use, or every possible cyber incident—as the 2019 BITPOINT hack demonstrated. A resilient approach combines official‑register verification, tools like WikiBit for user‑experience and licence snapshots, and your own risk discipline: keeping only working capital on exchanges, avoiding unnecessary leverage, and continuously monitoring how an exchange’s security and regulatory environment evolve.
FAQs
How can I confirm that BITPOINT is genuinely regulated by Japan’s FSA?
Visit the FSA’s official list of registered crypto‑asset exchange service providers and search for BITPOINT JAPAN Co., Ltd. Confirm that the registration number, corporate address, and listed crypto assets match the information on BITPOINT’s website and on WikiBit.
Does BITPOINT’s 2019 hack mean I should avoid it entirely?
Not necessarily, but it does mean you should study how the incident occurred, how users were treated, and what security improvements have been made since. Many exchanges with past hacks now operate under stricter controls, yet you should still limit exchange balances and use strong personal security.
Can BITPOINT’s FSA or CEZA licences guarantee that my funds are safe?
No licence can guarantee safety. FSA and CEZA oversight improve transparency and set regulatory standards, but they do not protect you from market risk, misuse of leverage, or all forms of operational failure. Always combine regulatory checks with your own risk‑management practices.
Is BITPOINT suitable for beginners, or only for advanced traders?
BITPOINT offers a user‑friendly app, educational content, and spot trading that can suit beginners, alongside margin, futures, and OTC services aimed at more experienced users. New traders should start with simple products and avoid leverage until they fully understand the risks.
What should I do if I suspect suspicious activity on my BITPOINT account?
Immediately enable or review two‑factor authentication, change your password, and contact BITPOINT’s official support channels. Then monitor your account and, if you suspect fraud or a serious breach, report it to relevant national regulators or cybercrime authorities following their official procedures.
Sources
List of Registered Crypto-asset Exchange Service Providers in Japan – FSA (PDF)
List of Registered Crypto-asset Exchange Service Providers in Japan – FSA (Excel, 2026 update)
BITPoint hacked – $28 million stolen – DN Institute Incident Report
Breaking Down the BitPoint Hack: What Happened, When, and How – Medium
Japan’s FSA Weighs New Registration Rules for Crypto Firms – Yahoo Finance
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