Useful Articles / Comparison
Bybit vs OKX for European traders: the licence is the difference
Outside Europe, choosing between Bybit and OKX is a matter of taste, fee tier and which interface you prefer. Inside Europe it is mostly settled by one regulatory fact, and everything else is a tiebreaker.
The fact that decides it
MiCA authorisation covers spot services. Derivatives — perpetuals, futures, options — require MiFID II permissions, a separate licence applied for separately.
| Bybit EU | OKX Europe | |
|---|---|---|
| Entity | Bybit EU GmbH | OKX Europe Limited |
| Regulator | FMA, Austria | MFSA, Malta |
| MiCA | Yes | Yes |
| MiFID II (derivatives) | Applied for, not granted | Yes, per OKX |
| Perpetuals in the EU | No | Yes |
| Spot and margin | Yes, margin to 10x | Yes |
If you trade perpetuals and live in the EEA, that table has already answered your question.
If you only trade spot
Now it is a real comparison, and the two are genuinely close.
Fees
Both run volume-tiered maker-taker schedules that are competitive by any standard, and the difference at retail volumes is small enough that it should not drive the decision. At higher tiers the tables diverge more, so if you are trading size, check the current schedule at your expected monthly volume rather than the headline rate.
Depth and listings
OKX generally carries a wider instrument range, including products beyond simple spot. Bybit's EU spot book is deep on majors. For most European traders both are deep enough that slippage is not the deciding factor.
Interface
OKX packs more into the screen, which is an advantage once you know where everything is and a liability while you are learning. Bybit's EU platform is the gentler of the two without being simplistic.
The thing both have in common
Neither can list USDT in the EU. Tether did not seek MiCA authorisation, so on both platforms you are trading against euros or an authorised stablecoin. If your strategy was built on USDT pairs, it needs recalibrating either way.
How to choose
- You want perpetuals → OKX Europe. It is one of very few EU venues that can legally offer them.
- You trade spot and want the easier platform → Bybit EU.
- You want the widest instrument range → OKX.
- You are outside the EEA → the global platforms are much more evenly matched: Bybit global and OKX global both offer the full product set.
These are referral links and pay this site a commission. It costs you nothing extra, and it has not changed what the table says — the MiFID II row is the same whoever is paying.