KuCoin’s H1 2026 report shows 45M users, 170% LatAm growth, 300% surge in AI assistant users, and tripled payment volume. CEO: “time rewards trust.”
Alpha Score of 74 reflects strong overall profile with strong momentum, moderate value, strong quality, strong sentiment.
KuCoin has crossed 45 million registered users worldwide, the exchange said in a new H1 2026 review published to mark its ninth anniversary. The report, called Beyond the Signal, covers progress across security, payments, artificial intelligence, institutional services and Web3 infrastructure.
“Nine years of market cycles have reinforced a simple belief: time rewards trust,” CEO BC Wong said in a statement. “For KuCoin, that means building secure and transparent infrastructure, advancing responsible innovation, strengthening compliance, and connecting digital assets with the real economy.”
User adoption in emerging markets accelerated during the first half. KuCoin reported 170% growth in Latin America and 30% in Africa. Its global support now exceeds 1,600 digital assets. Third-party research the exchange cited ranked it among the top three exchanges by spot market share and Bitcoin spot market depth.
The trust theme runs through the entire review. KuCoin published its 44th consecutive monthly Proof of Reserves report. Hacken completed 14 independent audits on the exchange. Security certifications include SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO/IEC 27701 and CCSS.
KuCoin’s AI layer, KIA, saw daily active users climb 300% in the period. Originally a customer-support tool, KIA now covers trading, asset management, search, market intelligence, wealth management and content. The company also launched Skills Hub, a platform that lets external AI agents plug into modular crypto services.
Payments expanded as well. Off-chain volume through KuCoin Pay more than tripled. Total payment orders rose more than 25-fold. The number of merchants and service partners grew 60%. KuCoin added multi-chain payment support, Payment Links and static merchant QR codes, API-based crypto-to-stablecoin conversion, and launched KuCard in Australia through the Mastercard network.
On the institutional side, KuCoin said it now supports 120-plus Crypto-as-a-Service partners and more than 400 broker partners. Broker-driven trades represent roughly 4% to 7% of total platform volume.
The Web3 Wallet added native perpetual trading through Hyperliquid and access to more than 260 tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs via Ondo Global Markets. The wallet also expanded multi-chain functionality.
The full H1 2026 review is available on KuCoin’s website.
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