CoinEx is a global crypto exchange operating offshore without tier-one regulation, and in June 2026 it became the subject of a blockchain-analytics report alleging billions in flows linked to sanctioned Iranian entities, which it denies. New users get a newcomer bonus of around $40 in cashback vouchers for making a deposit and a first trade, though the vouchers offset trading fees rather than paying out as withdrawable cash. CoinEx also runs a referral program that pays a cut of the trading fees generated by people you refer, credited as real, withdrawable funds.
Risk warning: Trading carries a high risk of losing money, especially with leveraged products such as CFDs. A bonus does not reduce that risk. Only deposit what you can afford to lose.
CoinEx
CoinEx pays referrers a share of their invited friends' trading fees, starting at 15% for regular users (the headline 40% applies only to VIP 5 accounts) and credited in CET tokens.
CoinEx
New CoinEx users can earn cashback vouchers worth up to $100 by completing deposit and trading tasks, though about $40 of that is realistically reachable without high futures volume.
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CoinEx was founded in December 2017 by Haipo Yang, who had earlier created the ViaBTC mining pool, and operates under the ViaBTC Group. It offers spot, margin and futures trading plus an earn suite, with its native CET token driving fee discounts and VIP tiers. Like most exchanges in its class, it holds registrations rather than licences: a virtual-asset registration in Estonia and a VASP registration in Poland, with nothing from a tier-one regulator.
Its history in stricter jurisdictions is short and instructive. CoinEx registered as a money services business in the US in 2021, but in 2023 the New York Attorney General sued it for operating as an unregistered broker; CoinEx settled for about $1.7 million, agreed to block New York, and stopped serving US customers entirely.
In September 2023 CoinEx lost roughly $70 million from hot wallets in a private-key compromise that investigators linked to North Korea's Lazarus Group. To its credit, CoinEx committed to reimbursing all affected users in full and restored deposits and withdrawals within about two weeks, though rebuilding full service took months.
A more recent cloud hangs over it. In June 2026, analytics firm TRM Labs published a report, covered by the Wall Street Journal and CoinDesk, alleging CoinEx processed about $3.84 billion connected to more than 60 US-sanctioned Iranian entities since 2019, including flows tied to Iran's largest exchange Nobitex and the Central Bank of Iran. CoinEx denies wrongdoing, says it never had commercial relationships with Iranian government entities, and says it began exiting Iran-related exposure after the June 2026 US sanctions on Iranian exchanges. No formal enforcement action against CoinEx over this had been announced as of early July 2026, but the allegation itself raises the odds of future banking and regulatory friction.
CoinEx covers spot, margin, USDT- and coin-margined futures, and an AMM product line. Base spot fees are 0.2% maker and taker, on the high side, falling with volume tiers; futures start around 0.03% maker and 0.05% taker. Holding and paying fees in CET cuts costs further, and CET balances also drive the VIP ladder that determines referral commission rates. Fee levels matter doubly here because the newcomer vouchers pay out only against fees you actually generate.
The newcomer offer, advertised at up to $100, is a set of task-gated cashback vouchers from the Reward Center: roughly 10 USDT for a first deposit of about 50 USDT, 30 USDT for a first spot trade around 200 USDT of volume, and 60 USDT for a first futures trade. The futures threshold has varied between promotional runs, with official pages citing anywhere from 7,000 to 20,000 USDT of volume, so the realistic value for a casual new user is the first two tasks, around $40. The vouchers are fee rebates, not cash: they pay out only as you accumulate trading fees during their validity window, and unused value is recalled at expiry.
The referral program is the more genuine offer. Referrers earn a commission on their invitees' trading fees for 12 months, credited as real, withdrawable funds. The rate scales with CET holdings, from roughly 20% at the bottom of the ladder to 40% at 50,000 CET or more, and CoinEx's invite-based Ambassador program pays up to 50% in USDT with no 12-month limit. There is no turnover requirement; the money simply tracks the fees your referrals pay.
Identity verification is required to claim newcomer rewards. CoinEx blocks the United States, Canada, Hong Kong and mainland China, and its terms prohibit VPN circumvention of the jurisdiction list.
Weigh the counterparty picture honestly: a reimbursed $70 million hack, an exit from the US under enforcement pressure, no tier-one licence, and unresolved sanctions-flow allegations as of mid-2026. The newcomer vouchers are small; do not let them anchor a decision about where to hold meaningful balances.
Not by any tier-one authority. It holds virtual-asset registrations in Estonia and Poland, which are lighter regimes than a full financial licence. It settled with the New York Attorney General in 2023 for operating unregistered and no longer serves US customers.
No. The rewards are cashback vouchers that rebate trading fees up to each voucher's face value during a limited validity window. A realistic new user completing the deposit and first spot trade tasks unlocks about $40 in voucher value, which only converts to anything as you pay trading fees before expiry.
As real, withdrawable funds. You earn a commission on the trading fees your referrals generate for 12 months, scaling from roughly 20% to 40% with your CET holdings; invited Ambassadors can earn up to 50% in USDT with no time limit. There is no turnover requirement on the commission itself.
Yes. In September 2023 attackers linked to the Lazarus Group drained roughly $70 million from hot wallets after a private-key compromise. CoinEx reimbursed affected users in full and brought deposits and withdrawals back within about two weeks.
In June 2026, TRM Labs reported that CoinEx processed about $3.84 billion connected to sanctioned Iranian entities since 2019, including flows tied to the Nobitex exchange and Iran's central bank. CoinEx denies wrongdoing and says it is exiting Iran-related exposure. No formal enforcement action had followed as of early July 2026, but the matter is unresolved and worth watching before holding large balances.
No. CoinEx stopped onboarding US customers as part of its 2023 New York settlement and also blocks Canada, Hong Kong and mainland China. Its terms prohibit using VPNs to get around the restrictions, and doing so would put any bonus and balance at risk of confiscation.