Independent Reserve review
Updated September 28, 2026 · SumCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Independent Reserve is an Australian custodial exchange suited to traders and savers who want low trading fees and a regulated account. Taker fees run 0.02% to 0.5%, and AUSTRAC registration with published proof of reserves adds reassurance, though the coin list is short.
Key facts
- Best for
- Low-fee crypto trading on a regulated Australian exchange.
- Taker fee
- 0.02% to 0.5%↗
- Coins listed
- 25↗
- Regulators
- AUSTRAC↗
- Fiat deposit methods
- Card, Bank↗
- Proof of reserves
- Yes↗
- Withdrawal fee
- AUD EFT free; AUD 1.50 PayID/NPP instant; USD 25 SWIFT; NZD 29; BTC 0.0001↗
- Derivatives
- Yes↗
- Exchange type
- Cex↗
- Legal entity
- Independent Reserve Pty. Ltd. (ABN 46 164 257 069)↗
- Headquarters
- Australia↗
- Founded
- 2013↗
- Support channels
- Email, Help-centre, Community↗
- Features
- Custodial
- Official website
- independentreserve.com
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 4 sources
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
- Elsewhere
- LinkedInXyoutube.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Taker fees of 0.02% to 0.5% come in under the 0.25% median for the category.
- AUSTRAC registration in Australia under licence DCE-100461150-001.
- Proof of reserves is published, so customer balances can be checked against assets held.
- Fiat deposits run through card and bank.
Cons
- The coin list is short at 25, against a 71.5 median across the exchanges compared.
- Support runs on email, help centre and community only.
- Withdrawal costs vary by rail: AUD bank transfers are free, while SWIFT, New Zealand dollar and Bitcoin withdrawals cost more.
Who it suits
- Traders who care about the trading fee more than the length of the coin list.
- Australian residents who want an exchange registered with AUSTRAC in their own country.
- People happy with a custodial account, where the exchange holds the coins, as listed under custodial.
Who should look elsewhere
- Traders after a long coin list, since Independent Reserve lists 25 coins while the median here is 71.5.
- Anyone who wants phone or live chat help, since support runs on email, help centre and community.
- Readers heading to bunq or eToro for a cheaper trade, at 0.25% to 1.99% and 1% against 0.02% to 0.5% here.
How Independent Reserve compares
9.3 vs 9.5
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 8.7
Independent Reserve vs eToro9.3 vs 9.2A flat 1% makes the cost easier to predict than the 0.02% to 0.5% range here.
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 8.7
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.0
Independent Reserve vs Gemini9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 8.6
9.3 vs 8.3
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.4
Independent Reserve vs Bitget (Trading Bots)9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 8.9
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 8.4- 9.3 vs 8.0
Where Independent Reserve is available
- Available
- Australia, New Zealand, Singapore
- Licence in Australia
- AUSTRAC (DCE-100461150-001), checked September 26, 2026
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What does Independent Reserve charge to trade?+
Taker fees run 0.02% to 0.5%, which is below the 0.25% median across the exchanges compared here. For contrast, bunq charges 0.25% to 1.99% and eToro 1%, so the rate here is among the lower ones. What you pay depends on the market you trade.
How many coins can I buy?+
The exchange lists 25 coins, well under the 71.5 median across the exchanges compared and the 74.5 median for this category. Pick it for the main pairs rather than for breadth of listings.
Who regulates Independent Reserve?+
It is registered with AUSTRAC in Australia under licence DCE-100461150-001, and the operator is Independent Reserve Pty. Ltd. The company is based in Australia and was founded in 2013, so its regulatory home is Australia.
Does it publish proof of reserves?+
Proof of reserves is published here, which lets you see whether assets match customer balances. It is common in this field, with 79.7% of the exchanges compared publishing one, and here those figures sit alongside a registered entity rather than an anonymous operator.
How do I deposit and withdraw money?+
Money comes in by card and bank, so a card transfer and a bank transfer both work. Getting it out depends on the rail: AUD bank transfers are free, instant AUD PayID and NPP transfers carry a small charge, and SWIFT, New Zealand dollar and Bitcoin withdrawals cost more.
Who holds my coins?+
The account is custodial, listed under custodial, and Independent Reserve is a centralised exchange under cex. The exchange holds the keys rather than you, which is simple to start with but makes the firm itself the counterparty to your balance. Derivatives are also available.
How do I get help?+
Support runs on email, help centre and community, so you have email, a help centre and a community rather than a phone line. Across this category, 84.4% of exchanges run a help centre and 40.9% offer live chat, so check which fits you before opening an account.
How risky is trading here?+
Trading carries the same market risk as anywhere else, and the median share of retail accounts that lose money across the exchanges compared is 70.15%. Fees of 0.02% to 0.5% are the smaller part of that picture next to how coin prices move, so size trades to what you can afford to lose.
Sources
- coingecko.com/en/exchanges/independent_reserve checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Coins listed, Founded
“id=independent_reserve; coins=25; pairs=97”
- independentreserve.com/about checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features, Legal entity, Proof of reserves, Regulators, Licences
“An insured, enterprise-grade Qualified Custodian holds the vast majority of our clients' digital assets in cold storage.”
- independentreserve.com/contact-us checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Support channels
“Address: Level 26, 44 Market Street Sydney, 2000 New South Wales, Australia”
- independentreserve.com/fees checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Derivatives, Exchange type, Fiat deposit methods, Taker fee, Withdrawal fee
“Leveraged trading fees ... Interest fee For leverage buy positions, 0.1% per day. For leverage sell positions, 0.03% per day.”
Compiled from 4 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.