KuCoin has surpassed 45 million registered users globally, according to its newly published 2026 H1 Review, “Beyond the Signal,” released to coincide with the cryptocurrency exchange’s ninth anniversary. The report details the company’s activity during the first half of the year across security, payments, artificial intelligence, institutional services and Web3 infrastructure.

The review comes as the digital asset sector continues to expand beyond trading into areas such as payments, tokenized financial products and AI-enabled services, with major exchanges increasingly competing on the breadth of their ecosystems rather than spot trading alone. KuCoin said the report assesses how the platform has developed over the past nine years, emphasizing trust, transparency and broader real-world uses for digital assets.

According to the report, KuCoin now supports more than 1,600 digital assets and has increased its global user base to more than 45 million. The company reported faster adoption in several emerging markets in the first half of 2026, including 170% growth in Latin America and 30% growth in Africa — regions where digital assets have gained traction amid limited traditional banking access and local currency volatility. KuCoin also cited third-party research that ranked the platform among the world’s top three exchanges for spot market share and Bitcoin spot market depth.

“Nine years of market cycles have reinforced a simple belief: time rewards trust,” said BC Wong, CEO of KuCoin. “As crypto moves from the margins into the infrastructure of global finance, the platforms that endure will be defined not by short-term noise, but by the value they create over time. For KuCoin, that means building secure and transparent infrastructure, advancing responsible innovation, strengthening compliance, and connecting digital assets with the real economy. Beyond the Signal is our commitment to building an ecosystem that users and the industry can trust for the long term.”

Trust and transparency are central themes in the review. During the first half of 2026, KuCoin issued its 44th consecutive monthly Proof of Reserves report and said 14 independent audits had been completed by Hacken. Proof of Reserves disclosures became a widely adopted industry practice following the collapse of FTX in late 2022, which eroded user confidence in exchange solvency. The exchange also broadened its security framework with AI-assisted security operations, vulnerability disclosure programs and user protection measures. It said it maintained certifications including SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, ISO/IEC 27701 and CCSS.

The report also describes growth in KuCoin’s AI-related products. Daily active users of KIA, the company’s AI-powered service layer, rose by 300% during the first half of the year. Initially focused on customer support, KIA has expanded into trading, asset management, search, market intelligence, wealth management and content. KuCoin also launched Skills Hub, a platform designed to allow external AI agents to integrate with modular crypto services, reflecting a broader industry push to incorporate AI into digital asset platforms.

Payments were another focus area in the report. KuCoin said off-chain payment volume through KuCoin Pay more than tripled during the period, while total payment orders increased more than 25-fold. The number of merchants and service partners rose by 60%. Other developments included expanded multi-chain payment support, the introduction of Payment Links and static merchant QR codes, API-based crypto-to-stablecoin conversion, and the expansion of KuCard into Australia through Mastercard’s global network.

For institutional services, KuCoin said its infrastructure now supports more than 120 Crypto-as-a-Service partners and more than 400 broker partners. According to the company, broker-driven trading accounts for approximately 4% to 7% of total trading volume on the platform.

The review also highlights updates to KuCoin’s Web3 Wallet, including the addition of native perpetual trading through Hyperliquid and access to more than 260 tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs through Ondo Global Markets, an area that has drawn growing interest as traditional financial assets are increasingly represented on blockchain rails. KuCoin said the wallet also expanded its multi-chain functionality and access to tokenized financial products.

The full 2026 H1 Review, “Beyond the Signal,” is available on KuCoin’s website.