Bitladon Crypto Exchange Review: What Happened and What Replaced It

Bitladon was once one of the most popular crypto exchanges in Europe - simple, fast, and built for people who didn’t want to deal with complex trading interfaces. But if you search for it today, you won’t find it. That’s because Bitladon doesn’t exist anymore. It was rebranded as BCM Exchange on February 1, 2023. If you’re looking at old reviews or forum posts about Bitladon, you’re reading about a platform that’s been gone for over two years. This isn’t just a name change. It’s the end of one chapter and the start of another.

What Was Bitladon?

Bitladon launched in mid-2017 from Aalsmeer, Netherlands. It wasn’t built for crypto traders who tracked charts all day. It was built for regular people - teachers, nurses, small business owners - who wanted to buy Bitcoin or Ethereum without learning how to use a wallet or understand order books. The platform called itself a broker, not an exchange, and that mattered. You didn’t trade against other users. You bought directly from Bitladon at a fixed price, with no slippage, no waiting for matches, no confusion.

It supported over 190 cryptocurrencies at its peak, including big names like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin, but also lesser-known ones like Electra and Storj. The standout feature? Any to Any trading. You could swap Dogecoin for Chainlink in one click, without first turning it into Bitcoin or EUR. That feature, powered by a built-in Changelly engine, saved users from paying double fees - a big deal when you’re trading smaller coins.

How Did It Work?

Getting started was straightforward, but not quick. You had to verify your identity. That meant uploading a government ID, a selfie holding your ID, proof of address (like a recent utility bill), and verifying your phone number. It wasn’t optional - Dutch law required it. But once you were verified, things moved fast.

Deposits and withdrawals used European banking systems: iDEAL (Netherlands), Bancontact (Belgium), Giropay (Germany), SOFORT, and direct bank transfers. Funds often arrived in minutes. Withdrawals to your bank account? Usually same-day. No fees from Bitladon - you only paid the network fee when sending crypto out. That was rare. Most exchanges charged withdrawal fees, even on EUR.

The platform had no app. Everything ran through a clean, minimalist website. No clutter. No confusing tabs. You picked a coin, picked how much you wanted to buy, picked your payment method, and clicked. Done. No need to remember private keys. Bitladon held your coins for you. That made it safe for beginners - but also meant you didn’t fully control your assets. If the platform went down, so did your coins. That’s the trade-off.

Fees and Limits

Bitladon charged a flat 2% trading fee to start. That sounds high compared to Binance or Kraken, which charge 0.1% or less. But remember - this wasn’t a market-based exchange. You were buying directly from them. The 2% covered the cost of sourcing crypto, handling compliance, and running the platform.

Here’s the twist: they had a VIP program. If you traded more than €50,000 in 30 days, your fee dropped to 0.25%. That’s lower than most major exchanges. Most users never hit that level, but for active traders, it made a huge difference.

Minimum purchase? €9 per coin. Maximum? No cap - but verified users had a weekly limit of €100,000. You could ask for more, and they’d usually approve it. That flexibility was rare for a smaller platform.

Security and Compliance

Bitladon was registered with the Dutch Central Bank (De Nederlandsche Bank) as a crypto service provider. That meant it followed strict EU anti-money laundering rules. You had to verify your identity. Transactions were monitored. Suspicious activity was flagged. That’s why U.S. users couldn’t sign up - American regulations were too different, and the cost of compliance wasn’t worth it.

Security features were basic but effective: two-factor authentication via Google Authenticator, email confirmations for logins and withdrawals, and encrypted storage. No major hacks ever occurred during its operation. That’s impressive for a platform handling millions in crypto.

Customer support worked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CET, Monday through Friday. No weekend support. But during business hours, response times were fast - often under an hour via email or live chat. Phone support was also available. That level of access was unusual for a non-major exchange.

Why Did It Change?

By 2022, the European crypto market had changed. Regulations tightened. Competitors like Bitpanda and Kraken expanded their local banking options. New platforms popped up with better UIs and lower fees. Bitladon’s simple model, while great for beginners, started to feel outdated.

The owners - Boyd Meuleman and Mitchell Zandwijken - didn’t shut down. They rebranded. On February 1, 2023, Bitladon became BCM Exchange. The same team. The same Dutch registration. The same payment methods. The same customer support hours. The same Any to Any feature. The only difference? The name.

Why? Probably because the Bitladon brand had become associated with an older, simpler era of crypto. “BCM” sounded more professional, more scalable. It also allowed them to reset marketing, attract new users, and avoid confusion with the old reviews that now said “this exchange is dead.”

What About BCM Exchange?

If you’re looking for what Bitladon became, go to BCM Exchange. The platform still operates out of the Netherlands. It still supports iDEAL, Bancontact, and bank transfers. It still has the Any to Any trading feature. It still requires full KYC. It still doesn’t serve U.S. customers.

The interface is updated. The design is cleaner. The fee structure is the same - 2% base, down to 0.25% for high-volume traders. The support team is the same. The compliance framework is unchanged.

So if you liked Bitladon, you’ll like BCM Exchange. It’s not a new platform. It’s the same one with a new name.

Who Was Bitladon For?

Bitladon was perfect for:

• People in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, or Austria who wanted to buy crypto with their bank account
• Beginners who didn’t want to learn how wallets or exchanges work
• Those who wanted to swap between coins quickly without paying extra fees
• Users who valued fast customer support and clear rules

It was NOT for:

• Traders who want to place limit orders or use leverage
• People in the U.S., Canada, or outside Europe
• Those who want full control over their private keys
• Users looking for the lowest possible fees on high-volume trading

The Legacy

Bitladon didn’t invent anything groundbreaking. But it made crypto accessible to people who thought it was too complicated. It proved that a small, regulated, Europe-focused exchange could thrive without chasing global users or offering hundreds of trading pairs.

Its rebranding to BCM Exchange wasn’t a failure. It was evolution. The platform survived regulatory shifts, competition, and market changes by staying true to its core: simplicity, compliance, and local banking access.

Today, if you’re in Europe and want a no-nonsense way to buy crypto with your bank account, BCM Exchange is the direct successor. You won’t find Bitladon anymore - but you’ll find everything it stood for, still running.

Is It Safe to Use BCM Exchange Now?

Yes - if you’re in Europe and you understand the trade-offs. BCM Exchange is still registered with the Dutch Central Bank. It still follows EU AML rules. It still uses the same security measures. It still doesn’t allow U.S. users.

But remember: you’re trusting your coins to them. If you want to move your crypto to a personal wallet later, you can. But the platform doesn’t make it easy to export private keys - and it never did. That’s by design. It’s a broker, not a wallet provider.

If you’re comfortable with that, and you want a simple, fast, regulated way to buy crypto in Europe, BCM Exchange is still one of the best options.