Gemini review

Gemini chose the hardest regulatory path on purpose: it operates as a New York trust company under NYDFS supervision, the strictest crypto regime in the US, with SOC 1/SOC 2 certifications, insured hot wallets, and a custody business trusted by institutions. In 2025, it added a NASDAQ listing (GEMI) and a MiCA license for the EU, extending the compliance-first model across the Atlantic.

For buyers, the experience is clean and deliberately conservative: ~150 vetted assets (no Tether, Gemini issues its own regulated GUSD stablecoin instead, and skips ADA, BNB, and TRX), free ACH and SEPA deposits, cards and Apple/Google Pay at ~3.49%, and instant trades through a polished app.

Fees follow the Coinbase pattern: the simple interface bundles a convenience fee plus spread, while the free ActiveTrader interface drops to 0.20%/0.40% maker/taker and below with volume. Funding by bank rails and trading via ActiveTrader is a cost-effective way to use Gemini.

The blemish on the record is Gemini Earn - the lending product frozen in the 2022 Genesis collapse. It ended with users recovering their assets in full (in kind, including appreciation) by 2024, but it's a reminder that yield products carry counterparty risk even at compliance-first venues. As a straightforward regulated exchange and custodian, Gemini's core record is excellent.