Uphold review

Uphold occupies a useful niche: one balance from which you can trade anything into anything XRP straight into gold, euros into Solana, one step, no triangulating through USD. It supports 250+ cryptos, 27 fiat currencies, and 4 metals, with rails including ACH, SEPA, Faster Payments, cards, and Apple/Google Pay.

Transparency is its calling card: Uphold has published its reserves in real time since 2017 (assets and liabilities visible on its site, attested by third parties) longer than any competitor and states it never lends customer assets. Regulation spans US MSB registration, UK FCA, and EU coverage under MiCA-era registration.

Pricing is spread-based rather than fee-scheduled: majors typically cost ~0.8-1.2% all-in, more for thin altcoins and metals. That's competitive against card buys and simpler than fee tables, but pricier than exchange maker/taker rates - and the spread varies with market conditions.

Uphold is particularly beloved by the XRP community (it kept XRP available through the SEC years and integrates with the XRP Ledger ecosystem). Staking covers a dozen-plus assets, and the Uphold debit card (UK/US) spends balances directly. It suits multi-currency users and one-stop simplicity seekers more than fee-optimizing traders.