xChange.bg vs Bitpanda: stablecoins, IBAN and payouts compared

Bitpanda is an investment app from Vienna; xChange.bg gives you EUR and USD accounts that settle into stablecoins in your own wallet. Both serve customers in Bulgaria and both handle USDC, but they answer different needs. This page compares them on custody, account details, fees, payouts and support. Bitpanda facts come from its legal notice, helpdesk and limits page, the ESMA register, the Austrian FMA and named press reports, checked on 16 September 2026.

Who each one is for

Bitpanda is a retail investment platform for crypto, stocks and ETFs, and precious metals. Crypto services come from Bitpanda GmbH in Vienna, which Austria's Financial Market Authority authorised as a MiCA crypto-asset service provider on 9 April 2025. Euro payments run through Bitpanda Payments GmbH, which holds an e-money and payment services licence from the FMA. Bulgaria is in Bitpanda GmbH's cross-border list in the ESMA register and in Bitpanda's list of countries supported for verification. Bitpanda suits people who want to invest across asset classes in one app and are comfortable with Bitpanda holding the assets.

xChange.bg is built for money that moves between bank rails and stablecoins. You get a EUR IBAN and USD account details in your own name; incoming money becomes USDC in a self-custody wallet, and outgoing money goes to any bank. It suits freelancers paid from abroad, businesses paying suppliers and anyone who wants stablecoins they can move on-chain themselves. Global Xchange JSC has run a crypto exchange in Sofia since 2017 and relaunched on stablecoin rails in 2026.

The differences that matter

Account details in your name

This is the clearest difference. Bitpanda's Bitpanda Pay FAQ states: "Since we do not provide personalized IBANs, the IBAN remains the same for all transactions", and explains that transfers go out from a pooled bank account in Bitpanda's name, with Bitpanda shown as the sender.

xChange.bg gives you a EUR IBAN and USD account details in your own name, through Bridge, a Stripe company. A client, employer or platform can pay you directly, and the payment shows your name. See the EUR account page.

Custody

Custody is among the services in Bitpanda GmbH's MiCA authorisation, and your assets sit in your Bitpanda account. You can withdraw stablecoins to an external wallet: Bitpanda's limits page shows a USDC deposit fee of 0 and withdrawal fees that vary by network, for example 0.5 USDC on Solana and 0.05 USDC on Polygon.

At xChange.bg the wallet is self-custody: you hold the keys, on Solana, Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Polygon and Optimism, and on-chain transfers cost the network fee only. Self-custody also means you are responsible for securing access.

Fees

Bitpanda does not charge for SEPA transfers in euro; deposits and withdrawals via SEPA are, in its words, typically free for most users, apart from any fee your bank charges. PayPal deposits cost 1.49%. Bitpanda includes its premium in the price you are quoted. It gives 0.99% as the premium for buying and selling bitcoin and says the trade summary shows the exact fee for each trade, from 0.00% to 2.49%. A premium specific to stablecoins is not published. The minimum trade is €1.

xChange.bg charges 1.5% to go in (minimum €1), all-in with no hidden spread, and 1.25% to go out (minimum €2). The account is free.

Paying other people

Bitpanda Pay sends euro from your Bitpanda EUR wallet to third-party bank accounts, such as friends, family, merchants or a landlord. The standard cost is 0.95%, waived until further notice. Each SEPA transfer must be between €10 and €10,000, and Bitpanda appears as the sender. A regular fiat withdrawal goes only to your own account.

xChange.bg pays suppliers, contractors and partners by bank transfer in EUR or USD at 1.25%, or in USDC to any wallet for the network fee. Transfers between xChange.bg clients are free and instant.

Stablecoins

Bitpanda's limits page lists wallet support for USDC on nine networks, EURC on Ethereum and Stellar, EURCV on Ethereum and Solana, and AllUnity EUR on Ethereum. xChange.bg offers USDC.

Regulatory record

On 14 August 2026, the FMA announced a fine of €70,000 on Bitpanda GmbH for breaches of MiCA, as reported by CoinDesk. Bitpanda did not submit a crypto-asset white paper at least 20 working days before publication, distributed a marketing communication before the white paper was published, and left required disclosures and contact details out of a marketing communication. The FMA called it its first published legally binding MiCA penalty, and the decision is final. Bitpanda said the findings related exclusively to timing and formal specifications, and its authorisation remains active.

Where Bitpanda is stronger

• Free SEPA in and out, for most users.
• More to invest in. Stocks, ETFs and precious metals alongside crypto, plus a choice of four euro and dollar stablecoins.
• Free payouts to others for now. Bitpanda Pay's 0.95% fee is waived until further notice.
• Support around the clock. Bitpanda says support runs 24/7, 365 days a year, with an average live response time of 45 seconds, and adds WhatsApp support.
• A card today for euro area residents, with 1% cashback on eligible purchases paid in crypto.
• Reviews. Trustpilot 4.1/5 from 15,754 reviews.

Where xChange.bg is stronger

• A EUR IBAN and USD account details in your own name, which Bitpanda does not provide.
• Self-custody by default.
• USD rails. Receive dollars over ACH or wire; Bitpanda Pay sends only EUR.
• A published stablecoin price: 1.5% in and 1.25% out.
• Bulgarian-language support and an office at 66 Vitosha Blvd, Sofia. Bitpanda's website has no Bulgarian version, and its scheduled calls are offered in English, German, French and Italian.

Cost example: paying a €1,000 invoice

Bitpanda does not publish a stablecoin premium, so a like-for-like cost for buying USDC is not possible. Both sides do publish the cost of paying someone else's bank account:

For other amounts, use the stablecoin fee calculator.

How to move over

1. Open an xChange.bg account online and verify your identity to receive your EUR IBAN and USD account details.
2. In Bitpanda, withdraw USDC to your xChange.bg wallet address. Pick a network both sides support for USDC, such as Solana, and send a small test first. Bitpanda's withdrawal fee depends on the network.
3. Or sell to euro in Bitpanda, withdraw by SEPA to your own bank, and transfer to your xChange.bg IBAN, where it arrives as USDC at 1.5%.
4. Give your new account details to clients and platforms.

You can keep Bitpanda for investing and use xChange.bg for payments. See also xChange.bg vs Revolut.