# Pionex review: KYC policy, privacy and safety grades

> Pionex is an exchange. Its terms put it at KYC level 4 of 4: ID mandatory. NoKYC Score grades it 0.6/10 for privacy (poor) and 3.8/10 for safety (poor). To watch: it may ask for ID, holds your funds while you use it and requires an email address. No incidents are on record.

Source: NoKYC Score, "Pionex review", reviewed 22 Oct 2026, https://nokycscore.com/service/pionex

## Key facts
- **Category:** No-KYC Exchanges
- **KYC level:** 4 of 4: ID mandatory
- **Grades:** Privacy 0.6/10, Safety 3.8/10
- **Sign-up:** Email required
- **Custody:** custodial
- **Limits:** LV.0: no trading or deposits, 0 withdrawals; LV.1 (help-centre upgrade notice): 20,000 USD/day, 100,000 USD/30 days; LV.2: 1,000,000 USD/day
- **Incidents on record:** 0
- **Last reviewed:** 22 Oct 2026
- **Official website:** https://www.pionex.com

## What it is
Pionex is a centralised exchange known for built-in trading bots, plus futures, earn products and a card. Its help centre says users registered after 1 December 2021 must complete identity verification before trading. Unverified (LV.0) accounts cannot trade or deposit and have a withdrawal limit of 0. LV.1 needs country of residence and full legal name; LV.2 needs a government ID and a liveness check, and is needed for fiat deposits. Risk controls can also demand face verification before a withdrawal. The terms name the operator as Marketa Trading Inc., without saying where it is registered, and use English law with arbitration in Belize. They exclude the United States, mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, France and sanctioned states. Pionex holds user funds.

## What the terms say about ID
Help centre (KYC guide): LV.0 (unverified) has Trading ✗, Deposit ✗ and a 24h withdrawal limit of 0; "Users registered after 2021/12/1 0:00(UTC +8) will have to complete personal verification before starting trading." LV.1 = country + full legal name; LV.2 = government ID + face scan.

## Features and warnings
- **Identity:** ID never required: no; No account needed: no; No email needed: no; No phone number: not stated
- **Payment:** Accepts Monero: not stated; Accepts Lightning: not stated; Accepts cash: not stated
- **Access:** Tor onion address: not stated; Works without JavaScript: not stated
- **Trust:** Never holds your funds: no; Own liquidity: not stated; Refund without ID: not stated; Independent audit: not stated; Company named: not stated; 5+ years operating: not stated
- **Warnings:** May ask for ID: yes; Screens deposits: not in terms; Passes orders to partners: not in terms; Holds your funds: yes; Email required: yes; Phone number required: not in terms; Nobody accountable: not in terms

## Questions
### Does Pionex require KYC?
Pionex is rated KYC level 4 of 4 on this site: ID mandatory. Help centre (KYC guide): LV.0 (unverified) has Trading ✗, Deposit ✗ and a 24h withdrawal limit of 0; "Users registered after 2021/12/1 0:00(UTC +8) will have to complete personal verification before starting trading." LV.1 = country + full legal name; LV.2 = government ID + face scan.

### Is Pionex safe to use?
Pionex has a Safety grade of 3.8 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 0.6 out of 10. No incidents are on record. Evidence level: documentation reviewed.

### Is Pionex legit?
Pionex is a working exchange. Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 3.8 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents.

### Is Pionex a scam?
NoKYC Score does not label services as scams; it records documented incidents with their sources and outcomes. No incidents are on record for Pionex. Its terms also allow it to hold a flagged deposit and ask for identity documents.

### Do I need an account or email to use Pionex?
Email required.

### What are Pionex's limits?
LV.0: no trading or deposits, 0 withdrawals; LV.1 (help-centre upgrade notice): 20,000 USD/day, 100,000 USD/30 days; LV.2: 1,000,000 USD/day.

### Does Pionex have a Tor onion address?
No official onion address was found on Pionex's own pages.

### Which cryptocurrencies does Pionex support?
Pionex supports BTC, ETH, USDT.

### Is Pionex custodial?
Yes. Pionex holds funds during a trade, which means it is able to delay or freeze them.

### Can I use Pionex over Tor?
Pionex does not publish an official onion address.

## Sources
- https://www.pionex.com
- https://help.pionex.com/en/articles/14616229-identity-verification-kyc-complete-guide
- https://help.pionex.com/en/articles/14609576-upgrade-of-pionex-identity-verification-system
- https://help.pionex.com/en/articles/14616220-how-to-complete-kyc
- https://help.pionex.com/en/articles/14993310-why-is-face-verification-required-for-withdrawals
- https://help.pionex.com/en/articles/14607876-list-of-unsupported-countries-regions-phone-numbers-kyc-verification
- https://help.pionex.com/en/articles/16771171-pionex-terms-of-service

How grades are calculated: https://nokycscore.com/methodology