Swyftx is a growing cryptocurrency exchange that has become popular in New Zealand due to its range of features and competitive fees. While it may not have the same brand recognition as Binance NZ its still worth exploring.
Choosing the right crypto exchange is crucial for NZ traders looking to buy, sell, and store digital assets securely and cost-effectively. Swyftx has emerged as a significant player in the NZ crypto market, especially following its acquisition of Easy Crypto in March 2025.
This comprehensive review examines every aspect of Swyftx's offering for New Zealand users, from fees and security to user experience and customer support. Whether you're a beginner looking to buy your first Bitcoin or an experienced trader seeking advanced features, this guide will help you determine if Swyftx is the right platform for your needs.
Centralized Exchange
When choosing where to buy BTC in NZ, several factors should influence your decision, including fees, security, ease of use, and available payment methods. Here's our comprehensive comparison of the top Bitcoin exchanges available to investors in 2025:
Looking for privacy? Our NZ-based P2P Crypto Marketplace connects buyers and sellers directly – no KYC required. For experienced traders, MEXC is a great non-KYC exchange still available to New Zealand users.
Swyftx is an Australian cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2018 by Alex Harper and Angus Goldman. The pair launched the platform in response to what they saw as a gap in the market: a lack of easy-to-use, trustworthy exchanges for everyday Australians and New Zealanders looking to buy and sell digital assets.
In its early days, Swyftx supported only a few core cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin, but quickly expanded its offering to include hundreds of altcoins. A major turning point came in 2019, when Swyftx integrated with Poli Payments, enabling direct bank account deposits for Aussie users—a move that helped drive rapid adoption.
Like many exchanges, Swyftx saw a surge in growth during the COVID-19 bull run of 2020, prompting the launch of its mobile trading app for iOS and Android. By mid-2021, it had become one of Australia's most recognized exchanges, with a growing presence in NZ.
In March 2025, Swyftx made headlines by acquiring Easy Crypto, NZ's largest non-custodial crypto platform. Easy Crypto had built a strong reputation for transparency, simplicity, and processing over $3.5 billion NZD in total volume since 2018.
The acquisition expanded Swyftx's user base to over 1.1 million customers across Australasia, marking a major step in its mission to become a dominant player in the region. While both platforms are continuing to operate independently for now, the acquisition signals a potential consolidation of crypto services for Kiwis—bringing together Swyftx's trading depth and Easy Crypto's local trust and simplicity.
Swyftx is an Australian cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2018 by Alex Harper and Angus Goldman. The pair launched the platform in response to what they saw as a gap in the market a lack of easy-to-use, trustworthy exchanges for everyday Australians and New Zealanders looking to buy and sell digital assets.
In its early days, they supported only a few core cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum, and Litecoin, but quickly expanded its offering to include hundreds of altcoins. A major turning point came in 2019, when Swyftx integrated with Poli Payments, enabling direct bank account deposits for Aussie users a move that helped drive rapid adoption.
Like many exchanges, they saw a surge in growth during the COVID-19 bull run of 2020, prompting the launch of its mobile trading app for iOS and Android. By mid-2021, it had become one of Australia's most recognized exchanges, with a growing presence in NZ.
In March 2025, Swyftx made headlines again by acquiring Easy Crypto, NZ's largest non-custodial crypto platform. Easy Crypto had built a strong reputation for transparency, simplicity, and processing over $3.5 billion NZD in total volume since 2018.
The acquisition expanded Swyftx's user base to over 1.1 million customers across Australasia, marking a major step in its mission to become a dominant player.
While both platforms are continuing to operate independently for now, the acquisition signals a potential consolidation of crypto services for Kiwis bringing together Swyftx's trading depth and Easy Crypto's local trust and simplicity.
Swyftx has built a solid reputation in AUS and NZ as a compliant, regulation-friendly crypto exchange. Since launching in 2018, it hasn't reported any major hacks or security breaches a positive track record in an industry that's seen its fair share of collapses.
The platform is registered with AUSTRAC and follows all AML, KYC, and CTF laws. For some, this level of regulation is reassuring. But for others especially those who value privacy and decentralization it's a red flag. Like all centralized exchanges, Swyftx requires full identity verification and has full control over your assets while they're on the platform.
**You don't hold your keys, which means you don't have true ownership of your crypto.**
In terms of infrastructure, Swyftx claims to follow best practices like cold storage, two-factor authentication, encrypted user data, and regular penetration testing. In 2023, it also achieved ISO 27001 certification a global standard for information security management.
However, Swyftx does not currently offer an insurance fund for crypto or fiat balances. So while the platform hasn't had a major incident to date, your funds aren't guaranteed in the event of a breach, freeze, or outage.
Swyftx is registered as a Financial Service Provider in NZ (FSP1000861) and complies with local regulations. The exchange follows Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing requirements, which is why users must complete identity verification.
Understanding the fee structure is crucial when choosing a cryptocurrency exchange. Swyftx's fee structure is relatively straightforward compared to many competitors, but there are several components to be aware of.
Swyftx charges a flat 0.6% fee on all buy and sell transactions. This is competitive within the New Zealand market, especially when compared to Easy Crypto's 0.7-0.9% fee, though not as low as global exchanges like Binance (0.1% basic fee).
In addition to the trading fee, Swyftx applies a spread the difference between the buy and sell price. Swyftx claims to offer the lowest spreads in the Australian and NZ markets:
When combined with the trading fee, the total cost for a Bitcoin transaction could be as low as 1.01% (0.6% fee + 0.41% spread), which is competitive for the NZ market.
Let's compare the cost of buying $1,000 NZD worth of Bitcoin on Swyftx versus other NZ exchanges such as Easy Crypto NZ and Binance NZ:
This example shows that while Swyftx's trading fees and spreads are competitive, the current limitation to credit card deposits makes it more expensive than Easy Crypto for small purchases. However, for larger transactions or frequent traders who can benefit from the volume discounts, Swyftx becomes more cost-effective.
Swyftx has taken steps to position itself as a security-conscious exchange, with several measures in place to protect user funds and personal data. Features like two-factor authentication, cold storage of assets, encrypted communications, and regular system audits are all part of the platform's security framework.
These are standard practices in the industry and while they help reduce risk, they're not foolproof. Account verification (KYC) is mandatory before users can deposit or withdraw, which helps with fraud prevention but also means handing over sensitive personal information to a centralized entity.
As always with custodial platforms, you don't control your private keys so while your funds may be secure on the surface, you're still relying on a third party to safeguard them.
Unlike some competitors such as Coinbase or Gemini, Swyftx does not currently offer insurance coverage for cryptocurrency holdings. This is an important consideration for users storing significant amounts on the platform.
For enhanced security, we recommend following our hardware wallet options for New Zealanders for long-term storage of larger cryptocurrency holdings.
To date, Swyftx has not reported any major security breaches or hacks resulting in customer fund losses. This clean security record is a positive indicator, especially compared to some exchanges that have suffered significant breaches.
However, it's important to remember the crypto industry mantra: "Not your keys, not your crypto." While Swyftx provides custodial services for convenience, the safest approach for significant holdings is to transfer them to a wallet where you control the private keys.
Swyftx offers an extensive range of cryptocurrencies for New Zealanders to buy, sell, and trade on its platform. Such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Dogecoin.
Note: The platform regularly adds new cryptocurrencies to its exchange.
To open a Swyftx account in New Zealand, follow these steps below:
Swyftx offers a set of features designed to cater to both beginners and experienced traders. Here's a breakdown of what sets Swyftx apart in the NZ crypto market:
Swyftx has a mobile app for both iOS and Android devices, which allows users to access the platform and trade cryptocurrencies on-the-go. The mobile app is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, with a clean and simple interface that is easy to navigate.
Swyftx allows New Zealanders to buy and sell cryptocurrencies with a minimum order size of just $1 NZD, making it easy for kiwis to start trading with a small amount of capital.
This order size is particularly beneficial for new traders who are just getting started in the world of cryptocurrency trading. It allows them to test the waters and get a feel for the market without having to risk a large amount of money.
Swyftx also has a demo mode for kiwis who want to practice trading without risking real money. The demo mode is a simulated version of the trading platform that allows kiwis to test out different trading strategies and get a feel for how the market works.
Swyftx offers real-time price charts for all supported cryptocurrencies, which allow New Zealanders to track price movements and analyze market trends.
These charts also can be customized to show different timeframes, ranging from minutes to months, and can be used to identify support and resistance levels.
Swyftx has a customer support team that is available 24/7 to assist users with any issues or questions they may have. Kiwis can contact Swyftx's support team through several channels, including email, phone, live chat, and a support ticket system.
**Email:**
[email protected]
**24/7 Live Chat:**
https://support.swyftx.com
Swyftx has received positive reviews on Trustpilot, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars across more than 3,558 reviews. Many users have praised the platform, however there have been some criticisms of Swyftx. Some users have reported limited payment options, slow response times from customer support, and the absence of margin trading.
To provide context for how Swyftx compares in the New Zealand market, let's examine how it stacks up against its main competitors.
**Key Differences:** Easy Crypto operates on a non-custodial model where users must provide their own wallet addresses, while Swyftx offers integrated wallets. Easy Crypto excels in local payment integration and zero withdrawal fees, while Swyftx offers more cryptocurrencies and advanced trading features.
For a detailed comparison, see our Easy Crypto review to understand the key differences between these popular New Zealand exchanges.
**Key Differences:** Binance offers significantly lower trading fees and more advanced trading options, but comes with a steeper learning curve. Swyftx provides a more user-friendly experience with better local support for New Zealanders, though with higher fees.
While Swyftx offers a more localized experience, Binance provides greater trading volume and options** (see our Binance NZ review for details).**
Yes, Swyftx is fully available to New Zealand residents and is registered as a Financial Service Provider in New Zealand (FSP1000861).
Yes, Swyftx is a legitimate cryptocurrency exchange that implements strong security measures including 2FA, cold storage, and regular security audits. It has not experienced any major security breaches to date.
Swyftx was founded by Alex Harper and Angus Goldman in 2018. In 2025, Swyftx acquired Easy Crypto, New Zealand's largest non-custodial crypto platform.
Swyftx generates revenue through trading fees (0.6% per transaction), withdrawal fees ($10 NZD for bank withdrawals), and spreads between buy and sell prices.
For most New Zealand users, verification is completed within minutes through the automated system. During high-volume periods, it may take up to 24 hours.
No, Swyftx's terms of service allow only one account per user.
Swyftx charges a flat 0.6% fee on all trades, with volume discounts available for high-volume traders.