Yes, Independent Reserve is safe. Established in Sydney, Australia in 2013, Independent Reserve has built a reputation as the trusted cryptocurrency exchange, offering world-class security features and customer support.
Independent Reserve is trusted by over 450,000 global customers. It was the first licensed crypto exchange in Singapore, is ISO 27001 certified, independently audited on an annual basis, and maintains a 1-to-1 reserve of all customer assets.
How your assets are protected
With over a decade of experience protecting customer assets, Independent Reserve uses a layered security system to protect digital assets and customer accounts.
Cold storage
The majority of funds are kept in offline, highly secure and geographically dispersed vaults. These facilities include redundancies and contingency procedures to ensure funds can be recovered even in the event of a catastrophic incident.
1:1 reserves & asset segregation
Client assets are always kept separate from company funds and fully backed on a strict 1:1 basis. Every dollar and every coin is held in reserve, never lent out, and never used for proprietary purposes.
Unlike some exchanges or financial institutions, we never lend out or “rehypothecate” customer assets, meaning we never reuse them as collateral for our own borrowing or trading. Your funds are always held in reserve, giving you complete confidence that they can be accessed whenever you choose.
24/7 monitoring
Our systems constantly scan for suspicious activity, which has protected many of our customers from scams and fraud before issues escalated.
Account security
All clients receive access to robust account security, including:
- Two-factor authentication (2FA) offers a vital security layer by ensuring users verify their identity through Google Authenticator and optional SMS backup.
- Address whitelisting lets you lock withdrawals to pre-approved wallet addresses.
- Session monitoring alerts you to unusual logins.
- Encrypted data ensures sensitive information is protected at every stage.
- Automated bot shields to block brute force attacks.
Audited, certified and transparent
Independent Reserve has received ISO 27001 certification since 2021, and our operations are subject to regular independent audits. This commitment to rigorous oversight extends to the way we run our business: we’re open and accountable, with clear fees, no hidden charges, and public leaders who active in the community.
Independent Reserve is also registered under the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), ensuring compliance with Australia’s strict Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) laws.
We are a licensed crypto exchange in Singapore under the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Self-custody vs exchange security
Decentralised exchanges (DEXs) and hardware wallets give users full control of private keys (self-custody) but also full responsibility. If you lose the password, damage the device, or misplace the seed phrase, your crypto is gone forever.
Two well-known cases highlight the danger:
- James Howells’ (now ex) girlfriend accidentally threw away a hard drive holding 7,500 BTC.
- Stefan Thomas, a San Francisco-based software developer and early Bitcoin adopter, lost the password to an IronKey containing 7,002 BTC. With a maximum of 10 attempts before being permanently locked out, he is down to his last two attempts.
With Independent Reserve, one mistake doesn’t cost you everything. Institutional-grade safeguards mean your assets remain secure, even if you misplace a login or device.
Learn more about the differences between centralised and decentralised exchanges.
