Hodl Hodl

What is Hodl Hodl?

Hodl Hodl is a marketplace for P2P tradingGlossaryP2P trading (peer-to-peer trading)Buying or selling bitcoin directly between private individuals, often via software that locks the bitcoin in an escrow address until the payment arrives. More privacy, but more effort and scam risks of its own.On the learning path: Stage 6 · Step 2 – Spotting scams →In the glossary →×: buyers and sellers trade Bitcoin directly with each other and arrange the payment in euros or another currency themselves.^[1] Each offer sets its own price – compare it with the market price before you trade. The operator is Hodlex Ltd, a company incorporated under the laws of the Marshall Islands.^[5]

An email address and a password are enough to get started; there is no identity check (KYCGlossaryKYC (Know Your Customer)The obligation of regulated providers to identify you before the business relationship starts and to ask, for example, about its purpose and, where necessary, the source of your money. In Germany, the legal basis is the Money Laundering Act (GwG).On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 3 – Buying Bitcoin →In the glossary →×).^[3] You need your own wallet.^[1] Users from the USA, Russia, Belarus and sanctioned countries, among others, are excluded.^[5] For your first Bitcoin purchase, a regulated provider is usually simpler. What to watch out for when buying peer to peer is explained in Peer-to-peer & Bitcoin without KYC.

Costs (as of September 2026)

• Trading fee: 0.75% each for buyer and seller, 0.5% with a referral code. It is only charged if the trade completes; the buyer’s fee is deducted from the bitcoin paid out.^[4]
• Minimum fee: small on-chain trades are subject to a variable minimum fee – according to Hodl Hodl, normally no more than $5 in BTC.^[4]
• Network fees (on-chain): charged twice – when the escrow is funded and when it is released.^[4]
• Lightning trades: the same trading fee plus a small, variable swap fee (according to Hodl Hodl, around $1 on a $10,000 trade).^[4]

Security & custody

According to Hodl Hodl, it holds neither funds nor private keys.^[5] In on-chain trades, the seller locks the bitcoin in a dedicated 2-of-3 multisigGlossaryMultisig (multi-signature)A wallet in which several keys jointly control the bitcoin – for example 2 of 3. If one key is lost or stolen, the bitcoin stays safe. In return, setting it up and backing it up is considerably more demanding.On the learning path: Stage 6 · Step 4 – Inheritance & emergency plan →In the glossary →× address. Buyer, seller and Hodl Hodl each hold one key; the platform cannot move the bitcoin on its own.^[3],[2] Once the payment has arrived, the seller releases the bitcoin directly to the buyer’s wallet.^[1] Lightning trades use a different escrow (Arkade).^[4]

In a dispute, Hodl Hodl’s support team decides who gets the bitcoin, based on proof of payment and the trade chat.^[3],[5] At this point, you are trusting the platform after all.

Supervision

Hodl Hodl has no licence under MiCAGlossaryMiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation)The EU regulation on markets in crypto-assets. Since 30 December 2024, exchanges, brokers and custodians in the EU have needed authorisation; the last transitional period ended on 1 July 2026. MiCA regulates providers, not Bitcoin itself.On the learning path: Stage 4 · Step 2 – Choosing a provider →In the glossary →× and is not listed in ESMA’s register.^[6] So there is no supervisory authority you can turn to if something goes wrong. On top of that come the usual P2P risks, such as forged payment receipts or reversed payments.