Exchanges startup ecosystem

B Bitstamp

Bitstamp is one of the oldest continuously operating cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, founded in 2011 in Ljubljana by Nejc Kodrič and Damijan Merlak as a European alternative to Mt. Gox, and the first crypto exchange to obtain an EU-wide payment-institution license via Luxembourg. The exchange became a workhorse for professional traders and corporate treasuries in the early bitcoin era because of its deep order books, straightforward fiat rails, and relatively boring, compliance-first posture compared to more speculative venues. Bitstamp has moved its headquarters structure across Luxembourg, London, and the US over the years but its Slovenian origin and engineering roots remain, and in 2024 Robinhood announced a USD 200 million acquisition to use Bitstamp as the backbone of its European and institutional crypto business — a validating exit that puts Slovenia on the map for globally significant crypto infrastructure. For the directory, Bitstamp is the canonical Slovenian fintech deep-tech story.