To check whether a crypto exchange is FIU registered, go to the FIU-IND website and find its published list of registered virtual digital asset (VDA) service providers. Then find the legal company name behind your app, usually in the app's terms, its website footer or its app store listing, and look for that exact entity on the list. If it is there, the platform is registered with FIU-IND as a reporting entity under the PMLA. If it is not, treat that as a serious warning.
That takes about five minutes. Then spend five more on the checks registration does not cover: how long the platform has operated, what it says about where it holds assets, whether it deducts 1% TDS, and whether you can withdraw to your own wallet. Registration is the minimum, not the whole answer.
Why this five minutes matters this week
On 9 September 2026, four days ago, FIU-IND issued notices under section 13 of the PMLA to 15 VDA service providers and sought takedown of their apps and URLs under section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act. The ground was non-compliance with India's anti-money-laundering law. It was not the first wave. Notices went to nine offshore platforms in December 2023 and to 25 more in October 2025.
If you use a crypto app, this is the week to spend five minutes making sure you know what you are using. I have run a Bitcoin platform in India since 2013, and I would rather you check us and everyone else than take anybody's word for it, including mine.
Step 1: find the official list
FIU-IND, the Financial Intelligence Unit of India, publishes the list of registered VDA service providers on its website. Go to fiuindia.gov.in by typing the address yourself, not through a link someone sent you. Look for the section on reporting entities or VDA service providers.
Use only the official site. Screenshots shared in WhatsApp groups, "verified exchange" lists on random websites and claims in ads are not the list.
For context on how many names you should expect: 50 providers were registered as of October 2025, and in July 2026 the RBI told Parliament's Standing Committee on Finance there were 54 FIU-registered service providers serving 39.3 million KYC-verified users.
Step 2: match the legal entity, not the app name
This is the step most people skip. The list shows company names, not app names, and the two are often different.
Find the legal entity behind your app in one of these places:
- The terms of use or privacy policy on the website.
- The footer of the website.
- The developer name on the app store listing.
Then search the list for that exact name. For example, Unocoin's legal entity is Unocoin Technologies Pvt. Ltd., and Unocoin is registered with FIU-IND as a reporting entity under the PMLA.
Watch for near-misses. A fake app may use a name one letter away from a real company's, or a real company's name with a different developer listed in the app store. If the developer name in the store does not match the company on the list, stop.
Step 3: then check what registration does not cover
Registration means the platform has signed up to India's anti-money-laundering rules: KYC, record-keeping and reporting to FIU-IND. It does not mean crypto is regulated, and it does not protect your holdings. Crypto is unregulated as an asset in India, and there may be no regulatory recourse for losses. So run four more checks:
- Years operating. How long has it been around, and how did it handle hard times like the 2018 banking ban?
- Custody disclosures. Does it say where it holds customer assets, and is there evidence beyond its own statement? For example, Unocoin states that 95% of assets are in cold storage with multi-signature wallets and regular security audits. That is Unocoin's own statement, with no independent public attestation on this site. Read every platform's claim with the same care.
- TDS. Does it deduct 1% TDS on sales under section 194S (now section 393 under the Income-tax Act, 2025), and does that TDS show up in your Form 26AS? A platform serving Indian users properly handles this.
- Withdrawals. Can you move your Bitcoin to your own wallet? Do a small test before trusting it with more.
Red flags
Any of these should make you walk away, registered or not:
- Anyone asking for your OTP, password, PAN or seed phrase in a chat, call or message. Real support never does.
- Anyone promising fixed profits. Nobody can promise where prices go.
- An app you found through a link in a message rather than the company's own website.
- Support that only exists on WhatsApp or Telegram, with no official email or phone on the website.
- Pressure to deposit quickly, or a "fee" to release a withdrawal.
For reference, Unocoin's official support is support@unocoin.com, +91 7788978910 and toll-free 1800-103-2646, Monday to Saturday, 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM IST. If someone claims to be Unocoin support through any other channel, treat it as suspicious and contact us yourself.
If your app is not on the list
Do not panic, and do not act on advice from strangers.
- Check again carefully. Make sure you searched for the right legal entity name.
- Read the platform's official announcements through its own website, typed in by you.
- Download your statements and transaction records now. You need them for Schedule VDA whatever happens.
- Think about where your assets sit. Learning to hold Bitcoin in your own wallet means no platform's status affects it. Keep your seed phrase offline and never share it.
- Ignore "recovery" offers. Anyone who contacts you offering to move or rescue your funds for a fee is a scam risk.
- If you lose money to fraud, call 1930 or file at cybercrime.gov.in as fast as you can.
I will not tell you which platform to use. That is your decision. I will say: do not choose one to avoid TDS or KYC. TDS is credited against your tax when you file, and KYC is the law. Neither is a cost worth dodging.
Five minutes, once a year
When we started Unocoin, the rule we set ourselves was to never be offside. You cannot run from the government. That principle works for users too. A registered platform, clean records, honest tax filing and a habit of checking before trusting will protect you from most of what goes wrong in this space.
Put a reminder in your calendar. Once a year, check that your platform is still on the FIU-IND list and run the checks above.
A worked example, start to finish
Here is the whole process on one platform, so you can see how short it is. Take Unocoin. Step one, open the Unocoin website and look at the footer or terms for the legal entity: Unocoin Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore. Step two, open fiuindia.gov.in yourself and find the published list of registered VDA service providers. Step three, search the list for that exact name. Step four, check the developer name on the app you installed matches the company. Step five, run the four extra checks above.
That is it. Do the same for every app on your phone that holds your money.
The full list of checks, with what you can verify for Unocoin, is on our platform checklist. If you are new to Bitcoin, start with the learning page.
Common questions
How do I check if an exchange is FIU registered?
Go to fiuindia.gov.in, find the published list of registered VDA service providers, and search for the exact legal entity name behind your app, which you can find in its terms, website footer or app store developer name.
Where is the FIU registered list?
FIU-IND publishes it on its official website, fiuindia.gov.in. Type the address yourself; do not rely on screenshots or lists shared in groups.
Is an app on the Play Store automatically legal?
No. Being listed in an app store does not mean a platform is registered with FIU-IND. Check the developer name against FIU-IND's list, and remember that in September 2026 FIU-IND sought takedown of apps from unregistered platforms.
What if my exchange is not registered?
Recheck the legal entity name, read the platform's official announcements, download your records, consider learning self-custody, and ignore anyone offering paid recovery. If you lose money to fraud, call 1930 or file at cybercrime.gov.in.