Knaken Exchange
Last changed 2026-10-10 · Score recalculated — Rescored under Scoring v2, the published formula (avoid.net/scoring): 4 → 26. Problems weighed by who is responsible: the subject's own conduct −75, concerns that are not fraud −22, problems around the subject, caused by others −0.3; legitimacy credit long-running +10, regulated +10; no established finding that it defrauded anyone, so it stays out of the red band. Version history →
Why this score
| Every page starts at | 65 |
| The subject's own conduct | -75 |
| Concerns that are not fraud | -22 |
| Problems around it, caused by others | -0.3 |
| Long-running | +10 |
| Regulated | +10 |
| Sum | -12 |
- No established finding that it defrauded anyone, so it stays out of the red band (26 or above).
Score: 26/100 (kept between 0 and 100)
How scoring works →Summary
Knaken (Knaken Cryptohandel B.V.) was a Dutch cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2017 and based in Rotterdam that operated as a retail broker allowing customers to buy, sell, and store cryptocurrencies. In July 2026, a Rotterdam court declared both Knaken Cryptohandel B.V. and its client-fund custodian Stichting Knaken Payments bankrupt following a Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) petition alleging approximately €7 million in customer funds were missing, affecting roughly 30,000 users. A parallel criminal investigation led by the FIOD remains open as of late July 2026.
Connected Entities
4 entities · 60 linked investigations- Ethereum→mentioned with→Bitcoin(60%)
- Knaken Exchange→mentioned with→Ethereum(60%)
- Knaken Exchange→mentioned with→Knaken(70%)
- Knaken Exchange→mentioned with→Bitcoin(70%)
2 submissions awaiting moderator review.
Timeline(10 events)
2017
Knaken Cryptohandel B.V. founded in Rotterdam by Ronald Jonkers and Vincent van der Sanden.
Crypto Briefing / Tracxn2020
Alleged theft of 23 Bitcoin from Knaken, later cited by the company in court documents as a partial explanation for the customer fund shortfall. The AFM assessed this could account for at most €1.5M–€2M of the total gap.
TechTimes (court documents)2021
Knaken signs official cryptocurrency partnership agreements with AFC Ajax and Feyenoord for the 2021-2022 Eredivisie season.
Sponsorreport / Bitcoin Magazine NL30 June 2025
Netherlands enforces MiCA licensing deadline. Knaken's AFM license application is rejected, legally requiring the firm to halt crypto-asset services.
BeInCrypto / TFTCJune 2026
Knaken's website and mobile app go offline abruptly, locking approximately 30,000 customers out of their accounts.
NL Times8 June 2026
Knaken issues communication instructing customers not to file damage claims, while describing efforts to 'investigate how we can shape the settlement.'
NL Times29 June 2026
FIOD raids Knaken's premises, seizing laptops, mobile phones, company assets, and digital data carriers as part of a criminal investigation into alleged fraud, embezzlement, or money laundering.
Crypto Briefing / NL Times30 June 2026
Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) files bankruptcy petition against Knaken Cryptohandel B.V. and Stichting Knaken Payments with the Rotterdam District Court, citing the public interest and approximately €7 million in missing customer funds.
NL Times16 July 2026
Rotterdam District Court declares both Knaken Cryptohandel B.V. and Stichting Knaken Payments bankrupt. Court-appointed trustee C.F.W.A. Hamm assumes control of both entities.
NL Times / CryptoSlate28 July 2026
Court documents reviewed by TechTimes show Knaken attributed its shortfall to a 2020 Bitcoin hack, but the AFM determined the hack accounts for less than half the total gap, leaving €3M–€3.5M unexplained.
TechTimesDecision Log
- slot 455362950 · hash DC1jkSi4cKfUTx12hdphxFmfoogyvtJ286ShmgcWahjw
- slot 443502964 · hash GChx54LuvwXAQfygQjeF1568SCUMMw7cdpMBmB57GzT1
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain (2 decisions). 23 of 26 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 7/31/2026, 12:04:55 PM
last updated: 10/10/2026, 6:43:01 PM
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