Relai promo & referral 2026 — Swiss Bitcoin-only DCA
Relai is the Swiss FINMA / VQF-supervised Bitcoin-only DCA app. There is no in-app custody — every sat you buy is delivered straight to your own wallet by automated on-chain settlement. The 2026 referral discount lets new users cut fees by ~30% on the first three months of DCA purchases.
Relai — Bitcoin-only DCA the way Swiss bankers would design it
Relai launched in 2020 in Zurich with an unfashionable product thesis: a single-asset Bitcoin DCA app with no in-app custody, no altcoins, no yield products and no trading interface. Five years later that thesis has earned the company an unusually loyal European user base. Relai is supervised by VQF, the Swiss FINMA-recognised SRO, and the product specifically does not hold any customer Bitcoin in custody — every purchase settles directly to your own on-chain wallet, with the option to point the destination at a Ledger, Trezor, BitBox02 or any other self-custody wallet you control.
Activation flow
Download Relai on iOS or Android. Provide a Bitcoin receive address from a self-custody wallet you control. Complete VQF-grade KYC (passport plus address proof). Set up a recurring DCA plan — daily, weekly or monthly, from €10 per recurring instalment. Fund via free SEPA (EU), Faster Payments (UK) or Swiss bank transfer. Each scheduled execution buys BTC at the prevailing market quote, charges the Relai fee, and broadcasts the on-chain transfer to your wallet. The referral programme cuts fees by ~30% for the first three months.
Fee economics
Relai's fee is variable on size: smaller DCA tickets (€10–€100) pay ~2.5%, mid-size tickets (€500–€1,000) pay ~1.5%, and larger tickets (€5,000+) drop toward ~1%. The "Relai Private" tier for €10,000+ tickets approaches 0.5%. With the referral discount, the first-three-months effective fee drops by roughly 30%. On a pure cost basis Relai is not the cheapest — Bitstamp, CEX.IO Pro and BSDEX all undercut it at trader fee tiers — but Relai bundles the cost into a "click-once-and-forget" DCA service with automatic on-chain delivery to your own wallet, which has real operational value.
Pros and cons
✅ Strengths
- Swiss VQF SRO supervision — FINMA-equivalent AML compliance.
- No in-app custody — every sat goes straight to your wallet on-chain.
- EU + UK SEPA / FPS support with free deposits.
- Excellent automated DCA UX from €10 per recurring purchase.
⚠️ Weaknesses
- Bitcoin-only — no ETH, stablecoins, altcoins or tokens.
- Variable fee on small DCA tickets can reach 2.5%.
- No trading interface — buy-only DCA app.
- On-chain network fees on each settlement (mitigated via batching).
Relai vs Bitcoin via Bitstamp vs CEX.IO
| Metric | Relai | Bitstamp DCA | CEX.IO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome / discount | −30% referral fee discount | Variable promo | $50 BTC welcome bonus |
| Asset coverage | BTC only | 80+ tokens | 200+ tokens |
| Fee on €100 buy | ~2.5% | ~1.0% (DCA Plan) | ~0.25% Pro maker |
| Custody model | Self-custody by default | Custodial (withdrawable) | Custodial + withdrawable |
| Best for | Bitcoin-only DCA into cold storage | EU/UK multi-asset DCA | Multi-asset trading + bonus |
Editor's personal take
Relai is the cleanest Bitcoin-only DCA product in Europe, full stop. The combination of Swiss VQF supervision, no in-app custody, free EU + UK rail support and a click-once setup is unusually well-engineered. The fee is higher than maker/taker exchanges, but the operational benefit of "I never have to touch a withdrawal screen again" is large for the demographic that wants Bitcoin in cold storage without becoming a part-time exchange operator. For users who want altcoin exposure, stablecoins, or active trading, this is not the right tool — pair Relai with a CEX.IO or Kraken Pro account for those workflows.
FAQ
Is Relai regulated?
Yes. Relai AG is supervised by VQF, a FINMA-recognised self-regulatory organisation under the Swiss Anti-Money Laundering Act. Customer identification follows VQF-grade KYC requirements.
Does Relai hold my Bitcoin?
No — that's the core product design. Every Bitcoin purchase settles directly to your specified self-custody wallet address on-chain. Relai does not run an internal user-balance ledger.
Can I use Relai outside Switzerland?
Yes. Relai supports SEPA across the EU, Faster Payments in the UK, and selected additional jurisdictions. Check the in-app availability list for your country of residence.