SimpleSwap Put Your Exchange on AML Hold? KYC, Refunds and What to Do (2026)

Who this is for

You sent coins to a SimpleSwap deposit address — very often on an XMR pair — and the exchange page now reads *on hold*, *AML check* or *verification required*. You chose SimpleSwap because it asks for nothing up front, and now it asks for an ID. This guide explains what SimpleSwap's own terms and public statements say, what you can realistically obtain, and how to make the process as short as possible.

Why SimpleSwap holds an exchange

SimpleSwap is an aggregator: it routes your order to partner exchanges and, in its own words, "our risk assessment system operates because of our partners who are not ready to abandon it". A deposit can be marked risky and stopped; you are then asked to confirm your identity through Sumsub and answer questions about the origin of the coins. SimpleSwap does not disclose how a transaction is scored "in order to prevent attempts to deceive the algorithm".

The part most users discover too late: there is no published refund-on-refusal path. In public replies to affected customers on review platforms, SimpleSwap states that once an exchange is on AML hold it "is not possible to issue a refund of your funds without passing the KYC procedure", and that "funds will remain on hold until the verification is successfully passed". Its Terms of Service add that refund requests are processed "during up to 31 calendar days", that a refund may be limited to the original sending address, and that SimpleSwap may require confirmation of deposit ownership and eligible source of funds before refunding.

Triggers most often described in reviews: privacy-coin pairs (XMR → BTC and XMR → USDT draw the most reports), four-figure amounts, and deposits with a high-risk on-chain score. Reviews also note that SimpleSwap does not publish how many transactions are flagged, who runs the analytics, or what the appeal path is, and that the UK FCA listed the firm as unauthorised in March 2025.

What to do right now

1. Stop sending. Do not "test" with a second order from the same wallet; it will be screened the same way and adds a second case.
2. Get the exact identifiers right. Exchange ID, deposit address, the TXID on the correct network. A frequent cause of dead-end tickets is an exchange ID or hash that does not match the deposit — SimpleSwap support has said so publicly. Screenshot the order page and every message.
3. Read the notification carefully. If it links to a Sumsub verification, that is the only documented exit. If it only says "on hold" without a link, open a ticket first (contact form or live chat on simpleswap.io, or support@simpleswap.io) and ask what exactly is required.
4. If you decide to verify, use only the link on your own exchange page or in the reply on your ticket. Send exactly what is asked — ID, and a short factual origin-of-funds explanation with a withdrawal record or wallet history if you have one. Ask, in the same message, for the target date.
5. If you decline verification, say so once, in writing, and request a refund to your refund address on the same network — knowing that SimpleSwap's stated position is that no refund is issued without KYC. Keep the ticket open; do not open new ones. Ask for a case reference.
6. Escalate with facts, not anger, after two weeks without a substantive answer. A dated, factual review on Trustpilot or BestChange quoting the exchange ID and the 31-day clause routinely gets a public reply from SimpleSwap's team. Community directories (KYCnot.me, xmr.club, NoKYCZone) also log cases.
7. Never pay a "recovery" service. No third party can lift a compliance hold. SimpleSwap will never ask you to send crypto to release an order.

What to expect

Verified cases are reported to clear anywhere from a day to several weeks; the variable is how quickly the compliance ticket is picked up, not your speed. Declined verification has no documented positive outcome — SimpleSwap's public statements are consistent on this. Refunds, where granted, run on a 31-calendar-day processing baseline and may go only to the sending address; if you deposited from an exchange account, tell support before the refund is sent.

How to avoid it next time

• Treat "no KYC" as conditional on any aggregator. An aggregator inherits the strictest partner's rules; you cannot choose which partner screens you.
• Know your inputs. Coins from a well-known exchange withdrawal or your long-held wallet score low. Coins that recently touched a mixer, a sanctioned service or a high-risk venue score high.
• Be extra careful with XMR out. Privacy-coin pairs draw the most holds across the industry, and SimpleSwap in particular.
• Send from a wallet you control so a refund to the sending address is not a second problem.
• Prefer services that ask for a refund address before the deposit, and that publish what happens when a deposit is paused.
• Test small first, keep the exchange ID and TXID every time.

Where Swap.bz stands

Any instant exchange, Swap.bz included, can see a deposit paused by a liquidity partner's screen. We document how that works, without slogans, on flagged deposits and status & refunds — including the fact that Private Swap does not skip partner screens.

What is different in how a Swap.bz order is built:

• No account, ever. You quote, deposit, receive. Nothing to verify to get a rate.
• Refund address first. Before the deposit address is shown, you enter a receive address and a refund address for the coin you send. If the order cannot complete, value returns there on the same asset and network, minus network fees — the usual outcome of a blocked deposit is a refund, not a document request to Swap.bz.
• One order ID, human support. The order page shows the ID and the live status; support follows the order with the partner. Order ID and TXID are all we need — never a seed phrase.
• Published fees. 0.5% Standard or 1% Private Swap, shown in the quote before you send; live counts on /stats.

For the full side-by-side — where SimpleSwap's asset coverage and fiat options are the better fit, and where they are not — see the SimpleSwap vs Swap.bz comparison.

Sources

• SimpleSwap Terms of Service — §5.23 cancellation, §6.3–6.4 refunds (31 days, original address), §7 AML/KYC
• SimpleSwap blog — "The KYC procedure on SimpleSwap"
• BestChange — SimpleSwap public replies to users on AML holds ("not possible to issue a refund without passing KYC")
• SkipKYC — SimpleSwap review 2026 (freeze reports, FCA notice, data retention)
• MoneroSwapper — SimpleSwap review 2026 (triggers, resolution times)