Crypto networks: what to check before you withdraw

A crypto network is a blockchain: a public ledger, kept in step by many computers, that records every transfer of the coins and tokens on it. Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and TRON are separate networks, each with its own rules and its own coin. While your crypto sits on a platform, you rarely notice which network it uses. The moment you withdraw to a wallet you control, you have to pick one, and a transfer cannot be called back once it is on its way.

Native coins and the tokens built on them

Each network has a coin of its own, and that coin pays for the network's work. On Ethereum the fee is called gas, and ethereum.org states that it must be paid in ether. Moving any token on Ethereum therefore costs a little ETH, even when the token itself is a dollar stablecoin. The cards above also include BNB Smart Chain, whose own coin is BNB.

Tokens are issued on top of a network rather than running one. On Ethereum they typically follow the ERC-20 standard, and each ERC-20 token is a smart contract, according to ethereum.org. Solana calls its tokens SPL tokens, after the Solana Program Library, and its documentation explains that each one is identified by the address of its mint account. USDC is a token in this sense, as are many of the coins in our meme coin overview.

Same token, several networks

Large issuers deploy one token on many networks. Circle's developer documentation listed native USDC on 38 blockchains on 17 October 2026. Tether's list of active protocols showed USDT on 13 that day, including Ethereum as an ERC-20 token, TRON as a TRC-20 token, and Solana. Tether also asks every platform that integrates its tokens to make clear, both publicly and inside the platform, which of those protocols it supports. Our USDT page explains why the platforms we compare do not sell it, and our stablecoins guide covers the ones they do.

Each deployment is a separate contract with its own address. A transfer also stays on the network where it starts: USDT sent over TRON lands at a TRON address, never at an Ethereum one, even though the name on both sides is the same.

Bridged versions are not the original

A bridge carries value from one network to another, and the token that comes out on the far side is not always the issuer's own. Kraken's withdrawal list makes the split visible: on 17 October 2026 it offered USDC on Arbitrum One, Optimism and Polygon both as USDC and as USDC.e. Circle's documentation describes the token labelled USDC.e on X Layer as a bridged representation that Circle neither issues nor backs. For your wallet, that makes it a different asset, however close the name looks.

Checking a contract address

Names and tickers prove nothing. Ethereum.org points out that an ERC-20 contract can carry the same name and symbol as another one, so neither field can be relied on. What identifies a token is its address on the network, and the most reliable place to find that address, according to ethereum.org, is the organisation behind the token.

On our coin pages, an address appears next to a network only when the issuer or the project publishes it. If you add a token to a wallet by hand, compare the whole string, not just the first and last few characters.

Layer 2 networks on top of Ethereum

Arbitrum One, Base and OP Mainnet are layer 2 networks. Ethereum.org presents Ethereum as the settlement layer for newer networks like these, and calls those that store their data on Ethereum's main network rollups. Arbitrum's documentation names ETH as the currency for gas on Arbitrum, so a wallet there needs ether rather than a separate fee coin. The cards above give the fee coin for every other network.

For withdrawals, the practical point is where your coins end up. On 17 October 2026 Kraken offered ETH withdrawals over ten networks, with Ethereum, Arbitrum One, Base and Optimism among them. Ether sent over Base stays on Base, and a wallet without Base support will not show it. Ethereum.org adds that the safety of each layer 2 depends on its technology, the security of its smart contracts and how mature the network is.

Before you withdraw: five checks

1. Start from your wallet. Find out which network your self-custody wallet uses for the coin, then select exactly that network on the platform.
2. Expect a different menu on each platform. Our coin pages list, per platform, the withdrawal networks it publishes. The menus vary a great deal: Kraken offered 23 options for USDC on 17 October 2026 but only two for EURC, Ethereum and Solana. Bybit EU publishes no such list, so check the withdrawal screen in your account there.
3. Treat a mistake as permanent. Kraken warns that an unsupported network can leave a deposit uncredited and that recovery is never guaranteed. Any attempt carries a fee, as the questions below explain.
4. Look at the fee for each route. The same coin can cost a different amount to withdraw depending on the network, and the figure shown before you confirm is the one that counts.
5. Send a small amount first. Ethereum.org's advice for layer 2 networks, to begin with small transactions, works for any network you have not used before.

The EU travel rule on self-hosted wallets

The same rule applies in every EU member state. Regulation (EU) 2023/1113 has applied since 30 December 2024, and Article 14(5) covers transfers to self-hosted addresses. Whatever the amount, the sending platform must obtain and keep information on you and the recipient, and make sure the transfer can be individually identified. Above €1,000, it must also take adequate measures to assess whether you own or control the address. Our wallet guide describes the checks platforms use in practice.

All of this comes after the purchase itself. Our comparer shows what your coin costs on each MiCA-licensed platform for the amount you have in mind.