Bitstamp is a crypto exchange founded in 2011 by Slovenian developers Nejc Kodric and Damijan Merlak to provide crypto services for European traders. This was a response to the growing dominance of Asian exchange Mt Gox.
The platform was developed to have guiding rules that ensured that customer's funds were safe from breaches. The crypto exchange became popular as it was one of the first that allowed users to purchase cryptocurrencies using popular fiat currencies.