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Magyar29 Oct 2026
KuCoin has stopped serving customers in Russia and Belarus with immediate effect across all products, citing legal and regulatory requirements. It follows Bitget and MEXC, which restricted users in the region in October, as EU crypto sanctions tighten.
Exchanges TradeReviewed News Desk
KuCoin has stopped serving customers in Russia and Belarus, making it the third major crypto exchange to announce restrictions in the region within two weeks, BeInCrypto reported on October 29. The exchange said the decision took effect immediately and covers every product. Affected users will get individual deadlines to close positions and withdraw funds.
Why KuCoin is leaving
KuCoin cited “applicable legal and regulatory requirements” without naming a specific rule or regulator. The timeline points to sanctions pressure. On July 23 the European Union adopted its 21st Russia sanctions package, which banned transactions with 14 foreign crypto platforms and created powers to restrict other overseas providers used to evade sanctions. In the weeks that followed, KuCoin began blocking direct and indirect transactions with services including A7-linked entities, Rapira and HTX, and a September 29 notice widened its list of restricted counterparties.
BeInCrypto notes that this sequence makes sanctions exposure a likely explanation but does not prove that Brussels ordered the exit. KuCoin also has a history with European regulators: Austria’s financial regulator restricted new business at its EU subsidiary in February over gaps in anti-money-laundering and sanctions-compliance roles, and lifted that ban in May while other operational limits stayed in place.
Bitget and MEXC moved first
The pullback is spreading. Bitget restricted users in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan after an October 16 terms update, and MEXC announced its own Russia and Belarus exit on October 20. KuCoin has not published country-level user numbers. Semrush data cited by BeInCrypto shows Russia generated about 1.03 million visits to KuCoin’s site in September, 3.93% of global traffic and its third-largest source, but web visits are not a count of affected accounts.
What it means for traders
If you hold funds on KuCoin and live in an affected region, watch for your personal deadline and withdraw early rather than late, since closing windows can bring congestion. For everyone else, the story is a reminder that an exchange’s licence footprint and sanctions compliance can change your access overnight. Before choosing a platform, check where it is licensed in our crypto exchange comparison and read our KuCoin review, alongside BingX (number 1 in our tests) and OKX (number 2).
This article is for information only and is not investment advice.
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