# KuCoin Exits Russia and Belarus as Crypto Exchange Access Tightens

> The exchange says the change takes effect immediately across all products and services. Affected customers will receive individual instructions for closing positions and withdrawing assets.

By Eric Spivak · October 29, 2026

Canonical: https://blockster.com/kucoin-exits-russia-belarus-service-withdrawal-notice

KuCoin is discontinuing services for users in Russia and Belarus, adding another major platform to the exchanges restricting access in the two countries.

In its [October 29 announcement](https://www.kucoin.com/announcement/en-important-notice-discontinuation-of-services-in-russia-and-belarus), KuCoin said the decision takes effect immediately and covers all products, services and features. It attributed the move to applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

For customers, the immediate priority is understanding their account’s instructions. **KuCoin has not published a single withdrawal deadline for everyone.** Affected users will receive notifications specifying the deadlines and procedures that apply to them.

## An immediate exit, with individual account deadlines

The announcement draws a distinction between ending services and the process for winding down affected accounts.

KuCoin says it will provide an orderly termination process that allows users to close positions and withdraw assets. Its public notice does not give a universal timetable for those steps or explain how each product will be handled.

That makes the account notification the key document for anyone affected. Customers with open positions need to establish when those positions must be closed, while users holding assets need to follow their withdrawal instructions.

**Users who have not received a notification are told that no action is required.** KuCoin adds that their accounts remain subject to its Terms of Use and applicable restrictions.

The notice does not disclose how many accounts are affected, the value of assets involved or whether particular circumstances qualify for exceptions.

## MEXC and Bitget have also restricted access

KuCoin’s announcement follows [MEXC’s October 20 service update](https://www.mexc.com/announcements/article/service-update-for-users-in-russia-or-belarus-17827791539240), which also announced the discontinuation of services for users in Russia and Belarus.

MEXC used a similar notification process: affected customers would receive individual timelines for closing positions and withdrawing assets. Its announcement did not establish a common deadline for all customers.

Bitget separately announced on October 17 that it would discontinue services for certain users through a one-time account-closure exercise. [Reporting on its updated terms](https://crypto.news/mexc-end-services-russia-belarus-users/) identified Russia and Belarus among its prohibited jurisdictions. The public X announcement itself did not name the countries or disclose the selection criteria.

[Post from @bitget on X](https://twitter.com/bitget/status/2111325637755408799)

These developments point to narrowing access to international exchanges for affected customers. However, each platform has its own notices and procedures. A deadline issued by one exchange should not be treated as the deadline for another.

KuCoin’s announcement does not identify a particular regulator, sanctions measure or court order as the direct trigger for its decision.

## What KuCoin says about the transition

The exchange acknowledged that the decision could inconvenience customers and emphasized its plans for an orderly closure process.

For affected users, the practical issue is whether the notification provides clear instructions for managing positions and removing assets. Questions about account status or the applicable timetable should be directed to [KuCoin Customer Support](https://www.kucoin.com/support).

> “We recognise this may cause inconvenience to affected users, and we are committed to an orderly termination process that allows affected users to close positions and withdraw their assets.”
>
> — The KuCoin Team, [October 29 announcement](https://www.kucoin.com/announcement/en-important-notice-discontinuation-of-services-in-russia-and-belarus)

KuCoin also warned customers to remain alert to phishing attempts and communicate only through official channels.

The announcement does not say that customer assets have been confiscated or that withdrawals have universally stopped. Its stated approach is to provide affected accounts with instructions for completing the exit.

## Global exchanges are becoming more country-specific

KuCoin’s decision illustrates how access to a global crypto platform increasingly depends on where a customer is located and which services the exchange can provide there.

Earlier this month, Blockster covered [KuCoin Nigeria’s conditional admission into the SEC’s regulatory incubation programme](https://blockster.com/kucoin-nigeria-takes-the-regulatory-route-into-a-major-crypto-market). That process provides a route toward meeting local requirements, but the conditional approval did not itself authorize a public launch.

The developments show different sides of the same operating challenge: an exchange can pursue regulated expansion in one market while ending services in another.

For customers in Russia and Belarus, the next steps are specific to their accounts. KuCoin’s official notification—not a deadline circulating on social media—will determine the instructions they need to follow.