Binance and Bitget Block HTX, EXMO, and 14 Other Crypto Platforms

Both Binance and Bitget are rolling out phased restrictions on transactions with 16 crypto platforms — including HTX (formerly Huobi), EXMO, and Rapira — citing recent EU sanctions against Russia-linked entities and U.S. OFAC designations targeting Iran-linked sanctions evasion. The actions apply to each exchange's entire global user base, not just users in sanctioning jurisdictions .

What the Restrictions Cover

• Binance announced it will stop processing transactions involving 16 named crypto-asset service providers. Transactions that touch a flagged entity may be held for compliance review, rejected, or result in account restrictions .
• Bitget is applying enhanced compliance controls to the same set of 16 entities. Any transaction that directly or indirectly involves a flagged platform may be reviewed, rejected, or trigger account-level restrictions .
• The bans cover both inbound and outbound transfers — users cannot send or receive funds with the restricted platforms through either exchange.

Timeline: Three-Phase Rollout Through August 2026

Date	Action
August 7, 2026	Binance and Bitget cut off Aban Tether Exchange and Shelbit — two Iran-linked services designated by U.S. OFAC for sanctions evasion, including transfers connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps .
August 13, 2026	Binance blocks A7 Nigeria, A7 Africa, and PilotFinance Ltd., three entities tied to the EU's Russia-linked sanctions list .
August 23, 2026	The main wave takes effect: Binance blocks 11 platforms including HTX (Huobi Global SA), EXMO, Rapira, Aifory Pro (Sooty Ltd.), ABCeX (Nueva Cryptologia S.A.S DE C.V.), WhiteBird, NoOnecrypto INC., Tradex (Brightum LLC), Monease Ltd, BitPapa, Exnode, and Exnode Pay. Bitget follows an identical schedule .

Regulatory Basis: Two Sanctions Regimes in One Action

The restrictions stem from two separate but concurrent government actions:

EU's 21st Russia Sanctions Package (July 23, 2026): The European Union added 14 crypto-related service providers to its transaction-ban annexes, accusing them of significantly frustrating Russia-related sanctions. The measure generally bars people and companies in the EU from dealing directly or indirectly with the listed exchanges, effective August 23 . The UK had already designated EXMO and Huobi Global S.A. under its own Russia sanctions regime in May 2026 .

U.S. OFAC Designations (August 7, 2026): The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Shelbit (registered as Shelbit General Trading LLC) and Aban Tether Exchange for facilitating Iran-linked sanctions evasion, including money laundering through crypto channels connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps .

Binance's 2023 Settlement Legacy: Binance remains under a five-year U.S.-appointed compliance monitorship following its $4.3 billion settlement with FinCEN and OFAC in November 2023 for prior sanctions violations . A February 2026 U.S. Senate letter alleged Binance allowed $1.7 billion in Iran-linked transactions, prompting ongoing investigations by the U.S. Justice Department and Dubai's VARA regulator .

Industry Impact: A Widening Sanctions Divide

• Global scope: The restrictions apply to all Binance and Bitget users worldwide, not just those in the EU or U.S., effectively ring-fencing the flagged platforms from two of the largest crypto exchanges by volume .
• Isolation of HTX: HTX is a major exchange with significant trading volume; being cut off from Binance and Bitget severely limits its liquidity access and on-ramp/off-ramp capabilities for a large portion of the crypto market.
• Precedent effect: Other major exchanges — including Gate.io and others — have already begun reporting on the actions and are likely to adopt similar compliance lists to avoid regulatory risk, further fragmenting the global crypto market into "sanctions-compliant" and "sanctions-exposed" tiers .
• Ongoing regulatory scrutiny: The actions come amid heightened U.S. Senate scrutiny of Binance's Iran-related activity, a DOJ investigation into Iran's use of Binance for sanctions evasion, and continued monitoring by Dubai's VARA regulator regarding Shelbit's unlicensed operations .