The Bitget cryptocurrency exchange has blocked access to its services for users from Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. The Russian news agency Interfax was the first to report on the changes to the terms of service dated 16 October.
From 10:00 Moscow time on 18 October, users from these countries will no longer be able to open new trades, place orders or take out subscriptions. The exchange has asked them to close all positions and withdraw their assets by 10:00 Moscow time on 21 October. After this deadline, it will no longer be possible to access their accounts.
Those who do not manage to withdraw their funds in time will receive personalised notifications detailing “further steps, relevant deadlines and the procedure for withdrawing funds”, according to the exchange’s statement.
As noted by the Russian newspaper *Kommersant*, Bitget’s initial statement, published on social media, did not specify exactly which users would be affected by the restrictions. It merely stated that this was “a one-off measure affecting only certain users”.
Bitget’s official terms and conditions state that the list of restricted countries is drawn up taking into account various regulatory requirements and sanctions regimes. Experts note that after 2022, the exchange continued to operate in the Russian market, unlike some competitors, such as Binance, which withdrew from it.