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Bitget Closes Certain Accounts: Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan Are on Its Prohibited List

On October 17, 2026, Bitget announced it is discontinuing services for “certain users” in a one-off exercise, with deadlines sent individually. The exchange did not say which accounts are affected, but its Terms of Use list Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan among prohibited countries. Here is what Bitget said officially and what comes from inference and user reports.

AuthorAntonio MerklePublishedOctober 17, 2026UpdatedOctober 30, 20264 min read

On October 17, 2026, crypto exchange Bitget said on X that it is discontinuing services for certain users. The exchange stressed that the platform keeps operating and that the closure is a one-off exercise for certain accounts only. Bitget did not say which ones: no countries are named in the post.

What Bitget’s post says

• The platform continues to operate; the decision to discontinue services applies to certain users only and is a one-off exercise.
• According to the exchange, user funds remain safe.
• Affected users will receive notifications by email, in-app messages and/or push notifications with next steps, deadlines and withdrawal arrangements.
• Users without an official notification can continue to use their accounts as usual, subject to the platform terms.
• Customer support helps with withdrawals, pending orders and other account questions; Bitget warns about phishing and impersonation accounts.

Where Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan come in

The link to specific countries comes not from the post but from Bitget’s Terms of Use. According to media reports, on October 16, 2026 — a day before the post — the exchange updated the English version of its terms; the current version of October 20 lists Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan in the Prohibited Countries definition. According to crypto.news, Kazakhstan was already on the list before. Bitget itself has not confirmed that the account closures are tied to these countries — it is an inference from the terms.

Besides the CIS countries, Bitget’s prohibited list includes Austria, Canada, Cuba, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, North Korea, Singapore, Sudan, the US, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, Thailand and the Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine.

Deadlines: what users report

Bitget has not set a common deadline: each affected user gets theirs in a notification. According to CoinEdition, one user wrote on X that his notice set a deadline of October 21 — but the exchange has not confirmed that it applies to everyone.

Context

The announcement came about three weeks after, according to Cointelegraph, Bitget confirmed unauthorized transfers and temporarily suspended withdrawals during an investigation; a security firm estimated the loss at about $388 million. The exchange has not linked that incident to the account closures.

Bitget and other exchanges in October 2026

Read also: MEXC exits Russia and Belarus · HTX adds Russia to its prohibited jurisdictions · KuCoin exits Russia and Belarus

What Bitget users should do

1. 1

   Check every notification channel

   Email, in-app messages and push notifications. According to Bitget, if you have no notice, your account works as usual.
2. 2

   Close positions and cancel orders before the deadline

   Do not wait for the last day: after the deadline the exchange may close positions itself.
3. 3

   Withdraw your assets

   Double-check the network, address and minimum, and start with a test transfer. Customer support can help with withdrawals.
4. 4

   Do not hide your country of residence

   Bitget’s terms prohibit using the services from listed countries; bypassing the restriction risks an account block.

About the author

Antonio Merkle

Crypto expert, arbitrage trader and investor

Crypto expert and hands-on crypto arbitrage trader, investor and software developer with over 20 years of experience. On the P2P.Army blog he covers exchange news, P2P and cross-exchange arbitrage.

• Crypto arbitrage
• P2P arbitrage
• Cross-exchange arbitrage
• Crypto exchanges
• Investing
• Software development

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