USDBinance Expands Transfer Restrictions to 16 Crypto Platforms
Staged August Cutoffs Target HTX, EXMO and Sanctions-Linked Services
TL;DR
- Binance is restricting direct and indirect transactions involving 16 crypto-related entities through a staged compliance rollout.
- The largest cutoff takes effect August 23 and covers HTX, EXMO and nine other platforms or services.
- Binance tied the action to “recent regulatory developments,” while the affected list aligns with EU and U.S. sanctions measures.
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Binance is expanding restrictions on transactions involving 16 crypto-related entities through a staged August compliance action, with the largest group taking effect on August 23. The exchange said it will stop processing direct and indirect transactions involving the designated service providers and cited “recent regulatory developments” for the move, which applies across Binance’s user base rather than to accounts in a particular country or geographic region.
The restrictions are being introduced through three cutoff dates rather than through a single enforcement event. Shelbit, formally Shelbit General Trading LLC, and Aban Tether Exchange were covered first. A7 Nigeria, A7 Africa and PilotFinance Ltd followed before the final and largest group.
The final group includes Rapira; Aifory Pro, identified as Sooty Ltd; ABCeX, identified as Nueva Cryptologia S.A.S DE C.V.; WhiteBird; NoOnecrypto INC.; Tradex, identified as Brightum LLC; Monease Ltd; BitPapa; Exnode and Exnode Pay, identified as Arvix; HTX, identified as Huobi Global SA; and EXMO Ltd. HTX and EXMO stand out as two of the larger names affected by the restrictions, while HTX was identified as the largest name within the final group.
Binance Targets Counterparties, Not Individual Crypto Assets
The restrictions apply to the service provider behind a transaction rather than to the cryptocurrency being transferred. Binance is therefore not delisting Bitcoin, USDT or other assets simply because those assets are available on the affected exchanges. Transfers tied to designated counterparties can instead be subject to sanctions screening regardless of which cryptocurrency is moving through the transaction.
Binance’s controls also extend beyond individual wallet addresses. Deposits and withdrawals can be screened for connections to designated services even when funds move through intermediary addresses before reaching or leaving a listed platform. A transfer that previously moved through Binance as an ordinary deposit or withdrawal may therefore be held for review if the exchange identifies a connection to one of the affected counterparties.
Binance said transactions attempted with a listed entity on or after its effective cutoff may be placed on hold for compliance review. The wallet associated with the transaction may also face restrictions while that review is underway, and activity involving a designated service may breach Binance’s terms of use.
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Restrictions Track EU and U.S. Sanctions Actions
The entities covered by the later two rollout stages align with crypto services named under the European Union’s 21st sanctions package against Russia, which was adopted in July 2026. The measures expanded transaction bans to certain crypto platforms outside the bloc that authorities said had facilitated sanctions circumvention.
The EU measures formally bind firms within the bloc’s jurisdiction, while Binance’s announcement carried no comparable geographic limitation. Binance presented the restrictions to its entire user base, extending the exchange’s internal compliance treatment beyond accounts located in a specific jurisdiction.
The remaining names, Shelbit and Aban Tether Exchange, were designated by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control as part of an action against networks that the Treasury said served the Iranian regime. Binance did not cite a specific regulator when announcing its restrictions and instead referred broadly to regulatory developments.
HTX had already been included in the EU’s wider sanctions push in July, when the exchange was named among crypto services facing transaction restrictions aimed at reducing channels that could be used to circumvent sanctions on Russia. Binance’s implementation means transfers linked to HTX can be subjected to the same counterparty screening applied to other covered entities.
HTX Disputes the Scope of the Restrictions
HTX, formerly Huobi, has challenged the scope of the sanctions-linked treatment. HTX said the Panamanian-registered entity subject to sanctions is separate from its trading operations and said compliance remains a priority for its business.
The sanctions measures are administrative actions rather than criminal convictions, and none of the named platforms had been convicted of an offense in connection with these actions.
Several entities on Binance’s list had already faced sanctions scrutiny elsewhere. The U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office designated 18 entities and individuals on May 26, 2026, including HTX, EXMO, BitPapa and Rapira, as part of an action it said targeted the A7 network. EXMO has announced that it is winding down.
Binance has also pointed to changes in its own sanctions exposure as it defends its compliance record. The company said its sanctions exposure fell 96.8% between January 2024 and July 2025. Binance also said its compliance team has almost 1,500 employees, representing about one-quarter of its global workforce.
This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.
