MEXC is <a href="https://www.mexc.com/ru-RU/announcements/article/service-update-for-users-in-russia-or-belarus-17827791539240" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">discontinuing</a> services for users in Russia and Belarus, further narrowing access to international crypto trading platforms for customers in both countries. The exchange announced the decision on October 20, citing its efforts to strengthen global compliance.
Affected customers will receive individual instructions for closing positions and withdrawing assets. MEXC says accounts that have not received a notification remain unaffected by this change and can continue operating under its Terms of Service. The announcement does not provide a universal withdrawal deadline.
The decision comes as MEXC also <a href="https://www.mexc.com/learn/article/mexc-restricted-countries-complete-list-of-prohibited-limited-regions/1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">winds</a> down Dutch services, while European licensing requirements reshape which exchanges can legally serve customers.
What MEXC Users in Russia and Belarus Should Know
MEXC says customer assets remain secure, although that assurance is the company’s statement rather than an independent assessment.
Its notice directs affected users to follow account-specific timelines. It does not disclose how many customers are affected or explain precisely how nationality, residence and other account information determine eligibility.
The absence of a notification should therefore not be interpreted as permanent permission to trade regardless of the exchange’s rules. MEXC’s current User Agreement explicitly includes Russia and Belarus among prohibited jurisdictions.
A narrower restrictions summary reads:
<blockquote>
 MEXC does not accept users from 13 jurisdictions named in its User Agreement: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Sudan and the Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine, plus countries under comprehensive EU or US sanctions or on the FATF call-for-action list.
</blockquote>
That wording is incomplete against the current agreement because it omits Russia and Belarus. MEXC’s educational country guide still separates those two markets as winding down, illustrating why contractual terms and individual notices matter more than general availability summaries.
How Large Are the Russian and Belarusian Crypto Markets?
Russia represents a substantial crypto market. Chainalysis estimated that it received $376.3 billion in cryptocurrency between July 2024 and June 2025, making it Europe’s largest market by that measure, ahead of the United Kingdom’s $273.2 billion.
These figures measure estimated cryptocurrency value received. They do not represent exchange revenue, household holdings or the amount MEXC stands to lose.
Belarus has a smaller, differently measured market. In September 2025, Alexander Lukashenko said external payments through Belarusian crypto exchanges reached $1.7 billion during the first seven months of 2025, according to Interfax. He cited projections that the figure could reach $3 billion for the full year.
The $3 billion figure was a forecast, not a verified year-end result. It also cannot be directly compared with Chainalysis’s Russian estimate because the periods and methodologies differ.
Neither figure establishes MEXC’s local market share. The exchange has not disclosed country-specific customer balances or revenue in its exit announcement.
How Many Crypto Exchanges Have Restricted Russia?
There is no verified, comprehensive count of centralized exchanges that have completely left Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Business sales, account closures and restrictions on particular services are different actions.
However, six identifiable platforms illustrate the contraction in access: Binance, Kraken, Crypto.com, Blockchain.com, Bitget and MEXC.
Binance announced the sale of its entire Russian business to CommEX in September 2023, describing the decision as a full exit and outlining an offboarding process lasting up to one year.
Kraken, Crypto.com and Blockchain.com imposed Russia-linked account or service restrictions in October 2022 following EU sanctions. Contemporary reporting documented those restrictions, but their scope differed between providers.
Bitget’s current terms also list Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan as prohibited countries.
This is a documented set of examples, not a claim that exactly six exchanges have permanently banned every Russian customer. MEXC itself cites compliance without identifying a particular sanctions measure as the direct trigger.
MEXC’s Netherlands Exit Comes With Conflicting Dates
MEXC is separately withdrawing services from Netherlands-linked accounts. The Dutch regulator AFM warned in September 2025 that the platform was operating without the required authorization.
MEXC’s general country guide lists October 31, 2026 as the asset-movement deadline, November 16 as final offboarding, and March 20 as the suspension date for fiat services.
However, its dedicated offboarding announcement provides a different, four-batch schedule. For the final batch, it lists October 23 as the action deadline, October 24 as the start of restrictions and October 31 as completion. Earlier batches had earlier deadlines.
These conflicting public pages mean November 16 should not be presented as a universally available withdrawal deadline. The dedicated notice instructs customers to consult their assigned batch and email notifications.
It also warns that MEXC may process remaining positions and liabilities, potentially generating losses or fees, and says residual assets will move to a regulated custodian.
What MiCA Requires and Which Exchanges Have Approval
MiCA establishes an EU authorization framework for crypto-asset service providers. Requirements include safeguarding and segregating customer assets, managing conflicts of interest, handling complaints and providing clear information.
ESMA says the final transition period ended on July 1, 2026. Unauthorized providers must stop onboarding and soliciting EU customers, restricting remaining services to an orderly wind-down rather than continuing normal business.
Examples of exchanges that obtained authorization through European entities include Coinbase in Luxembourg, Kraken in Ireland and Bybit EU in Austria. Austria’s FMA granted Bybit EU authorization on May 28, 2025.
MEXC’s own country guide states that it lacks MiCA authorization. Licenses attach to specific legal entities and approved services; they do not automatically cover every product offered under a global exchange brand. European licensing and Russia-related restrictions therefore remain separate compliance questions.

MEXC Ends Services for Russia and Belarus Users as Netherlands Exit Adds to Restrictions

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