Centralized cryptocurrency exchange MEXC has announced it will discontinue services for users located in Russia or Belarus. The move forms part of the platform’s efforts to strengthen its global compliance framework. The decision does not apply platform-wide, and account holders outside those two countries face no change in access under existing terms of service.

In its official notice, MEXC stated that affected customers will receive individual notifications through registered email addresses and in-app messages. Each notice will set out the specific timelines and step-by-step procedures required to close open trading positions and withdraw assets. No universal deadline has been published. Users who do not receive a notification may continue trading without interruption.

The exchange directed customers with questions about account status or withdrawal processes to contact its official customer service team. It also issued a security reminder: MEXC will never request payments, account credentials, seed phrases, or asset transfers through private messages. Users were advised to rely solely on official channels—the website, mobile application, announcement center, and verified social accounts—and to treat unsolicited messages with caution amid the risk of phishing attempts.

Earlier Futures Restrictions and Compliance Steps

The latest service update builds on measures introduced earlier in 2026. On May 15, MEXC restricted selected futures trading pairs for users in Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, and Belarus, with the limits taking effect on May 18 at 07:00 UTC. Under those rules, affected customers could no longer open new positions in the listed contracts via market or limit orders, and certain trigger and trailing-stop orders became non-executable. They retained the ability to manage and close existing positions, adjust leverage and margin, and trade other futures markets. Ukraine and Armenia are not included in the current full service discontinuation covering Russia and Belarus.

MEXC has taken additional compliance steps this year. In July it appointed Robert MacDonald as chief compliance officer to oversee regulatory strategy and governance. Around the same period the exchange began integrating World-Check screening tools from LSEG Risk Intelligence into its systems. The October announcement does not attribute the Russia and Belarus exit to any single regulatory order, sanctions designation, or licensing decision.

Parallel Moves by Other Platforms

MEXC’s decision arrives shortly after Bitget revised its terms of use on October 16 to add Russia and Belarus to its list of prohibited jurisdictions, alongside Kazakhstan and other territories. Bitget subsequently began notifying selected customers about service terminations, providing individualized instructions on account access, position closures, and withdrawals. Some of those customers faced deadlines around October 21, though no single cutoff applied to every account. Accounts that did not receive an official notice remained unaffected under the updated terms.

International platforms have faced a range of sanctions-related controls involving Russian-linked activity throughout 2026. Measures have included transaction restrictions on named services by other major exchanges and broader eligibility limits for users in restricted jurisdictions. MEXC has not publicly linked its own decision to any specific external directive.

Affected MEXC customers are instructed to follow the personalized schedules and procedures contained in their official notifications. The exchange has not disclosed the number of accounts involved or a platform-wide completion date for the service wind-down.