Belarusian crypto broker Cifra Markets stops working with Grinex, HTX, Rapira, ABCeX, Capitalist, Aifory Pro, Exnode Pay, Exmo and CryptoBar after sanctions checks

Cifra Markets, a Belarusian crypto broker, has told clients it is ending operations with a list of crypto platforms because of “regulatory restrictions.” The practical issue for high-risk payment teams is straightforward: if a partner starts treating deposits or withdrawals from sanctioned addresses as blocked, routes that used to work can disappear overnight.

1. Cifra Markets said a partner exchange is no longer processing crypto deposits and withdrawals from addresses linked to sanctioned services. The platforms affected are Grinex, HTX (formerly Huobi), Rapira, ABCeX, Capitalist, Aifory Pro, Exnode Pay, Exmo and CryptoBar.
2. The broker told customers to use addresses from other services when topping up accounts or withdrawing crypto. User funds and accounts remain accessible, but the restriction applies to those specific funding and withdrawal channels.
3. Executive Director Alexey Korolenko said the sanctions compliance step is meant to protect customers. His explanation was blunt enough: using addresses tied to sanctioned platforms creates risks later on, including checks or blocks when crypto is moved through foreign exchanges and crypto services.
4. The article says EU and UK sanctions listings have already hit these crypto purchase services, and European AML services have begun marking related transactions as sanctioned. In other words, the compliance tag is now following the flow, not just the entity.
5. Britain earlier updated its sanctions lists to add crypto platforms and related structures that, according to the UK government, may have helped circumvent sanctions against Russia. The list included HTX (Huobi), EXMO, Rapira, Aifory and Bitpapa, as well as Arvix, Trace Road, Eurasian Savings Bank in Kyrgyzstan, and four individuals, including Garantex founder Sergei Mendeleev. The measures include asset freezes in the UK, a ban on cooperation for British companies, restrictions on financial operations and international payments, and travel bans for listed individuals.

For high-risk PSPs, the key detail is not the brand list itself. It is the mechanism: once AML and sanctions tooling starts flagging certain counterparties, deposit and withdrawal rails can be cut even if the customer relationship remains intact. That is exactly how payment infrastructure gets narrower, one address cluster at a time.