Bitget to stop serving customers from Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan as of October 22

Bitget has updated its terms to stop serving customers from Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, with account restrictions rolling out in stages over the next few days. For high-risk PSPs and crypto businesses, the useful part is not the headline ban itself but the mechanics: trading cutoffs, withdrawal deadlines, and the possibility of forced position closures.

1. Belarus and Russia were added to Bitget’s new agreement dated 16 October; Kazakhstan had already been on the list. Users are receiving notices telling them to close positions and withdraw assets within days.
2. On 18 October, new positions and orders will become unavailable. On 21 October, it will be the last day for users to close positions themselves and withdraw funds. On 22 October, Bitget will begin restricting access to accounts.
3. Under the new rules, users from Russia cannot use the exchange. Bitget also reserves the right to restrict accounts and withdrawals, including forcing the closure of positions.
4. According to users, the notices were also sent to accounts with Ukrainian KYC, which suggests the operational roll-out may not be perfectly tidy at the edges. That matters because in practice the compliance logic is often messier than the policy language.
5. Industry sources cited in the original report say that exchanges holding MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) licences are expected to exit Russia and Belarus as the new sanctions package takes effect. A licensed EU crypto service provider (CASP) may not serve Russian citizens, people residing in Russia, or Russian legal entities, and the ban covers MiCA services including exchange, custody wallets, order execution, transfers, portfolio management, and advisory services.