- The CoinEx closure process starts after nine years due to low volume and liquidity problems.
- CoinEx stops its spot trading on September 29 but allows withdrawals up to December 22.
- CoinEx gave the reasons for its closure as regulatory pressure and increasing compliance costs.
The CoinEx shutdown began on September 15, 2026, after the crypto exchange announced it would end nine years of operations amid a prolonged market downturn, declining industry trading volumes and liquidity, and rising regulatory and compliance costs.
CoinEx suspended new user registrations, referral rewards, and new orders on Tuesday as it started an orderly process that will eventually end its exchange services.
The company said regulatory requirements across major jurisdictions have also increased operational uncertainty. CoinEx said these factors, combined with higher compliance expenses, had exceeded what it considered reasonable limits and led to the decision to cease operations.
The shutdown will take place in several stages. Futures contracts moved into reduce-only mode on September 15, while the exchange stopped accepting new orders for fiat, margin, loans, Earn, staking, and strategic trading services.
CoinEx Shutdown Follows a Phased Schedule
CoinEx has set September 22 as the date for the end of all non-spot services. Most on-chain deposits will also stop on that date, according to the company’s shutdown schedule.
Source: CoinEx
Spot trading will continue longer but is scheduled to close on September 29. CoinEx Smart Chain (CSC) and the decentralized exchange OneSwap are also scheduled to close on the same day.
Users will have more time to remove their remaining assets. Withdrawals will remain available until December 22, giving customers a defined period to transfer funds before the exchange completes its wind-down.
CoinEx said its reserve ratio is above 100% and that all user balances are fully backed. The company will also repurchase all remaining CoinEx Token (CET) holdings at 0.005 USDT without a quantity limit.
CET was trading at $0.00466 on Tuesday based on the information provided, placing the announced repurchase price slightly above its reported market price at the time.
CoinEx Cites Market and Regulatory Pressure
The company attributed the CoinEx shutdown primarily to conditions that have affected its ability to sustain operations. According to CoinEx, the long-term decrease in the market of cryptocurrencies, as well as reduced trading volumes in the industry overall.
Moreover, CoinEx also referred to tough regulatory requirements in most jurisdictions. In the opinion of CoinEx, compliance costs and uncertainties made it go out of the business.
This closure comes on the heels of CoinEx’s earlier departure from the United States market. In 2023, CoinEx settled its differences with New York Attorney General Letitia James and exited the US markets.
Under that agreement, CoinEx returned more than $1.1 million to New York investors and paid more than $600,000 in state penalties. The platform was also barred from making its services available in New York.
The latest shutdown therefore comes after the exchange had already reduced its presence in at least one major market. CoinEx has now opted for a broader cessation of its exchange operations rather than continuing under the conditions it described in its announcement.
Other Crypto Exchanges Have Also Closed
The CoinEx shutdown comes alongside other exchange closures reported in 2026. AscendEX stopped operating on July 1 after failing to obtain authorization under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, or MiCA. The exchange also cited a failed liquidity deal in connection with its closure.
As reported earlier by Coinrab, BitMEX is set to close on September 23, having been operational for 11 years. The closure follows a pattern that is not limited to centralized exchanges.
The supplied information also notes shutdowns across crypto wallets, DeFi protocols, and NFT platforms during 2026, indicating that CoinEx is part of a wider series of business exits across different areas of the sector.
Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao also commented on CoinEx’s orderly wind-down on September 15. He noted that users in the latest series of gradual centralized exchange closures had been able to withdraw their assets, contrasting that outcome with previous exchange failures such as QuadrigaCX.
What Happens to Remaining CoinEx Assets
CoinEx has established separate arrangements for assets that remain on the platform after the withdrawal period. Unwithdrawn USDT will move into independent custody and accrue a monthly fee equivalent to 5% of the recorded balance.
Claims related to those assets can be filed until August 22, 2028.
CoinEx Wallet and CoinEx Vault services will remain unaffected by the exchange closure and will continue working independently as per the information available.
The CoinEx shutdown will therefore unfold over several months rather than ending all services at once. Trading and other exchange functions will disappear on the announced dates, while users have until December 22 to withdraw their remaining assets.
FAQs
Why is CoinEx closing down?
CoinEx cited the long-term bear market for crypto assets, the reduced volume and liquidity of transactions, and regulatory pressure as some of the reasons.
What is the date on which CoinEx ends its spot trading?
Spot trading operations at CoinEx will be discontinued on September 29, 2026.
How long can users withdraw assets?
CoinEx says withdrawals will remain available until December 22, 2026.
