BitMart has started a phased shutdown of its global cryptocurrency exchange after reviewing its operating conditions, market environment, and future strategy.
Summary
- BitMart stopped new registrations, deposits, and orders before ending all trading services on August 26.
- BMX lost about 63% in 24 hours as traders reacted to the exchange’s shutdown announcement.
- Withdrawals remain available, but BitMart advised users to submit requests before August 26’s recommended deadline.
According to the official shutdown notice, the exchange stopped new registrations, cryptocurrency and fiat deposits, and new spot orders from 01:30 UTC on July 26. Futures accounts entered reduce-only mode, while copy trading, grid trading, API trading, and other automated services began winding down.
The exchange will end all spot, futures, and other trading services at 01:00 UTC on August 26. However, the full platform will not close on that date. BitMart plans to terminate trading-platform operations at 15:59 UTC on January 31, 2027. Users will retain limited account access for a period after that date to review records and submit withdrawals.
BitMart sets withdrawal and position deadlines
BitMart told users to close all positions before 01:00 UTC on August 26 and recommended submitting withdrawals before 05:00 UTC the same day. Withdrawals remain open, but requests may face identity, source-of-funds, wallet ownership, sanctions, Travel Rule, and security reviews. Heavy demand or network congestion may extend processing times.
The exchange asked customers to cancel open orders, redeem eligible Earn, staking, and lending products, and download account records. BitMart may settle any futures positions still open when trading ends using its mark price, index price, or other applicable rules. Users who miss the recommended withdrawal period will enter a separate process that BitMart plans to explain later.
BMX falls as traders react to the shutdown
BMX, the exchange’s platform token, fell by around 63% during the 24 hours surrounding the announcement. BitMart’s own market page showed a decline of about 64.9% at one stage, while CoinGecko’s BMX page placed the token near $0.164 on July 26 with about $6.1 million in daily volume. The sharp move reflected the token’s close link to exchange activity.
BMX provides trading-fee discounts and other platform benefits. The planned end of trading removes much of that direct use. Price readings varied across trackers because the market moved quickly and platforms used different update times. CoinGecko data placed the token’s market value near $55.6 million on July 26, down from more than $100 million earlier in the week.
Closure follows recent service restrictions
BitMart did not identify a single event behind the shutdown. Its notice referred only to “operating conditions, market environment, and future strategic direction.” The exchange did not state that it had entered insolvency, and it did not connect the decision to a security incident, regulatory order, or lack of customer assets. Users therefore still lack a detailed financial explanation.
The decision followed several service changes. BitMart suspended its automated market-making bot on July 24 and returned users’ principal and earnings to spot accounts. It also ended spot margin trading, with forced liquidation scheduled for July 26. On July 23, the exchange told remaining U.S.-linked users to close positions and withdraw by August 8 during a compliance review.
BitMart follows other crypto platform closures
The announcement came three days after BitMEX said it would close its derivatives exchange on September 23 following a strategic review. BitMEX stopped new registrations and set August 26 as the date when customers could no longer open new positions. Odos also announced plans to shut its decentralized exchange aggregator on July 30, although the platforms gave different reasons and timelines.
BitMart entered the market in 2017 and grew through a wide selection of smaller tokens. A 2021 Series B round led by Alexander Capital Ventures valued the company at more than $300 million. Fenbushi Capital had made an earlier investment in 2019. Days after the Series B announcement, attackers compromised two hot wallets and stole assets valued at about $150 million by BitMart, while outside estimates reached $196 million.
BitMart said at the time that it would use its own funds to compensate affected customers. The shutdown notice did not link the wind-down to that breach, which occurred nearly five years earlier. In May 2026, BitMart said “all platform operations are running normally” while responding to online concerns about withdrawals and risk controls. It also said it planned to publish proof of reserves after completing security preparations.
The exchange now warns that scammers may exploit the shutdown. BitMart said it will not charge an expedited withdrawal fee or ask for passwords, two-factor codes, private keys, or recovery phrases. It advised users to rely on its official website, app, registered emails, and support system. Customers must also check networks and addresses before transferring funds.
