CoinEx, the cryptocurrency exchange launched in 2017 under the ViaBTC Group, has announced that it will cease operations and begin an orderly wind-down after nearly nine years in the market. The company attributed the decision to prolonged weakness in digital-asset markets, lower industry trading volumes and liquidity, and rising regulatory and compliance costs across major jurisdictions. The shutdown process begins on September 15, 2026, with the platform scheduled to fully cease operations on December 22.
Service Reductions Begin in September
From September 15, CoinEx will stop new user registrations, end referral commissions and rewards, and place futures markets into reduce-only mode. It will also stop accepting new orders or subscriptions for fiat services, margin trading, loans, Earn products, staking, and strategic trading, while withdrawals remain available. All non-spot services are scheduled to close on September 22, when futures positions may be settled, unpaid loans processed under existing rules, and Earn and staking products redeemed.
Spot Trading and Asset Conversion
Spot trading will continue until September 29, when CoinEx will cancel unfilled orders and begin processing non-USDT assets remaining on the platform. Tokens with sufficient external liquidity will be sold and converted into USDT based on net proceeds, while illiquid assets will be delisted and must be withdrawn on-chain before the related wallets are no longer maintained. Users who want to keep assets in their original form have been advised to complete those withdrawals before 02:00 UTC on September 29.
CoinEx will also repurchase its CET token at 0.005 USDT per token from September 15 through September 29, with no quantity limit or additional conditions. Any CET still held in user accounts after the repurchase window will be automatically bought back at the same price, with proceeds credited in USDT. CoinEx Smart Chain and the OneSwap decentralized exchange will also cease operations on September 29.
Withdrawal Deadline and Custody
CoinEx said it maintains an asset reserve ratio above 100 percent and that all user balances are fully backed and available for withdrawal. Customers will have until 02:00 UTC on December 22 to withdraw assets, after which remaining USDT will move into independent custody and incur a monthly fee equal to 5 percent of the original balance recorded at the end of the withdrawal period. Users may submit custody claims through CoinEx support until August 22, 2028, subject to required identity and security checks.
The exchange urged customers to move funds early, warning that blockchain congestion, fee changes, or slower confirmations could complicate transfers near the deadline. CoinEx Wallet and CoinEx Vault are separate services and will continue operating normally despite the closure of the centralized exchange. CoinEx also described the shutdown notice as its final official announcement and warned users to treat any later purported policy updates or supplementary notices as fraudulent.
Founder Explains the Decision
Founder Haipo Yang, who also leads ViaBTC Group, said separately that operating a centralized exchange had become increasingly difficult to justify as security, compliance, and regulatory risks increased. He said CoinEx had never become one of the industry’s dominant exchanges and that taking on growing risk for limited revenue was no longer a rational choice. Yang added that he had considered selling the business but concluded that an orderly closure was preferable to transferring user trust to another owner.
CoinEx’s exit closes a chapter that began with the exchange’s launch on December 22, 2017, and will end on the same calendar date nine years later. The company says its priority is to return user assets safely while winding down trading, lending, staking, and related services in stages over the coming months. For customers, the main priorities are to withdraw funds well before December 22, handle any non-USDT assets before September 29, and rely only on verified CoinEx channels during the closure.