CoinEx shutting down: withdraw by 22 December 2026
CoinEx is closing after almost nine years. Withdrawals run until 22 December 2026, then a 5% monthly custody fee applies. What to do now.
The exchange CoinEx is shutting down after almost nine years. According to the announcement of 15 September 2026, as reported by FX News Group and CryptoMeter among others, you can withdraw your balance until 22 December 2026. Any USDT balance still on the exchange after that goes into ‘independent custody’ with a fee of 5% of the original balance per month. At the time of writing on 25 October 2026 there are 58 days left, and the 29 September step (end of trading, processing of all coins other than USDT) has already passed.
CoinEx shutting down in short
- Who and what: CoinEx, an exchange that has existed since 2017, is ending all services. The company calls it an ‘orderly wind-down’.
- Last day to withdraw: 22 December 2026. After that the platform closes.
- Trading has already stopped: spot trading ended on 29 September 2026. According to the announcement, all assets other than USDT are also ‘processed’ then. What exactly that means is not stated in the sources we could open.
- What happens after the deadline: a USDT balance still on the platform goes into independent custody at 5% per month of the original balance.
- Claims are possible until 22 August 2028: by email to support@coinex.com.
- Reserves: CoinEx says its reserve ratio is above 100% and that all balances are fully covered. We have not checked this ourselves; the sources mention no independent audit.
- The downside: if you wait until the last day, you will run into network congestion and waiting times. The announcement itself warns about this.
Which dates apply?
The timeline below comes from the CoinEx announcement, as FX News Group reported it on 15 September 2026. The times in that announcement are in UTC+8; CryptoMeter gives no time zone.
The sources differ on the time on 22 December: Ryder gives 02:00 UTC, while the FX News Group timeline is in UTC+8 and gives no hour. So do not count on the last hours of that day.
What does waiting cost? A worked example
The fee is 5% of the balance on the platform at the end of the withdrawal period, not of the balance that is left at that point. This is a worked example based on the description in the announcement, not a statement about how CoinEx deducts it in practice.
Between 22 December 2026 and 22 August 2028 there are exactly 20 months. At 5% per month of the original balance, the fee after 20 months equals the whole balance (20 × 5% = 100%). So if you do not withdraw and only act at the end of the claim period, by this calculation you can get nothing back. Whether the fee is deducted this way and whether it stops at zero cannot be found in the announcement.
What can you do now?
- Check what you still have. Open your account and see whether there is any USDT, and whether there are other coins that survived the 29 September processing.
- Withdraw to a place you know. That can be another exchange or a wallet whose keys you hold. First check that the network and the coin are supported; the wrong network can cost you your balance. You will find help with the choice on our page choosing a crypto wallet.
- Test with a small amount. An address you are using for the first time gets a small amount first and the rest afterwards.
- Do not withdraw on the last day. The announcement warns of blockchain congestion, higher fees and longer confirmation times. If you start in December, you still have time to fix something.
- Check the official page. We could not open CoinEx’s original announcement at the time of writing; go to the announcements on coinex.com and read them yourself before you do anything.
On our page crypto security checklist you will find what to check before you send to a new address.
Is this new for European investors?
Exchanges shutting down or delisting tokens keep coming up. On 23 October we wrote about Kraken, which is delisting 13 tokens and where you can withdraw until 29 January, and on 6 October about Bitvavo, which delisted SWEAT and ICX. The difference: with Kraken and Bitvavo it is a handful of tokens, with CoinEx it is the whole platform.
What does this mean for you as a European investor?
If you have a balance at CoinEx. Then the 22 December 2026 deadline is the date that counts. The announcement names no countries. So assume it applies to all of your balance, wherever you live.
If you have no balance at CoinEx. Then you do not need to do anything. It is still a reminder that an exchange can shut down. What you leave on an exchange is up to the exchange. Your own wallet gives you control yourself, with the risks that come with it.
Tax. Whether withdrawing to your own wallet, or a sale by CoinEx, is a taxable event in your country differs from country to country. You will find the overview per country at crypto tax in Europe. Treat that as explanation, not advice.
What is not certain yet
- The original announcement. We could not open CoinEx’s own page at the time of writing. The facts above come from FX News Group, CryptoMeter and Ryder, who confirm each other on the key points (dates, 5%, 2028).
- The time on 22 December. Ryder gives 02:00 UTC; the FX News Group timeline is in UTC+8 and gives no hour.
- What ‘processed’ means. According to the sources, assets other than USDT are ‘processed’ on 29 September (according to Ryder: ‘scheduled for disposal’). How that happens and at what price is stated nowhere.
- The custody fee. Whether the 5% per month stops at zero, and how it is deducted, is not in the sources.
- The reserves. CoinEx says it is above 100%. We have not found an independent audit.
This article is not investment or tax advice. Crypto can lose a lot of value and you can lose your entire investment.
Frequently asked questions
Until when can I withdraw from CoinEx?
Until 22 December 2026. The sources differ on the hour (02:00 UTC according to Ryder), so do not wait until the last day.
What happens to my balance if I do not withdraw?
A USDT balance goes into independent custody at 5% per month of the original balance. You can claim by email until 22 August 2028.
When did trading stop at CoinEx?
Spot trading stopped on 29 September 2026. The other services stopped on 22 September 2026.
Are my coins at CoinEx safe?
CoinEx says its reserve ratio is above 100% and that all balances are fully covered. We have not found an independent audit.
Why is CoinEx shutting down?
According to the announcement, because of a prolonged market downturn, lower trading volume and liquidity, and rising regulatory and compliance costs.
Sources
Read on 25 October 2026.
- FX News Group: Chinese crypto exchange CoinEx shuts down (15 September 2026)
- CryptoMeter: CoinEx Begins Orderly Wind-Down, Sets December 22 Deadline for Withdrawals (15 September 2026)
- Ryder: CoinEx is shutting down, the December 22 deadline and how to get your crypto out
- Cryptocode: Kraken delisting: 13 tokens, withdraw by 29 January (23 October 2026)