Justin Sun said he had spoken directly with Binance after the exchange announced it would restrict transactions involving HTX and ten other platforms, and that Binance clarified the curbs apply only to users based in the UK and EU, according to Wu Blockchain. Sun added that HTX does not operate in either region.
The restrictions, running on a timeline from August 7 to August 23, 2026, also cover Rapira, Aifory Pro, ABCeX, WhiteBird, NoOnecrypto, Tradex, Monease, BitPapa, Exnode/Exnode Pay, and EXMO, according to The Block. The move stems from the European Union's 21st Russia sanctions package, adopted in July 2026, which named HTX under its legal entity Huobi Global SA alongside EXMO and other platforms as part of a crackdown on sanctions circumvention and money laundering.
A Discrepancy Between Sun's Statement and Binance's Own Notice
Sun's characterization of the restrictions as UK/EU-only isn't matched by Binance's own public notice, which sets no such geographic limit in its wording. That gap between how HTX's founder is framing the impact and what Binance has actually published leaves some ambiguity for HTX users outside those two regions about whether their transfers will be affected once the August 23 deadline passes.
Not HTX's First Brush With UK Regulators
The UK's Financial Conduct Authority has previously scrutinized HTX directly, alleging the exchange drew 4.6 million UK visits in 2023 — ranking it sixth among virtual asset firms accessed from Britain — and noting that HTX only limited new UK sign-ups after the regulator sued. Sun said HTX is now in settlement talks with both British and EU authorities over the underlying issues driving the current restrictions.
Related: CZ Says Crypto's Illegal Activity Rate Is 100x Lower Than Traditional Finance
Part of a Wider Sanctions Squeeze on Russia-Linked Platforms
HTX's inclusion in the EU's sanctions list follows a similar designation in the UK roughly two months earlier, and Binance's decision to cut off transfers with the exchange reflects how quickly major platforms are moving to comply with sanctions lists once a counterparty is named, rather than waiting out any appeal process. For HTX, the practical effect has already shown up in reduced liquidity as Binance's transfer restrictions take hold, regardless of how the geographic scope of the block ultimately gets resolved.
