:

BITMEX SHUTS DOWN SEPT 23 AFTER FOUNDER PARDON

AI DESK1 MIN READ
THU, JUL 23, 2026

■ AI-SUMMARIZED FROM 1 SOURCE ▸ TIMELINE

Crypto exchange BitMEX announced it will cease operations on September 23. The platform assured users that their assets remain safe following the shutdown announcement.

BitMEX, once a major derivatives trading platform, is winding down its business after years of regulatory scrutiny. The exchange's founders received presidential pardons in 2025 for their failure to implement anti-money laundering (AML) rules—violations that had drawn significant attention from U.S. authorities. The platform did not provide detailed reasoning for the shutdown timing, though the pardon resolution may have influenced the decision. BitMEX emphasized that user funds are secure during the transition period. The closure marks another chapter in crypto's ongoing tension with regulators over compliance standards. BitMEX previously settled with authorities over AML violations and other regulatory lapses. The September 23 deadline gives users time to withdraw assets before operations cease completely.

■ SOURCES

Techmeme

■ SUMMARY WRITTEN BY AI FROM THE LINKS ABOVE

■ MORE FROM THE CRYPTO DESK

Malone Lam, a 22-year-old Singaporean national, has pleaded guilty to leading an international social engineering scheme that stole and laundered $245 million in cryptocurrency. Prosecutors identified Lam as the operation's architect, operating under multiple aliases including "Anne Hathaway" and "King Greavy."

3H AGOIndustry Desk

Coinbase has taken a regulatory step toward enabling US investors to make leveraged, round-the-clock bets on stocks without ownership. The move signals the exchange's diversification beyond cryptocurrency trading.

16H AGOIndustry Desk

Binance continues operating across Europe despite failing to obtain required licenses, leveraging workarounds within the EU's MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation) framework.

16H AGOIndustry Desk

A company affiliated with World Liberty Financial, the Trump family's cryptocurrency venture, has received preliminary conditional approval for a national trust bank charter from federal regulators. The approval would eliminate the need for BitGo Bank & Trust as its banking partner.

17H AGOIndustry Desk

■ SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEF

ONE EMAIL, 5 STORIES, 06:00 UTC. UNSUBSCRIBE ANYTIME.