EU transaction ban on 14 crypto platforms takes effect under Russia sanctions package
The European Union's July sanctions package now bars transactions with 14 crypto-asset service providers linked to efforts to circumvent restrictions on Russia.
By The Third AnglePublished Updated 3 min read
Illustrative financial-document imagery; it does not depict a specific platform or sanctions file. Photo: Unsplash · Unsplash License
A European Union transaction ban covering 14 crypto-asset service providers entered into force on Aug. 23 under the bloc's latest Russia sanctions package. The measure applies to platforms that the EU says significantly frustrate its restrictions by helping route or support activity connected to Russia.
The Council of the EU said the package extends the transaction ban to crypto-related platforms based in Georgia, Panama, the United Arab Emirates, the Marshall Islands, Kyrgyzstan and Belarus. The Council also described a new option to ban transactions with crypto providers in an entire third country if the bloc determines that country has systematically enabled sanctions evasion.
The names and the date
The Official Journal decision lists Rapira, Aifory Pro, ABCeX, WhiteBird, NoOnecrypto, Tradex, Monease, BitPapa, Exnode and Exnode Pay, HTX, and EXMO with an Aug. 23 entry date. The same annex lists several other entities with an Aug. 13 entry date.
The measure does not mean that every crypto transaction is prohibited across Europe. It targets transactions with the listed entities and includes legal mechanisms for limited account closures or withdrawals in specified circumstances. Users and businesses need to assess the applicable sanctions rules and their own jurisdiction before moving funds.
Why it matters for crypto access
The decision turns a sanctions list into a direct platform-access issue for European operators: dealing with a named provider can create a prohibited transaction even when the provider is outside the EU. It also gives the bloc a broader tool for targeting offshore crypto infrastructure that it believes is being used to bypass Russia-related restrictions.
The official documents establish the ban and its legal basis. They do not by themselves show how each affected platform will implement the restriction, whether customers will receive additional wind-down guidance, or how national authorities will apply the available derogations.
Bitget has now published an implementation notice for the Aug. 23 phase. Its support notice says transactions involving the 11 platforms in that phase may face enhanced compliance review or rejection, including transfers involving HTX, EXMO, Rapira, Aifory Pro, ABCeX, WhiteBird, NoOnecrypto, Tradex, Monease, BitPapa and Exnode. Bitget also warns that related accounts may face restrictions during review. That is a platform-level control notice, not evidence that every exchange named in the EU measure has implemented identical controls.
