BitMEX to Shut Down by Sept. 23, 2026, Ending 11-Year Run After Losing Perpetuals Share
Updated
Updated · CoinDesk · Jul 23
BitMEX to Shut Down by Sept. 23, 2026, Ending 11-Year Run After Losing Perpetuals Share
3 articles · Updated · CoinDesk · Jul 23
Summary
Sept. 23, 2026 is BitMEX’s shutdown date, with the exchange telling users to close positions and withdraw assets immediately after halting new account registrations.
Aug. 26 will bring strict limits blocking new positions, and BitMEX said it will then force-close remaining contracts before the final 04:00 UTC shutdown to manage an orderly wind-down.
Users who leave assets on the platform past the deadline face a $50 monthly maintenance fee or a 1% annualized levy, while Bitcoin network congestion could slow withdrawals.
BitMEX said a strategic review by parent HDR Global Trading led to the closure after years of losing liquidity, market makers and whales to larger centralized and decentralized rivals.
The exit ends an exchange founded in 2014 that pioneered perpetual swaps, once handled more than $1 trillion in annual volume and 57% of global crypto derivatives, but later pleaded guilty in a 2020 U.S. AML case.