Cryptocurrency exchange CoinEx will permanently shut down after nine years of operation, bringing all of its services to a close on December 22, 2026. The company announced the decision on September 15, marking another high-profile exit during a period of tighter regulation and declining trading activity across the crypto sector.

The exchange confirmed the move in a post on X:

— CoinEx Global (@coinexcom) September 15, 2026

CoinEx Begins Orderly Shutdown Process

According to the company, the decision followed a review of market conditions and the operational challenges confronting centralized exchanges. CoinEx cited the prolonged crypto winter, an overall market slowdown, shrinking liquidity, and rising regulatory hurdles in key jurisdictions as the main factors behind the closure. Together, these contributed to unsustainable operational costs and regulatory uncertainty, the company said.

Unlike the sharp exchange failures seen in previous market cycles, CoinEx is taking a planned approach to its wind-down. The platform stated that customer funds are fully backed, with reserves kept at a level above 100%. Users will be able to withdraw their assets at any time throughout the transition. For account holders, the practical weight of that contrast falls on the published deadlines, since funds stay accessible only while the withdrawal windows remain open.

Key Dates Users Need to Know

The shutdown will proceed in stages. On September 15, CoinEx stopped accepting new user registrations and disabled referral reward distributions. Futures markets moved into reduce-only mode, meaning only position closures are permitted, and no new activity is being accepted in margin trading, loans, staking, earning products, or strategic trading services.

All non-spot products will be wound down on September 22. Crypto deposit services will also end, apart from CET deposits, which will remain available until September 29.

On that same date, September 29, CoinEx will completely close all spot trading. The platform will also end activities related to CoinEx Smart Chain (CSC) and OneSwap.

Taken together, the staggered schedule gives existing users just over three months from the announcement to close out positions and move assets ahead of the final cutoff.

CET Buyback and Withdrawal Arrangements

The wind-down plan also covers the exchange's native token, CET. CoinEx stated that it will purchase any CET units that users do not redeem before the token's listing at 0005 USDT per token. The buyback is unconditional, with no quantity limit, giving CET holders a defined fallback rate regardless of how many tokens they hold.

The company urged users to complete their withdrawals as early as possible, warning that blockchain congestion and network fees may rise as the final shutdown date approaches. Withdrawal channels remain open until operations officially terminate.

What Happens After December 22?

CoinEx will officially terminate its operations and withdrawal channels on December 22, 2026. Users who do not withdraw their USDT in time will have their funds transferred to a custody platform. After the withdrawal period ends, CoinEx will charge a monthly custody fee equal to 5% of the initial balance. Claims for assets held in custody can be submitted until August 22, 2028. With a recurring fee applied to unclaimed balances, leaving funds on the platform past the deadline carries ongoing costs that an on-time withdrawal avoids.

CoinEx Wallet and CoinEx Vault will remain unaffected by the exchange shutdown and will continue to operate separately, meaning parts of the company's product suite will outlast the exchange itself.

A Sector Under Pressure

The closure comes amid growing pressure on smaller and mid-sized cryptocurrency exchanges. Trading activity is increasingly concentrated on a handful of major platforms, while regulatory standards continue to rise around the world, making it more difficult to run a competitive exchange business. CoinEx's planned exit highlights how long-established exchanges are reconsidering their role as the cryptocurrency market evolves rapidly. Attention now shifts from the announcement to execution, with the next checkpoint arriving on September 22, when non-spot products are wound down.