Binance is drawing a harder compliance line around a group of crypto platforms it considers high risk.
In an official notice dated Aug. 14, the exchange said it will restrict users from trading through Binance with 13 crypto platforms. The list includes HTX and several payment and trading entities that, according to the report, had previously been tied to efforts to help Russia evade sanctions.
Restrictions roll out in three phases
Binance said the affected entities include HTX (Huobi Global SA), EXMO, Rapira, BitPapa, Shelbit, Aban Tether Exchange, A7 Nigeria, A7 Africa and PilotFinance, among a total of 13 entities.
The timing is split into three batches:
- Shelbit and Aban Tether Exchange: effective from Aug. 7
- A7 Nigeria, A7 Africa and PilotFinance: effective from Aug. 13
- The other nine entities: effective from Aug. 23
Users cannot trade with the listed entities, directly or indirectly
Binance said users must not transact with those entities, either directly or indirectly, through the platform.
If a user violates the restriction, the related transaction may be suspended and sent for compliance review. Binance also said user assets may be frozen, wallet functions may be restricted, and the conduct may amount to a breach of Binance’s Terms of Use.
The exchange said the step is necessary to comply with local regulatory requirements. For ordinary users, the practical takeaway is to avoid using those platforms for deposits or withdrawals to prevent their accounts from being held up.
Background points to HTX and the A7 network already on EU sanctions lists
ABMedia said the list does not appear to be random. Several of the entities are linked to the so-called A7 network, described in the report as a cross-border payment and stablecoin system allegedly used to help Russia bypass Western sanctions. Its core asset is the ruble stablecoin A7A5.
The report cited earlier coverage by Chain News saying that in the European Union’s 21st round of sanctions on Russia, HTX and the A7 network were included. It described the A7 network as having a scale of $120 billion. The report also said the A7A5 stablecoin had been identified as an important channel for Russian funds seeking to evade sanctions.
That places Binance’s exchange-level restriction alongside an existing international sanctions list, using the company’s own compliance controls as an added barrier.