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CoinEx Shutdown: Key Dates and How to Withdraw Before December 22

CoinEx announced on September 15, 2026 that it is winding down after nine years, with spot trading ending September 29 and withdrawals closing December 22. Here is the full timeline, what happens to CET and leftover coins, and how to get your funds out safely.

Short answer: CoinEx, the Hong Kong-linked crypto exchange founded by Haipo Yang, announced on September 15, 2026 that it is ceasing operations in stages. New sign-ups stopped that day and futures went to reduce-only mode; all non-spot services and most on-chain deposits end on September 22; spot trading ends at 02:00 UTC on September 29; and withdrawals close at 02:00 UTC on December 22, 2026 — nine years to the day after launch. CoinEx says its reserve ratio is above 100% and is buying back its CET token at 0.005 USDT with no cap until September 29. As of September 19, 2026, users have three days before deposits and derivatives close and ten days before any remaining coins are converted to USDT.

What did CoinEx announce?

In a notice published on September 15, 2026, CoinEx said it had decided to stop operating and start an orderly wind-down. The exchange pointed to a prolonged market downturn, shrinking trading volume and liquidity across the industry, and rising regulatory and compliance costs in major jurisdictions. Founder and CEO Haipo Yang added in a personal statement that revenue can shrink while responsibility does not, and that taking on unlimited risk for limited income was no longer rational.

Yang also said he had turned down the option of selling the business. His argument, as reported by Decrypt and ChainCatcher, was that users trusted the platform and him personally, and handing that trust to new owners was not the right way to finish; he called a clean ending the right one. CoinEx launched on December 22, 2017 and was still handling tens of millions of dollars in daily volume at the time of the announcement, according to Decrypt.

The closure covers the exchange only. CoinEx says CoinEx Wallet (its self-custody app) and CoinEx Vault keep running under their own terms, and the ViaBTC mining pool, a separate business linked to Yang, is not affected.

CoinEx wind-down timeline

Date (2026)What changes
September 15Announcement; new registrations and referral rewards stop; futures move to reduce-only; CET buyback window opens
September 22Futures, margin, loans, staking and Earn end (open futures are force-settled, loans liquidated, Earn redeemed); on-chain deposits stop except CET
September 29, 02:00 UTCSpot trading ends, open orders cancelled; CET buyback closes; CoinEx Smart Chain (CSC) and OneSwap stop; last moment to withdraw non-USDT coins in their original form
After September 29Coins with outside liquidity are sold and credited as USDT; illiquid tokens are delisted; leftover CET is redeemed at 0.005 USDT
December 22, 02:00 UTCWithdrawal window closes and the exchange shuts down
After December 22Unwithdrawn USDT goes to an independent custodian with a monthly fee of 5% of the original balance
August 22, 2028Final deadline to claim remaining USDT

What happens to the CET token?

CET, the exchange's own utility token, loses its purpose once the exchange closes. CoinEx is buying it back at 0.005 USDT — the price at which CET was first listed — with no quantity cap and no trading fee between September 15 and September 29. Any CET still on the platform after that is converted automatically at the same rate. According to CoinCodex, CET was trading at almost exactly that level when the news broke, so the buyback effectively sets a floor for holders on the exchange. CET deposits stay open a little longer than other deposits so that holders with tokens in outside wallets can bring them in and redeem.

Why does this matter?

CoinEx is not a collapse story: there is no reported hack, no frozen withdrawals and a stated reserve ratio above 100%. Decrypt notes it follows BitMEX and BitMart in a run of 2026 exchange closures, and CoinEx had also faced scrutiny earlier this year after a Wall Street Journal report on alleged Iran-linked flows, which the exchange denied facilitating. Taken together, it shows how mid-sized exchanges are being squeezed between lower volumes and heavier compliance costs.

For users the practical risk is not insolvency but friction. Deadlines are tight, some tokens will be sold on your behalf at whatever the market pays, obscure tokens may not be recoverable at all, and USDT left behind slowly shrinks at 5% a month. Closures also attract scammers who send fake "migration" or "claim" messages. The same withdraw-before-the-deadline logic applied to the recent Router Protocol and Silicon L2 shutdowns.

How to withdraw from CoinEx safely: a checklist

  1. Act before September 29. If you want to keep a coin itself rather than receive USDT, withdraw it before 02:00 UTC on September 29. Close futures positions yourself before September 22 rather than waiting for forced settlement.
  2. Decide on small or illiquid tokens now. Tokens without outside liquidity will be delisted; withdraw them or sell them while spot trading is still open.
  3. Check the network and memo for every withdrawal. Make sure the receiving wallet supports the network you pick (TRC-20, ERC-20, BEP-20 and so on) and include the memo or tag if the destination requires it.
  4. Send a small test first for large amounts, and copy the address from your wallet rather than from transaction history, to avoid poisoned lookalike addresses.
  5. Ignore "migration" offers. CoinEx says any announcement in its name after September 15 is fake unless it arrives via verified email, in-account messages or official verified social accounts. Its wind-down plan does not involve moving balances to a new platform, and no genuine notice will ask for your seed phrase, a "verification deposit" or a login through a link.
  6. Move to self-custody or a vetted service. The safest landing place is a wallet you control — see self-custody wallet security. If you need to swap or cash out, compare options on the exchangers list and run through how to vet a crypto exchanger first.
  7. Keep records. Save statements, trade history and withdrawal transaction IDs before the platform goes offline; you may need them for tax reporting or a later claim.

FAQ

Is CoinEx shutting down completely?

Yes, the exchange is closing. CoinEx announced on September 15, 2026 that it is ceasing operations, with withdrawals ending at 02:00 UTC on December 22, 2026. CoinEx Wallet, CoinEx Vault and the ViaBTC mining pool continue separately.

What is the last day to withdraw from CoinEx?

Withdrawals stay open until 02:00 UTC on December 22, 2026. To keep coins other than USDT in their original form, withdraw them before 02:00 UTC on September 29, 2026, when spot trading ends and remaining assets start being converted to USDT.

What happens to CET after CoinEx closes?

CoinEx is buying back CET at 0.005 USDT per token, its original listing price, with no cap and no fees from September 15 to September 29, 2026. Any CET left on the exchange after that is automatically redeemed at the same price.

What if I do not withdraw my funds in time?

Unwithdrawn USDT is moved to an independent custodian after December 22, 2026 and charged a monthly fee of 5% of the original balance. Users can still claim it until August 22, 2028.

Are CoinEx migration or claim messages legitimate?

Treat them as scams. CoinEx says any notice in its name after September 15, 2026 is fraudulent unless it comes via verified email, in-account messages or official verified social accounts; its wind-down plan does not include any migration of balances.

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