BitMEX will stop trading on September 23, 2026 at 04:00 UTC, and users can still withdraw funds after the cutoff. HDR Global Trading said the exchange will then cease operations, leaving account holders with a short window to move balances before trading ends and a longer period for withdrawals.
The notice also sets a 1 percent annual account fee, or at least $50, for verified users who leave assets behind after September 23 at 04:00 UTC. For someone holding a $40 balance, that floor is already higher than the account value. For a €5,000 balance, the annual charge works out to about €4.17 a month.
HDR Global Trading closure plan
HDR Global Trading announced the closure on July 23 and laid out a three-stage sequence. Since the announcement, BitMEX has accepted no new accounts. On August 26 at 04:00 UTC, risk limits were set so positions can only be reduced and no longer built up.
On September 23 at 04:00 UTC, the exchange will cease operations and any positions still open at that moment will be force-closed immediately. Users will still be able to log in, view wallet balances and transaction history, and withdraw funds after the cut-off date.
Withdrawal routes on BitMEX
The practical issue is not the deadline alone. Minimum withdrawal amount means the smallest amount the platform accepts for a withdrawal of a given asset, and a balance below that level is rejected by the system even if the fee could be paid.
CryptoTicker collected withdrawal-route data on September 11, 2026. The asset list and network list were retrieved that day at around 17:52 UTC with HTTP code 200, and the data showed 14 of 62 open withdrawal routes where the network fee matches or exceeds the minimum withdrawal amount.
Balances after September 23
That leaves users with small balances facing a narrow path: the exchange says withdrawals stay open, but some routes can cost as much as the balance they are trying to move. The most exposed accounts are the ones sitting below the withdrawal minimum or near the fee floor, because the system can reject those transfers before they leave BitMEX.
For users with leftover funds, the immediate step is to check the wallet balance, review transaction history, and compare each asset’s minimum withdrawal amount against the route fee before the shutdown date. The fee structure makes the smallest balances the hardest to clear, and the unanswered question is which specific assets and withdrawal routes will leave users stuck with amounts they cannot move economically.
