The bloc identified HTX among 14 crypto platforms and created a new power to ban an entire country’s crypto services.
Posted July 27, 2026 at 7:19 am EST.
The European Union has named crypto exchange HTX in its 21st Russia sanctions package, barring people and companies in the bloc from transacting with the platform beginning Aug. 23. The Council adopted the package on July 23, but the specific crypto targets surfaced only once the regulation appeared in the bloc’s Official Journal.
The EU identified the exchange as “HTX (HUOBI GLOBAL SA)” among third-country financial institutions and crypto service providers it accused of “significantly frustrating” restrictions tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Fourteen crypto platforms are covered in total, with EXMO, Rapira, BitPapa, Aifory Pro, WhiteBird, NoOnecrypto and Exnode identified alongside HTX. The measure stops short of a full designation or asset freeze, and eligible EU, European Economic Area and Swiss nationals and residents can apply to withdraw funds or close accounts within three months of the ban taking effect.
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The EU’s 21st Russia sanctions package also hands the European Council an instrument the power to prohibit dealings with crypto service providers established in any country that has systematically and persistently failed to stop platforms from undermining EU sanctions. The annex naming those countries is currently empty.
The wider package is the largest batch of listings in four years, covering 48 individuals and 170 entities. It freezes assets at 94 banks and major financial institutions, extends transaction bans to 33 additional Russian credit and financial institutions, and adds four designations tied to the cross-border A7 network, including its new links to Africa. Chainalysis has estimated that the A7 network, where the ruble-backed A7A5 stablecoin operates, has processed close to $120 billion.
HTX’s inclusion follows UK sanctions against Huobi Global S.A. in May. Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs alleged two days before the EU action that HTX had been rotating hot wallets across Tron, Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain and Solana, retiring addresses within hours in a way that blunts screening built on static lists. The sanctions also com days after Russia’s State Duma passed the country’s first comprehensive crypto framework, with most rules effective Sept. 1, following earlier moves to formalize digital asset rules.
Related Listen: Why Authorities Can’t Freeze Crypto Fast Enough: DEX in the City
AI-assisted content: This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and was reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by a member of the Unchained editorial team before publication.
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