Hotbit Suspends Operations and Tells Users to Withdraw Funds

Crypto trading platform Hotbit has announced that it will cease all operations on May 22 after being active for over five years.

Hotbit has asked its users to withdraw their assets by June 21.

Why Is Hotbit Closing Up Shop?

In a formal statement, Hotbit stated that it was shutting down due to operating conditions deteriorating. Along with declining cash flow, it also blamed a shift in crypto sentiment and tightening regulations.

“The Hotbit team believes that centralized exchanges (CEX) are becoming increasingly cumbersome, with highly complex and interconnected businesses that are difficult to comply with, whether for compliance or decentralization, and are unlikely to meet long-term trends.”

Hotbit also described the numerous difficulties it was facing. It outlined cyber-attacks and losses brought on by project flaws. Back in August of last year, one of the platform’s employees faced a criminal probe, forcing the exchange to suspend its operations for weeks.

After bouncing back from the FTX collapse, market liquidity in cryptocurrencies has suffered over the past four weeks. In its most recent report, CoinShares observed that crypto investment products saw outflows of $200 million over the past month.

Crypto Rules Change Direction

Hotbit has licenses in Hong Kong and Estonia, according to its website. However, Hotbit decided to shut down the company at a critical time. A new licensing system for providers of virtual asset services will go into effect in Hong Kong on June 1. A decision that intends to permit regular investors to trade major crypto assets.

In the meantime, a significant number of other cryptocurrency platforms have left Estonia. Following the passage of a new Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Prevention Act, nearly 200 cryptocurrency exchanges in Estonia recently withdrew their applications. The deadline for businesses to renew their licenses was June 3.

The majority of the world’s major economies are gradually implementing cryptocurrency rules. The Market in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) law has been endorsed by every European Union member, even if the U..S agencies are lacking in the area. In the meantime, the U.K. is also trying to establish a positive presence on the regulatory front.

India has proposed a single framework for G20 nations to deal with cryptocurrency, while Hong Kong, the UAE, and Singapore have proffered a more knowledgeable global crypto potential. If a decision is made in the legislative direction, it might be quite important given that this year’s G20 Summit is presided over by an Asian country.