Catenaa, Sunday, July 26, 2026- The European Union has added cryptocurrency exchange HTX to its Russia sanctions regime, barring individuals and companies in the bloc from conducting transactions with the platform beginning Aug. 23, as Brussels expands efforts to curb financial networks accused of facilitating sanctions evasion.
The measure forms part of the EU’s 21st sanctions package against Russia and applies to a group of third-country financial institutions and crypto service providers that the bloc says have significantly undermined restrictions imposed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Under the new regulation, EU operators will be prohibited from engaging directly or indirectly in transactions with HTX, identified in the legislation as “HTX (HUOBI GLOBAL SA).”
The restriction does not amount to a full asset freeze or designation. Instead, it prevents new transactions with the exchange once the measure takes effect.
Eligible nationals and residents of the EU, European Economic Area and Switzerland will be permitted to apply for authorization to withdraw funds or close their accounts. Applications must be submitted within three months after the restrictions become effective.
The latest sanctions package also targets 13 other crypto-related service providers, including EXMO, Rapira, BitPapa, Aifory Pro, WhiteBird, NoOnecrypto and Exnode. The restrictions against those platforms will also take effect on Aug. 23.
HTX said it takes regulatory compliance seriously and cooperates with authorities in jurisdictions where it operates.
The exchange said it maintains an active compliance program designed to identify and prevent transactions involving sanctioned individuals and entities.
The EU’s reference to “HTX (HUOBI GLOBAL SA)” differs from the exchange’s previous statements following sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom in May. At the time, an HTX spokesperson said Huobi Global S.A. was a separate entity from HTX.
The sanctions package was first outlined in June by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as part of a broader effort to tighten restrictions on entities accused of supporting Russia’s economy and sanctions evasion networks.
Alongside additional listings of individuals and companies, the package expands transaction restrictions covering banks, crypto platforms, oil traders and other financial intermediaries.
The legislation also introduces a new mechanism allowing the EU to prohibit transactions with crypto service providers established in jurisdictions that systematically fail to prevent sanctions circumvention. While the legal framework has now been established, no countries have yet been designated under the new provision.
The EU action follows recent allegations by blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs, which claimed HTX had rotated wallet infrastructure across multiple blockchain networks following UK sanctions, making traditional sanctions screening more difficult.
HTX rejected the allegations, saying the wallet movements reflected routine security and operational practices commonly used across the cryptocurrency industry rather than efforts to evade sanctions.
The EU regulation does not cite the TRM Labs findings as a basis for its decision.
The latest measures demonstrate the EU’s continued effort to extend sanctions enforcement beyond traditional financial institutions to include cryptocurrency service providers operating outside the bloc.
Rather than focusing solely on sanctioned wallets or individuals, regulators are increasingly targeting exchanges and other digital asset platforms they believe facilitate cross-border financial activity linked to sanctioned entities.
The new framework also provides Brussels with additional legal tools to restrict crypto service providers operating from jurisdictions that fail to prevent sanctions evasion, potentially broadening future enforcement actions.
The European Union has steadily expanded sanctions targeting Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with successive packages aimed at limiting Moscow’s access to international finance, technology and trade. As digital assets have become increasingly integrated into global financial systems, regulators have widened sanctions enforcement to include cryptocurrency exchanges and related service providers. The EU’s 21st sanctions package represents one of its broadest efforts to date, designating 218 individuals and entities while introducing new mechanisms to address alleged sanctions circumvention through crypto platforms and other financial intermediaries.
