Binance Tells Users in Four European Countries to Withdraw Crypto Before Fees Start and Accounts Close on December 31

Published November 8, 2026, 05:50 AM PKT. Based on CoinDesk reporting of November 7, 2026 (primary source), with secondary reporting from Crypto News, Europe Says and CryptoCorax.

Binance is telling users in France, Spain, Italy and Poland to withdraw their crypto and fiat balances before monthly fees start on November 29, with their accounts set to close on December 31, 2026, CoinDesk reported on November 7. A Binance spokesperson confirmed the plan to CoinDesk, saying the exchange is "progressively restricting certain services for affected users" after the end of the transition period under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) rules. "Affected accounts will be closed with effect from 31 December 2026," the spokesperson said, describing it as "a carefully managed process."

The confirmation widens a closure MABOnChain reported on November 7, when Binance France customers were told their accounts would close on December 31 after the exchange failed to win a MiCA license. The new reporting shows the same notices went to users in Spain, Italy and Poland, and it adds the first on-record confirmation from Binance itself, including the fee schedule and the promise that withdrawals stay open until the end.

The November 29 fee and the December 31 closure

Starting November 29, Binance will charge users 0.025% of their remaining crypto balance each month, or 10 USD Coin ($USDC), whichever is higher, according to the emails sent to customers. The first charge will be taken within three days of November 29, and a second charge will be taken after December 24. Accounts holding less than the fee will have their entire balance taken, the emails say. Accounts emptied before November 29 will pay nothing.

Deposits are already blocked, but customers can still withdraw their crypto and fiat balances, the spokesperson told CoinDesk, adding that users' assets remain safe and accessible and that there is "no sudden freeze." Under the closure plan, Binance will deduct the fee from USDC holdings first, then from other crypto assets if needed.

What happens to crypto left behind

Binance said it will treat accounts with crypto remaining after December 31 as inactive, which may result in the assets being converted or transferred under its terms of use. The exchange has not promised that crypto left in an account will remain in its original form after year-end, and it has not said how unclaimed balances will be handled beyond the terms.

Binance's terms on its website state that it may "charge a dormant account fee which may be to cover the cost of maintaining the Digital Assets with any Binance Affiliate or any third party, with such fee to be withdrawn directly from the dormant account on a monthly basis." The fee mechanics in the customer emails, including the 10 USDC minimum, come from the emails as reported by CoinDesk; the spokesperson confirmed the closure plan, the fee start date and that withdrawals remain open.

Four countries, one pattern: the MiCA transition ended

In June, Binance first contacted users in France, Spain, Italy and Poland, urging them to withdraw. Those are countries where it ran locally registered businesses before MiCA's transition period ended. France's financial regulator, the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), lists Binance France's registration, which has been held since May 2022, as having lapsed automatically on July 2, 2026. That is when France's national registration regime ended and more than 50 providers without a MiCA license, including Gemini's European unit, were removed.

Users in countries where Binance had no local entity, including Portugal, have not been singled out in the same way, though they remain subject to the broader EU restrictions, according to Portuguese newspaper Expresso, as reported by CoinDesk. The notices target customers in countries where Binance previously had local entities, rather than every EU user.

No license, no named country, no ESMA listing

MiCA requires crypto exchanges to secure authorization in an EU member state to serve customers across the bloc. Binance withdrew its application for a Greek MiCA license in June but said it planned to seek approval in another EU member state, which it has yet to name. "We are confident we will secure a license in the coming months," Binance said at the time. It still does not appear in the European Securities and Markets Authority's register of authorized crypto providers.

"Our commitment to Europe remains unchanged, and we are actively progressing our authorization pathway," the spokesperson said. Until an authorization lands, the four-country wind-down is the clearest sign of how far Binance's European retreat has gone: the world's largest crypto exchange cannot legally serve customers in the bloc, and the customers it already has in its former local markets are being told to leave.

What to watch next

Three dates will show how the wind-down plays out. The first is November 29, when the monthly fee starts and the first deduction lands within three days. The second is December 24, when the second charge is taken. The third is December 31, when the affected accounts close. Alongside the dates, the open question is whether Binance names the member state where it will seek MiCA authorization, and when that application produces a decision. MABOnChain will also watch whether the exchange confirms how many users are affected, a number it has not given, and whether other European markets receive the same notices.

Sources

• CoinDesk, Binance users in some European countries told to pull crypto before fees kick in, with accounts closing by year end, November 7, 2026 (primary source: Binance spokesperson confirmed the closure plan to CoinDesk, saying the exchange is progressively restricting certain services for affected users after the end of the MiCA transition period, that affected accounts will be closed with effect from December 31, 2026, that deposits are blocked while crypto and fiat withdrawals remain open, and that assets remain safe and accessible with no sudden freeze; the customer emails set the fee at 0.025% of the remaining crypto balance per month or 10 USDC, whichever is higher, with the first charge within three days of November 29 and a second after December 24; the AMF lists Binance France's registration as lapsed automatically on July 2, 2026; Binance withdrew its Greek MiCA application in June and has not named another member state; it does not appear in the ESMA register of authorized crypto providers)
• Crypto News, Binance users in some European countries told to pull crypto before fees kick in, with accounts closing by year end, November 7, 2026 (secondary reporting: users in Spain, Italy and Poland said they received the same closure emails; Binance first contacted users in France, Spain, Italy and Poland in June; users in countries where Binance had no local entity, including Portugal, have not been singled out in the same way, according to Portuguese newspaper Expresso)
• Europe Says, Binance European Account Closures: Fees and Dates, November 7, 2026 (secondary reporting: the fee will be deducted from USDC holdings first, then from other crypto if needed; Binance says assets remain accessible before closure but has not promised crypto left in an account will remain in its original form after year-end; the plan concerns accounts held with Binance's French entity and other affected local entities, not a general closure of Binance throughout Europe)
• CryptoCorax, Binance to Close EU Accounts on Dec 31 Without MiCA License, November 8, 2026 (secondary reporting: accounts emptied before November 29 will pay nothing; Binance said it will treat accounts with crypto remaining after December 31 as inactive, which may result in the assets being converted or transferred under its terms of use)
• MABOnChain, Binance France to Close All Customer Accounts on December 31 After MiCA License Failure, November 7, 2026 (context: the France-only report this story widens; Binance France accounts close December 31, 2026, deposits already impossible, monthly fee of 0.025% of balance or 10 USDC whichever is higher from November 29, based on the customer email reported by Cryptoast on November 6)

This article is news reporting and is not investment advice.