Binance to Close Accounts in France, Spain, Italy and Poland on Dec 31

Binance Sets December 31 Closure for Four EU Countries

Binance will close the accounts of customers in France, Spain, Italy and Poland on December 31, 2026, and has urged those users to withdraw their crypto and fiat balances before new monthly fees begin on November 29. Emails sent to affected customers and shared publicly on X state that deposits are now blocked, while withdrawals of both crypto and fiat remain open. A Binance spokesperson described the closures as a carefully managed process, saying affected accounts will be shut with effect from December 31, 2026. The company said it is progressively restricting certain services for affected users following the end of the transition period under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, and stressed that customer assets remain safe and accessible with no sudden freeze. From November 29, any remaining crypto balance will be charged a monthly fee of 0.025% of its value or 10 USDC, whichever is higher. The first charge will be taken within three days of that date, and a second will follow after December 24. Accounts whose balances fall below the fee amount will have the entire remainder deducted. Deductions come from USDC holdings first, with other crypto assets tapped if the stablecoin balance does not cover the charge. After December 31, accounts that still hold crypto will be treated as inactive, a status that may result in the remaining assets being converted or transferred. The emails themselves have not been independently verified, although Binance's published terms state that the platform may charge a dormant account fee on a monthly basis, drawn directly from the dormant account. Users in all four countries have posted the notices on X, confirming the closure programme extends beyond France. Moving out is the only transaction still possible, with standard crypto network fees applying to withdrawals as usual.

MiCA License Gap Behind the Shutdown

The licensing gap behind the notices is explicit. Under MiCA, the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, a crypto exchange must secure authorization in one member state to serve customers across the entire bloc. Binance does not hold such a license: the company withdrew its Greek MiCA application in June, saying it planned to seek approval in another member state, which it has yet to name, and expressing confidence it would secure a license in the coming months. It does not yet appear on the European Securities and Markets Authority's register of authorized crypto providers. France's regulator, the Autorité des marchés financiers, records Binance France's registration, in place since May 2022, as having lapsed automatically on July 2, when the country's national registration regime ended. The regulator's list of removed providers shows more than 50 firms struck off that day for operating without a MiCA license, including Gemini's European unit. Binance first urged users in the four affected countries to withdraw their assets in June; those are the markets where it ran locally registered businesses before the transition period closed. Customers in states without a local Binance entity, such as Portugal, have not been singled out in the same way, though they remain subject to the broader EU restrictions. A company spokesperson said Binance's commitment to Europe remains unchanged and that it is actively progressing its authorization pathway. MiCA's passporting rule means a single national approval restores access to the whole bloc, which is why the missing entry on ESMA's list is the decisive fact for European users. Until that approval lands, the four-country closure proceeds on its published schedule.

Withdrawal Before November 29 Avoids the Fee

For users, the effective deadline is November 29 rather than December 31: withdrawing before that date avoids the monthly deductions entirely, while a balance left in place erodes through repeated charges. Moving funds to self-custody restores control of the private key, though onboarding at another licensed venue takes time and converting on thinner order books can carry measurable slippage. Anyone counting on a renewed bull market to change the calculus faces the same fixed calendar, since the closure runs on published dates rather than price conditions. Binance has also not named the member state where it now seeks MiCA approval, so there is no visible date for its return to full EU service; our How to Buy Bitcoin in Europe 2026 guide lists the authorized venues users can evaluate instead.