Bitget Abandons Japan Amid Regulatory Pressure

Cryptocurrency exchange Bitget has announced that it will stop serving customers in Japan by December 31, 2026. The decision comes after repeated warnings from Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA) over unregistered operations targeting residents.

In a notice posted on August 2, 2026, Bitget stated that the shutdown is part of its ongoing commitment to regulatory compliance in Japan. As of August 3, Japanese residents can no longer open new accounts on the platform.

The exchange will force-close all Japan positions by December 31, 2026, and users who fail to unwind their positions before then may see their holdings sold at market price. Starting November 1, flagged accounts will shift to close-only trading mode, where users can still withdraw funds but cannot open new trades.

This is not the first time an offshore exchange has left Japan under regulatory pressure. Bybit, a similarly sized platform, went through the same sequence last year. Bitget has given no indication it plans to register in Japan or return later.