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BitMEX to shut down on Sept. 23, 2026 after owner closes exchange
BitMEX told users to close positions and withdraw funds during the transition, while the firm said it has maintained a 11 year record of no customer funds lost to hacks.
BitMEX announced it will shut down operations on Sept. 23, 2026, after its owner and operator, HDR Global Trading Limited, decided to close the crypto exchange following a strategic review, Cointelegraph reports. The exchange said it will stop operations on that date and advised users to close positions and withdraw funds during the transition period.
BitMEX said it wants to reassure customers that their assets will remain fully safe and under their control during the transition. The firm also said it helped popularize perpetual swap contracts, a crypto derivatives product that lets traders speculate on asset prices without expiration dates.
The closure comes as competition in crypto derivatives changes, with CoinGecko’s latest Crypto Industry Report cited by Cointelegraph showing centralized exchange perpetual futures volume fell 10% to $12.7 trillion in the second quarter of 2026.
Cointelegraph also notes that decentralized alternatives such as Hyperliquid rose to become the second largest perpetuals exchange by open interest, behind Binance. BitMEX did not disclose additional details on why HDR Global Trading chose to close the company after its review.