EU widens Belarus ownership ban to all crypto service providers The EU will bar Belarusian nationals and residents from owning, controlling or managing exchanges and other MiCA-regulated crypto firms from Aug. 25.

The European Union has decided to broaden its sanctions on Belarus by barring Belarusian nationals and residents from owning, controlling, or managing crypto exchanges and other crypto service providers regulated under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. This new restriction will take effect on August 25 and is part of Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/1847, which amends the EU’s sanctions framework targeting Belarus due to its involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Previously, the restriction only applied to companies offering crypto wallet, account, or custody services but now includes all other crypto-asset services defined by MiCA, such as operating trading platforms, exchanging crypto assets, and providing investment advice.

This sanctions expansion follows the conclusion of MiCA's transition period on July 1, after which crypto companies in the EU must be authorized or face enforcement. The broadening of restrictions on Belarusian individuals and entities aligns with the EU’s wider efforts to curb crypto platforms and financial networks that allegedly assist Russia in evading sanctions related to the war in Ukraine. Recently, the EU also extended its transaction ban to 14 crypto-related service platforms outside the bloc and introduced mechanisms to prohibit dealings with foreign crypto providers used by Russia for sanctions evasion.

The Belarusian sanctions form part of the EU’s 21st package of sanctions against Russia and its allies. This move followed similar actions by the United Kingdom, which sanctioned Huobi Global S.A. and its affiliated platform HTX for alleged involvement with Russia-linked sanctioned entities. HTX denied any wrongdoing and asserted its commitment to regulatory compliance. According to Cointelegraph, this expansion of sanctions is intended to tighten control over crypto services to prevent them from being exploited in the ongoing conflict and related sanction evasions.