Binance review 2026: licence, services and withdrawals in the EU

Binance built the largest crypto exchange in the world by trading volume, as CoinDesk describes it, and many people in Bulgaria opened accounts there. This review looks at Binance as it stands for EU users in September 2026: which entities hold licences, what you can still do with an account, what the fees and support look like, and the regulatory history you should know. Facts were checked on 16 September 2026. For a side-by-side table, see our Binance comparison.

Entities and licences

Binance's licences page lists three entities regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi Global Market: Nest Exchange Limited, Nest Clearing and Custody Limited and Nest Trading Limited. It lists no entity in the EU or EEA.

Under MiCA, a crypto-asset service provider needs authorisation in one member state and a notification for each country it serves. The picture for Binance:

• ESMA register. Binance does not appear in ESMA's interim register of crypto-asset service providers. We checked the CSV file last modified on 9 September 2026.
• FSC notifications. Binance is not on the FSC's list of providers notified under Article 65 of MiCA to serve Bulgaria.
• Greek application. In a post dated 24 June 2026, Binance said it had withdrawn its MiCA application with the Hellenic Capital Market Commission and would pursue authorisation in another member state.

For how the Bulgarian rules work, read MiCA in Bulgaria.

How buying, selling and withdrawing work now

The end of the MiCA transition period on 1 July 2026 changed what EU users can do.

Registrations and services. CoinDesk reported on 26 June 2026 that Binance had emailed EU users, halted new registrations and would restrict services because it would not hold a MiCA licence by 1 July. Euronews reported on 25 June that Binance would stop providing crypto-asset services in several EU markets.

Access to assets. Binance's own post says users' funds remain safe and accessible, and that it would contact each EU user about whether action is required and what options exist. CoinDesk quoted the email to users: "Your assets remain safe and secure, and will remain accessible at all times."

What the regulator allows. The FSC stated on 30 June 2026 that unlicensed providers may only carry out transactions linked to clients leaving: a transfer to a licensed provider or to the client's own wallet, or closing positions.

In practice, a Binance user in Bulgaria should expect to be able to withdraw, not to open new positions. The exact scope for each account is set out in Binance's notices to that user.

Published fees

Binance does not publish a fee schedule specific to EU users after 1 July 2026. The EUR bank withdrawal fee and any minimums for EU accounts are not published.

Stablecoins

Finance Magnates reported that from 31 March 2025 Binance removed spot trading pairs for EEA users in stablecoins that do not meet MiCA, including USDT, FDUSD, TUSD and DAI. Since July 2026 new spot trading for EU users is restricted in any case, per the reports above.

Custody

Assets on Binance are held in your exchange account. To hold them yourself, withdraw to a wallet where you control the keys. Our guide to self-custody wallets covers the options and the trade-offs.

Card

Binance's Visa debit card for the EEA ended on 20 December 2023, when the issuer Contis Financial Services stopped issuing it, Cointelegraph reported. We found no replacement for EU users.

Support and language

Binance advertises 24/7 chat support. Its support page, updated on 11 June 2026, says an AI assistant answers first and you can then ask for a human agent. The same page says agents "may not be able to reply to you in your preferred language". When we opened binance.com/bg on 16 September 2026, it redirected to the English site. We found no Binance office in Bulgaria.

Regulatory actions and public incidents

Each item below is attributed to its source, with the status as published.

• MiCA application in Greece. Withdrawn by Binance, as announced on 24 June 2026. Binance says it will apply in another member state. Status: no authorisation in ESMA's register as of 9 September 2026.
• EU service restrictions. Reported by Euronews and CoinDesk in June 2026. Status: in effect since 1 July 2026, per those reports.
• United States, 2023. The Department of Justice announced on 21 November 2023 that Binance Holdings Limited pleaded guilty and agreed to pay over USD 4 billion to resolve charges under the Bank Secrecy Act, for unlicensed money transmitting and for sanctions violations. Founder Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering programme and resigned as CEO. Status: plea agreements announced by the DOJ.
• Netherlands, 2022. De Nederlandsche Bank fined Binance Holdings Ltd. EUR 3,325,000 for offering crypto services without the required registration. Status: decision dated 25 April 2022, published 18 July 2022.

Trustpilot

Trustpilot does not display a rating for Binance. On 16 September 2026 the profile stated: "This company's rating is unavailable due to a breach of our guidelines." Because Trustpilot hides the score, we do not quote one.

Who Binance suits now

For EU residents, Binance currently suits one task: moving existing assets out. If Binance obtains a MiCA authorisation and notifies Bulgaria, that could change, and the ESMA register is the place to check. Traders outside the EU are not the audience of this review.

Alternatives for users in Bulgaria

If you are leaving Binance, look for a provider that appears in ESMA's register with Bulgaria among its host countries, or keep assets in your own wallet. Examples of providers passported into Bulgaria include Coinbase Luxembourg S.A., Kraken's Payward Europe Solutions Limited and Bybit EU GmbH; our reviews of each set out fees and support. xChange.bg offers a EUR IBAN and USD account details in your own name, converts incoming money to USDC in a self-custody wallet, with accounts and conversions provided by the regulated partner Bridge, a Stripe company.

Before any transfer, match the token and network on both sides and send a small test amount first.