Users in Belarus have begun reporting that popular international crypto exchanges Bybit, BingX, Bitget and OKX are no longer accessible without VPN. When people try to visit these sites through local internet providers, they see messages saying access has been restricted based on a government decision.
The block appears to have been ordered by the Ministry of Information and added to the country’s official registry of restricted resources maintained by the national telecom regulator. But no clear official reason has been given for the action, leaving many users confused and frustrated.
Belarus has previously allowed crypto trading and ownership under national rules, even encouraging local digital economy growth. Yet now the state is cutting off access to major global platforms at the infrastructure level. Officials haven’t explained why these particular exchanges were targeted.
For people who trade or hold assets on these platforms, this isn’t just a minor annoyance. Simply using VPN will solve the issue.
2 Comments
A VPN won't solve the problem with a centralized exchange, as it requires a KYC to function properly. A user could simply have their account blocked for logging in from a "different" country where they aren't a tax resident. Or they'll demand proof of residence in the new country. This is most likely to happen when attempting to withdraw money from the exchange.
KYC is tied to your identity, not your IP.
Centralized exchanges only care about your passport, face identification and physical address. As long as you connect from the country that is not blacklisted by exchange there should be no problems.
People travel, move, use work VPNs, mobile networks, roaming, etc.
Exchanges see millions of IP changes every day.