Binance France has informed customers that all accounts with the French entity will be closed on Dec. 31, 2026, following the exchange's failure to obtain a MiCA license. Starting Nov. 29, the exchange will impose a monthly management fee on any account that remains open.
Closure Notice and Fee Schedule
In emails sent to customers, Binance France stated that deposits are no longer possible and that accounts will be closed as of Dec. 31, 2026. The notice warned that assets not withdrawn by that date may be considered inactive and could be subject to "conversion, transfer or other handling" under the exchange's terms of use.
From Nov. 29, Binance France will charge a monthly fee of 0.025% of the account balance or 10 USDC, whichever is higher. The first charge is expected within three days of Nov. 29, with a second charge anticipated after Dec. 24. Because of the 10 USDC minimum, accounts holding less than approximately $40,000 will pay the flat fee. A small account could lose 20 USDC across the two charges. Fees are deducted from USDC first, then from other crypto assets; if the balance is less than the fee, Binance will take whatever remains.
Customers can avoid the fees by withdrawing all assets before the Nov. 29 "calculation day."
Background: MiCA and Loss of Trading
The shutdown stems from the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which became mandatory for crypto service providers on June 30, 2026. Binance withdrew its Greek license application in June and subsequently announced it would limit EU services from July 1. When the deadline passed, users in France and several other EU countries lost spot, margin and futures trading but retained the right to withdraw. An estimated 2 million French customers were affected, and licensed rivals such as Coinbase and OKX launched campaigns targeting Binance users.
Separately, TRM Labs found that only 281 of 1,343 crypto service providers secured authorization under MiCA, a process that removed 80% of European firms.
Timing and Outflows
The closure notice comes as Binance deals with the fallout from a $6.3 billion hack disclosed on Oct. 29. When withdrawals reopened, users pulled a net 25,793 bitcoin (worth $3.6 billion) between Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, the largest two-day net outflow in 12 months.
For remaining Binance France customers, the closing notice adds another reason to move funds. Most will likely withdraw to self-custody wallets or to MiCA-licensed exchanges before the fees begin. It remains uncertain whether Binance will re-enter the EU through a license elsewhere in the bloc, a debate that is still live as France pushes its own positions in the MiCA review. For now, French users have just over three weeks to move their funds before the fees start.
