{"id":"bitforex","title":"BitForex","content":"**BitForex** was a cryptocurrency exchange registered in Seychelles and reportedly headquartered in Hong Kong.[[5]](#cite-id-fvb8nvqic6) Founded in 2017, it operated as a centralized exchange serving users globally.[[5]](#cite-id-fvb8nvqic6)[[4]](#cite-id-iymkt00rm9) In late February 2024, the exchange abruptly ceased operations following suspicious outflows of approximately $56.5 million from its hot wallets.[[1]](#cite-id-B8V2MwYRJv02vxC5)[[4]](#cite-id-iymkt00rm9) Subsequently, the platform's website was taken offline, trading was halted, and the team became unresponsive, leading to widespread accusations that the shutdown was an alleged exit scam or [rug pull](https://iq.wiki/wiki/rug-pull) and leaving user funds inaccessible.[[1]](#cite-id-B8V2MwYRJv02vxC5) BitForex later stated that the interruption was caused by the detention of team members by police in Jiangsu province in China and reopened withdrawals-only access to some assets from July 2024, although no formal insolvency process was opened and many balances remained unresolved as of late 2026.[[4]](#cite-id-iymkt00rm9) The exchange had previously faced regulatory warnings and accusations of inflating its trade volume.[[1]](#cite-id-B8V2MwYRJv02vxC5)\n\n## History\n\n### Founding and Operations\nBitForex was founded in 2017 and launched its platform around 2018.[[5]](#cite-id-fvb8nvqic6)[[6]](#cite-id-99csuog30j) Registered in Seychelles with primary operations based in Hong Kong, it described itself as a global one-stop digital asset service platform.[[5]](#cite-id-fvb8nvqic6)[[4]](#cite-id-iymkt00rm9) Before its collapse, BitForex offered a range of services including spot trading, perpetual contracts, and an NFT marketplace. It was known for listing a wide variety of cryptocurrencies, often using [airdrops](https://iq.wiki/wiki/airdrop) and promotional campaigns to attract users and trading volume.[[2]](#cite-id-AfzZqljEntM8p1Uf)\n\n## Controversies\n\n### Controversies and Regulatory Scrutiny\nThroughout its operational history, BitForex faced several controversies. The exchange was accused of artificially inflating its trading volumes to create a false impression of market activity, with one report noting it claimed a peak trading volume of over $4.2 billion in January 2024.[[1]](#cite-id-B8V2MwYRJv02vxC5)\n\nThe platform also drew attention from financial regulators. Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA) had previously issued a warning against BitForex for operating in the country without registration. On September 28, 2022, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued a warning against \"BITFOREX FINANCE,\" stating the firm was providing financial services in the UK without authorization and that consumers would not be protected by compensation schemes.[[3]](#cite-id-uKZaNgEwz9kKTFNR)\n\n## February 2024 Collapse\n\nOn February 23, 2024, on-chain analysts identified significant outflows from BitForex's hot wallets, with an estimated $56.5 million in various cryptocurrencies being withdrawn. Immediately following these transfers, the exchange halted all user withdrawal requests. Within days, the official website became inaccessible, and the entire team became unresponsive to customer inquiries, with social media administrators reportedly silencing user complaints before disappearing. The sequence of events led many users and security analysts to conclude that the exchange had carried out an alleged \"exit scam\" or \"[rug pull](https://iq.wiki/wiki/rug-pull),\" although BitForex later attributed the shutdown to the detention of its team by police in China and did not enter any formal insolvency process.[\\[1\\]](#cite-id-B8V2MwYRJv02vxC5)​[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-iymkt00rm9)​\n\n### Post-Collapse Developments and Company Statements\n\nAfter nearly five months of silence, a statement appeared on the official BitForex X (formerly Twitter) account on July 19, 2024. The post claimed the service interruption was due to team members being \"detained and investigated by the Jiangsu Province police in China\" on February 23, 2024, an assertion that has not been independently verified.[\\[2\\]](#cite-id-AfzZqljEntM8p1Uf)​[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-iymkt00rm9)​\n\nAccording to later company communications summarized by secondary reports, BitForex stated that it regained access to its systems on July 24, 2024 and reopened withdrawals-only access while keeping trading, new registrations, and deposits permanently suspended.[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-iymkt00rm9) In a statement dated November 2025, the company denied conducting an exit scam, reiterated that the interruption was caused by the detention of its team, and claimed that more than 50% of user assets had been withdrawn since withdrawals resumed, without clarifying whether this figure was measured by value, asset count, or user count.[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-iymkt00rm9) The same announcement set a final deadline of December 25, 2025 for all users to complete KYC verification and withdraw their assets and introduced a 5% monthly management fee, with a minimum charge of US$10, on any balances remaining after that date; this fee was self-imposed by the company, not ordered by any court or administrator, and has not been independently audited.[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-iymkt00rm9)​\n\nRegistry data compiled in 2026 notes that no formal insolvency or restructuring proceeding was opened for BitForex in any jurisdiction, that the US$56.5 million figure reflects outflows from the exchange’s hot wallets rather than an audited shortfall, and that there is no public record of any court-supervised distributions to creditors.[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-iymkt00rm9) As of late 2026, the ultimate cause of the February 2024 outflows has not been publicly explained, claims about partial asset recovery remain based on BitForex’s own unaudited statements, and the case is generally described as an ongoing situation involving alleged unauthorized outflows and a disputed explanation of events.[\\[4\\]](#cite-id-iymkt00rm9)​","summary":"BitForex was a centralized cryptocurrency exchange registered in Seychelles and headquartered in Hong Kong, which collapsed in February 2024 following large hot wallet outflows and a suspension of withdrawals.","images":[{"id":"QmXLinUP3WrMUxucFLDwHjT3ixpDrCy2qNRmP8LRSgwhx8","type":"image/jpeg, image/png"}],"categories":[{"id":"exchanges-and-marketplaces","title":"Exchanges & Marketplaces"}],"tags":[{"id":"CEX"}],"media":[{"id":"QmPBUPW2svSvyCcReW6ZH2k82R8K62TmeZxGcwnsdXn3nZ","size":"0.072","name":"OIP.jfif","source":"IPFS_IMG"},{"id":"QmXLinUP3WrMUxucFLDwHjT3ixpDrCy2qNRmP8LRSgwhx8","size":"0.057","name":"R 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2018\",\"timestamp\":1767878778749},{\"id\":\"uKZaNgEwz9kKTFNR\",\"url\":\"https://www.fca.org.uk/news/warnings/bitforex-finance\",\"description\":\"FCA Warning: BitForex Finance\",\"timestamp\":1767878778749},{\"id\":\"iymkt00rm9\",\"url\":\"https://itokenly.com/failures/bitforex\",\"description\":\"BitForex collapse — what creditors were owed and recovered (2024)\",\"timestamp\":1790604100570},{\"id\":\"fvb8nvqic6\",\"url\":\"https://bouncewatch.com/company/bitforex\",\"description\":\"BitForex company profile\",\"timestamp\":1790604234335},{\"id\":\"99csuog30j\",\"url\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitforexexchange\",\"description\":\"BitForex LinkedIn profile\",\"timestamp\":1790604234335}]"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"Qmbb9bXpvNrnj19yA3nUPaWmwgEekeQKL7B6LtSeC6yJgQ"},{"id":"commit-message","value":"Update BitForex wiki: expanded summary by 202 words, add timeline"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"Qmbb9bXpvNrnj19yA3nUPaWmwgEekeQKL7B6LtSeC6yJgQ"}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138"},"operator":{"id":"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138"},"language":"en","version":1,"linkedWikis":{"founders":[],"blockchains":[],"speakers":[]},"recentActivity":"{\"items\":[{\"id\":\"0d62e76c-8860-481e-b382-47aab7fdd048\",\"title\":\"BitForex\",\"description\":\"BitForex is a cryptocurrency exchange headquartered in Hong Kong and registered in Seychelles.\",\"timestamp\":\"2026-01-08T13:30:18.131Z\",\"category\":\"Exchanges\",\"status\":{\"icon\":\"RiGlobalLine\",\"label\":\"Wiki Updated\",\"iconClassName\":\"text-green-500\"},\"user\":{\"name\":\"0x7da121Af2c3Fc2e65eDCD3573a403C352B4538Aa\",\"address\":\"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138\"},\"button\":{\"label\":\"View Summary\",\"icon\":\"RiFileTextLine\"},\"summarySections\":[{\"title\":\"Summary\",\"subtitle\":\"The page summary was rewritten to describe the exchange's collapse and suspected exit scam.\",\"variant\":\"modified\",\"changeCount\":2,\"changes\":[\"Removed the previous summary that described BitForex as an operational cryptocurrency exchange.\",\"Added a new summary describing BitForex as a collapsed exchange that ceased operations in February 2024 following suspicious outflows and accusations of an exit scam. [[2]](#cite-id-B8V2MwYRJv02vxC5) [[3]](#cite-id-M6m8rS8ZMTpU1fVw)\"]},{\"title\":\"Overview\",\"subtitle\":\"The \\\"Overview\\\" section detailing the exchange's team, funding, and tools was removed.\",\"variant\":\"removed\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Removed content about the exchange's backers, funding from Crypto Capital, and team members' backgrounds from companies like Microsoft and McKinsey.\"]},{\"title\":\"History and Collapse\",\"subtitle\":\"A new top-level section titled \\\"History and Collapse\\\" was added.\",\"variant\":\"added\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Added a new section to contain information about the exchange's history, controversies, and eventual shutdown.\"]},{\"title\":\"Founding and Operations\",\"subtitle\":\"A new subsection was added describing the exchange's founding and operational history.\",\"variant\":\"added\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Added details on the exchange's founding in 2017, its registration in Seychelles, and the services it offered before its collapse. [[3]](#cite-id-M6m8rS8ZMTpU1fVw) [[4]](#cite-id-AfzZqljEntM8p1Uf)\"]},{\"title\":\"Controversies and Regulatory Scrutiny\",\"subtitle\":\"A new subsection was added detailing past controversies and regulatory warnings.\",\"variant\":\"added\",\"changeCount\":2,\"changes\":[\"Added content about accusations of artificially inflating trading volumes. [[2]](#cite-id-B8V2MwYRJv02vxC5)\",\"Added information about regulatory warnings from Japan's FSA and the UK's FCA for operating without registration. [[5]](#cite-id-uKZaNgEwz9kKTFNR) [[3]](#cite-id-M6m8rS8ZMTpU1fVw)\"]},{\"title\":\"February 2024 Collapse\",\"subtitle\":\"A new subsection was added to provide details on the exchange's collapse in February 2024.\",\"variant\":\"added\",\"changeCount\":1,\"changes\":[\"Added details about the abrupt shutdown preceded by the CEO's departure, a halt in social media activity, and significant outflows of approximately $56.5 million from the exchange's hot wallets, leading to accusations of an 'exit scam'. [[2]](#cite-id-B8V2MwYRJv02vxC5) [[3]](#cite-id-M6m8rS8ZMTpU1fVw)\"]},{\"title\":\"Post-Collapse Developments and Company Statements\",\"subtitle\":\"A new subsection was added detailing company statements made after the collapse.\",\"variant\":\"added\",\"changeCount\":2,\"changes\":[\"Added information about a July 2024 company statement claiming team members were detained by Chinese police. [[4]](#cite-id-AfzZqljEntM8p1Uf)\",\"Added information from a purported future announcement denying an 'exit scam' and setting a final deadline for asset withdrawal. [[1]](#cite-id-impbi1noql)\"]},{\"title\":\"References\",\"subtitle\":\"The reference list was updated to cite sources related to the exchange's collapse and remove outdated links.\",\"variant\":\"modified\",\"changeCount\":14,\"changes\":[\"Added reference: \\\"Explained: The BitForex Rug Pull (February 2024)\\\"\",\"Added reference: \\\"Analysis of BitForex Collapse\\\"\",\"Added reference: \\\"BitForex on X, account created Jan 2018\\\"\",\"Added reference: \\\"FCA Warning: BitForex Finance\\\"\",\"Removed reference: \\\"BitForex on Telegram\\\"\",\"Removed reference: \\\"BitForex on Doscord\\\"\",\"Removed reference: \\\"BitForex | Twitter\\\"\",\"Removed reference: \\\"Facebook page\\\"\",\"Removed reference: \\\"BitForex | Instagram\\\"\",\"Removed reference: \\\"BitForex Team\\\"\",\"Removed reference: \\\"BitForex on Youtube\\\"\",\"Removed reference: \\\"How to Buy OMI on the Bitforex platform\\\"\",\"Removed reference: \\\"Bitforex - Launch Simple Staking Program\\\"\",\"Removed reference: \\\"BitForex Review – Legit or Scam?\\\"\"]}]}]}","events":[{"title":"FCA warning on BitForex Finance","date":"2022-09-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"UK FCA warned that BitForex Finance was operating without authorization.","link":"https://www.fca.org.uk/news/warnings/bitforex-finance","country":"United Kingdom","continent":"Europe","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"cb87deaa-d4fa-4cd0-be58-307ffee78cb0"},{"title":"Hot wallet outflows and shutdown of operations","date":"2024-02-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Significant hot wallet outflows followed by suspension of withdrawals and shutdown of BitForex operations.","link":"https://www.halborn.com/blog/post/explained-the-bitforex-rug-pull-february-2024","country":"","continent":"","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"596622ea-e231-4a57-a3c7-1701e020eaef"},{"title":"Public statement on police detention explanation","date":"2024-07-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"BitForex issued a public statement claiming service interruption was due to police detentions.","link":"https://x.com/bitforexcom?lang=en","country":"","continent":"","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"31ffa40c-6957-4946-ab3e-b36edb39e45e"},{"title":"Reopening of withdrawals-only access","date":"2024-07-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"BitForex reported regaining system access and reopening withdrawals-only access for some assets.","link":"https://itokenly.com/failures/bitforex","country":"","continent":"","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"66c18a59-8301-41f4-b1d4-672c2f175c06"},{"title":"Final KYC and withdrawal deadline","date":"2025-12-01","type":"DEFAULT","description":"Deadline set by BitForex for users to complete KYC and withdraw assets, after which fees apply.","link":"https://itokenly.com/failures/bitforex","country":"","continent":"","multiDateStart":null,"multiDateEnd":null,"id":"84febdee-66b7-4af5-b2a9-6566299178d2"}]}