In a surprising turn of events, Binance, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has temporarily suspended crypto withdrawals due to a technical issue. Traders and investors were met with this unexpected roadblock as the exchange announced the disruption on its official Twitter account.
Binance, known for its extensive cryptocurrency trading services, is currently grappling with a “technical issue” that has compelled the platform to suspend crypto withdrawals until the problem is resolved. The exchange shared the news on its official Twitter-like platform, stating,
“We are experiencing a technical issue with crypto withdrawals. As a result, they are temporarily unavailable whilst our team works on the fix. Fiat withdrawals are available and working. All funds are SAFU. We apologize for the inconvenience and will update you on progress.”
The abrupt suspension of crypto withdrawals has left traders and investors unable to access their digital assets. The last withdrawal from one of Binance’s Ethereum accounts was reported at 10:45 UTC, and the announcement of the issue followed 18 minutes later. This unexpected glitch in Binance’s operations has raised concerns among users about the safety and reliability of the platform.
Binance CEO assures safety of funds
Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the CEO of Binance, quickly addressed the situation, taking to social media to provide reassurance to the Binance community. He tweeted, “Technical issue with a middleware service impacting withdrawals. Funds are SAFU. Our team is on it.” The use of the term “SAFU” signifies that user funds are considered safe, despite the withdrawal suspension.
The timing of this technical issue is noteworthy, as it occurred after a record-breaking day for the cryptocurrency market. On the preceding day, approximately $100 billion in cryptocurrency trades took place across various platforms, marking the highest daily trading volume since the FTX crash in November 2022, as reported by CoinMarketCap.
This surge in trading activity coincided with a significant increase in the price of Bitcoin (BTC), which reached a 16-month high, currently trading at $34,300. The combination of high trading volumes and a bullish Bitcoin market has heightened the sense of urgency for traders looking to capitalize on market movements.
While Binance is widely recognized for its robust infrastructure and reliability, this is not the first time the platform has faced technical disruptions. The last time Binance halted withdrawals was in 2021, citing a “heavy backlog” as the reason behind the brief suspension, which lasted approximately 25 minutes. These rare incidents serve as a reminder of the potential risks associated with cryptocurrency exchanges, even those with strong track records.
