BRUSSELS, July 23, 2026 — The European Union has added HTX (HUOBI GLOBAL SA) to Part A of Annex XLV of its Russia sanctions regulation, identifying the crypto-asset service provider as an entity established outside the European Union that the Council says significantly frustrates the purpose of the prohibitions set out in Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 and Regulation (EU) No 269/2014. The HTX listing applies from Aug. 23, 2026, according to the Official Journal of the European Union.
The measure forms part of Council Regulation (EU) 2026/1848, adopted on July 23, 2026, which amends Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine. The regulation also introduces additional crypto-related sanctions provisions alongside a range of amendments to the EU’s Russia sanctions regime.
HTX among newly listed entities
Part A of Annex XLV covers credit and financial institutions, as well as entities providing crypto-asset services or payment services established outside the European Union that are considered to be significantly frustrating the purpose of the prohibitions contained in Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 and Regulation (EU) No 269/2014.
Alongside HTX (HUOBI GLOBAL SA), the regulation lists Rapira, Aifory Pro (Sooty Ltd.), ABCeX (Nueva Cryptologia S.A.S DE C.V.), WhiteBird, NoOnecrypto INC., Tradex (Brightum LLC), Monease Ltd, BitPapa, Exnode, Exnode Pay (Arvix), EXMO Ltd, Chinggis Khaan Bank, Sberbank India, India VTB, A7 Nigeria, A7 Africa and PilotFinance Ltd. The Annex XLV entry for HTX specifies an application date of Aug. 23, 2026.
Crypto-related sanctions provisions
According to the regulation, the European Union has repeatedly taken measures to identify financial institutions, credit institutions and entities providing crypto-asset services or payment services that facilitate a continued financial lifeline for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, including by enabling the circumvention of Union restrictive measures. The Council said evidence showed entities in third countries continued to enable Russia to carry out illicit activities, leading it to identify four financial entities and 14 entities providing crypto-asset services for inclusion in the relevant annexes.
The regulation also introduces Article 5bc, which prohibits transactions with legal persons, entities or bodies that provide crypto-asset services or operate platforms enabling the exchange or transfer of crypto-assets and are established in third countries listed in Annex LVII. Under the regulation, Annex LVII is to include only third countries that the Council identifies as having systematically and persistently failed to prevent those services or platforms from frustrating Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 or Regulation (EU) No 269/2014.
Council Regulation (EU) 2026/1848 enters into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. However, the Annex XLV entry for HTX (HUOBI GLOBAL SA) specifies that the listing applies from Aug. 23, 2026.
Why it matters
The regulation expands the European Union’s sanctions framework by adding additional crypto-asset service providers to Part A of Annex XLV while also introducing a new legal mechanism that allows transactions to be prohibited with certain crypto-asset service providers and crypto-asset platforms established in specified third countries identified by the Council. Together, those measures broaden the legal framework available under Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 for addressing activities that the Council considers to frustrate the Union’s restrictive measures against Russia.
For the crypto industry, the amendments extend the regulation beyond individual entity listings by establishing an additional legal framework for restricting transactions involving certain crypto-asset service providers and platforms established outside the European Union. The changes form part of the broader amendments introduced by Council Regulation (EU) 2026/1848 to the EU’s Russia sanctions regime.
