The Belarusian authorities have restricted access to the websites of several major international cryptocurrency exchanges, citing violations of advertising laws. Bitget, Bybit, OKX, BingX, Weex and Gate.com . The decision came into force on December 10 and was adopted by the country's Ministry of Information.
According to the regulators, the reason for restricting access was "inappropriate advertising" identified on the Internet resources of crypto exchanges. The measure was applied in accordance with article 51-1 of the Law on Mass Media of the Republic of Belarus. The formal initiator of the inspection was the Minsk City Executive Committee, after notifying which the decision to block was made.
Users trying to open exchange websites from the territory of the country receive a standard message.:
"Access to this information resource is restricted based on a decision of the authorized body of the Republic of Belarus."
It is noteworthy that the blocking occurred against the background of the tightening of the rhetoric of the Belarusian authorities regarding the crypto market. Earlier, President Alexander Lukashenko publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that citizens use foreign crypto platforms to withdraw capital outside the country. He called for "redesigning the regulatory framework" so that only "legitimate" and state-controlled digital platforms could operate in Belarus.
The Ministry of Information clarified that the details of the revealed violations will be disclosed exclusively to the owners of the blocked resources. To restore access to exchanges, it is necessary to eliminate these violations and submit an official application in accordance with article 51-2 of the Media Law. Only after repeated verification can the regulator consider lifting the restrictions.
In practice, some users try to bypass the blocking using a VPN. However, experts warn that this approach carries serious risks. Most crypto exchanges record entries from prohibited jurisdictions and may freeze or block accounts for violating the terms of service. Thus, using a VPN can lead to loss of access to funds.
From the point of view of regional crypto policy, the situation in Belarus reflects a broader trend towards increased control over digital assets. Formally, we are talking about advertising, but in fact the authorities are building a model of a "permissioned crypto market", where priority is given to local or fully regulated solutions.
