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Binance limits withdrawals in Europe, cites payment processor issues

In a deleted customer service message, Binance said that the failed withdrawals were caused by temporarily suspended EUR transactions through SEPA.

Binance cryptocurrency exchange customers are allegedly facing troubles with fiat withdrawals in Europe due to issues related to the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) transfers.

The exchange has allegedly suspended euro withdrawals and deposits via SEPA, Binance’s customer support wrote in a now-deleted message on X (formerly Twitter) on Aug. 20.

In the now-deleted message, the cryptocurrency exchange said it doesn’t have a specific time frame for restoring SEPA transfers, adding that its payment provider “can no longer support these transactions.”

“We understand the inconvenience this has caused, and we're actively working to resolve this as soon as possible,” Binance said in a tweet that has since been deleted.

The statement came in response to an alleged Binance user in Europe, who claimed to have bought a “large amount of EUR on Binance” a few days ago. The alleged client complained about being unable to withdraw the euros to their bank account or sell them on Binance due to the closure of their Paysafe account. The user added:

“According to customer support there is nothing I can do about it except waiting for Binance to find a new payment provider. Letting users buy EUR, just to block them from accessing it right afterwards is what you would expect from scam exchanges, not Binance.”

The news comes a few months after Binance informed users that its current euro banking partner, Paysafe Payment Solutions, would discontinue supporting the crypto exchange

Related: PayPal UK to halt Bitcoin purchases until early 2024

“Users will need to update the banking details used to deposit to their Binance accounts and may be required to accept new terms and conditions to continue using SEPA services after this date,” Binance said at the time.

In a written response to Cointelegraph, Binance said the customer support message on Twitter/X was "sent in error," adding that the "SEPA deposit and withdrawal service will continue until 25 September as originally communicated."

Binance's recent withdrawal-related issues in Europe are not rare for the exchange. In May, Binance halted Bitcoin (BTC) withdrawals, citing a large backlog of pending withdrawals. The halt came one day after Binance experienced its first withdrawal outage amid a clogged Bitcoin mempool, with more than 400,000 transactions getting stuck on the BTC blockchain.

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Fiat-to-crypto onramp Simplex integrates SEPA Instant for European partners

“We're delighted to add SEPA Instant to our growing portfolio of payment methods, giving our partners' users the power to make instant wire transfers of up to €100,000, 24/7," said Simplex CEO Nimrod Lehavi.

Cryptocurrency payment provider Simplex has added SEPA Instant to its list of payment methods, giving European partners the ability to move funds into digital assets with greater ease and flexibility. 

SEPA stands for Single European Payment Arena, which enables payment harmonization across the European Union. With SEPA Instant, credit transfers are processed and settled within seconds. The fully automated process is connected to the traditional payment system but is much faster than traditional bank wires.

For Simplex, SEPA Instant is considered a major milestone in promoting seamless adoption of digital assets. Under the new partnership, European users will have the ability to make instant deposits via Simplex’s partners, including Changelly and Poloniex, more quickly and at a cheaper rate than traditional debit or credit cards. Users can also set up a Simplex banking account, which allows them to receive their funds from various Simplex partners.

SEPA Instant allows for automated transfers of up to $119,000, or 100,000 euros, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The full processing limit will be available to Simplex users and partners.

Several high-profile companies have signed up for Simplex’s fiat on-ramp. As Cointelegraph reported, the Polkadot network adopted the payment system in March, allowing users to purchase DOT tokens with credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay and bank transfer.

Related: Visa reports over $1 billion in crypto spending in H1 2021

In December 2020, Simplex entered into a partnership with Visa centered around crypto debit cards.

In the last year-and-a-half, Simplex integration has also reached Binance, Celsius Network and the Opera browser extension.

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