The End of ETB P2P on Global Exchanges
Following the National Bank of Ethiopia's February 2026 directive, a wave of international cryptocurrency platforms suspended Ethiopian Birr peer-to-peer trading. By June 2026, every major exchange that previously supported ETB P2P had exited the market.
OKX
OKX, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, removed Ethiopian Birr from its P2P marketplace in May 2026. All ETB-denominated buy and sell advertisements were delisted, and users could no longer create new Birr-paired P2P orders on the platform.
Bybit
Bybit followed suit, suspending ETB P2P trading services for Ethiopian users. The derivatives-focused exchange had previously offered P2P as an on-ramp for users in markets without direct fiat deposit options.
Bitget
Bitget also phased out Ethiopian Birr P2P support, removing ETB payment methods from its peer-to-peer marketplace. The platform cited regulatory compliance as the primary reason for the withdrawal.
Why All Exchanges Left Together
The coordinated exit was driven by the NBE's clear regulatory position. When the central bank declared Birr-paired P2P crypto transactions illegal in February 2026, international exchanges faced a straightforward compliance decision: remove ETB support or risk operating outside Ethiopian law.
Most platforms chose compliance. Binance was the first major exchange to announce its suspension, setting a precedent that others quickly followed. The regional trend extends beyond Ethiopia — neighboring Kenya also increased regulatory scrutiny of crypto platforms in early 2026.
What This Means for ETB Rate Discovery
P2P crypto platforms were a significant source of unofficial ETB/USD rate data. With all major platforms gone, rate discovery has shifted to traditional parallel market channels. Our platform continues to track ETB rates through remaining data sources — visit our P2P market page and USD/ETB rate page for live pricing.