Crypto exchanges activate emergency plans as Middle East conflict escalates

Crypto exchanges, such as Binance, Bybit, and Bitget, have started to issue shelter-in-place, organizational restructuring, and emergency succession plans for their Middle East operations as missiles blow up overhead and tensions escalate since conflicts erupted over the weekend. 

The Middle East, especially the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, has gained prominence in the crypto sector due to numerous regulatory advancements in the region. 

Binance publicized its decision to set up its headquarters in the UAE late last year, while OKX, Bybit, Rain, and CoinMENA also have a huge local presence in the region. 

Now, these crypto exchanges have started to put contingency plans in place to maintain their always-on services, according to internal messages and updates shared via social media.

Crypto exchanges activate emergency protocols 

Bitget’s CEO, Gracy Chen, shared a post to X earlier today meant to update its broader community of the steps the exchange has taken to assure its 2,204 staff members stationed in the Middle East about its plans to help them stay safe and, in the worst-case scenario, extract them from the region as fighting enters the third day.  

A section of the message Chen posted included commitments to cover full remuneration for workers in the Middle East region, irrespective of how the month goes. 

As President Trump was quoted by several publications on Sunday, he is unsure of how long the campaign could last, even failing to commit to the “four-week process” they had thought it could be. 

The Bitget CEO also offered to cover temporary accommodation, transportation transfer, emergency supplies, and medical expenses. And in the event that it is needed, they are also committed to covering the full cost of airfare and transportation. 

In the meantime, it advised staff to work from home without exception, observe shelter-in-place protocols, and check in daily to ensure safety and account for each other during the crisis. 

Binance founder and former CEO, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), who has spent most of his time in the UAE since the end of his legal drama in the US, also shared a status update with his 10.8 million followers on X. The message conveyed his confidence in the UAE’s leadership and defense system, urging everyone to stay “SAFU” in this “crazy world!”

Lots of people reached out. All good, and very calm here actually, considering the circumstance. 🙏 UAE citizens and tourists have a lot of confidence in the country's leadership, and defense system. Seen a few smoke in the sky and heard a few booms.

This 👇 seems to be the most… https://t.co/7DmtPwTLqr

— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) February 28, 2026

Binance was reported to have issued a safety notice on March 1, 2026, directing all UAE-based employees to follow UAE government directives to remain in secure indoor locations.

Per local reports, the alert reads: “Due to the current situation of potential missile threats, seek immediate shelter in the closest secure building and steer away from windows, doors, and open areas. Await for further instructions.”

In an X update, OKX said its risk and safety teams were “actively monitoring the situation and coordinating closely with local authorities and internal people teams.” It also claimed to be fully supporting its employees with the resources they need to remain safe.

According to OKX’s “Suspension of services mitigation factors” article, “In the unlikely event of a service disruption, OKX Dubai securely maintains systems that can reconstruct material financial transactions in a manner that can sufficiently support the company’s normal operations and obligations.” 

OKX’s statement tracks as crypto exchanges have faced many stress tests in the past, which may have inadvertently put them in the perfect position to deal with these uncertainties. 

Crypto exchanges gain prominence as Middle East TradFi stops

The crypto sector started to deal with blowback effects from the Middle East conflict faster than most because of its 24/7 nature, affecting token prices while traditional markets were closed for the weekend. 

According to the UAE Capital Market Authority (CMA), the UAE capital markets (Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and Dubai Financial Market (DFM) will remain closed until at least Wednesday, March 3, 2026, citing ongoing tensions in the region.

Reports also claim that Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group have joined Standard Chartered in issuing directives to postpone travel to the Middle East. 

Bitcoin and Ethereum have steadied above $66,000 and $1,900, respectively, after Cryptopolitan reported that both tokens fell as low as $62,938 and $1,783 during the weekend. 

While prices were mostly depressed, tokenized commodities were all the rave as activity took off on crypto exchanges, being the only venues open. 

Tether Gold (XAUt) peaked close to $5,500 on Saturday with over $1 billion in 24-hour trading volume at the time, while Pax Gold actually breached $5,500 with over $900 million in 24-hour trading volume, mostly hosted by centralized and decentralized crypto exchanges. 

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