zerohash’s 12 October 2026 notice tells partner platforms to stop submitting new UAE participants outside DIFC and ADGM immediately. Affected existing participants must sell or withdraw their assets by 12 November. The existing-customer instruction also exempts holders of a UAE cryptocurrency licence.[1]
The restriction is zerohash’s own jurisdiction policy, applying to its direct and platform relationships. The notice names zerohash llc, zerohash liquidity services llc and affiliates; it does not announce a UAE-wide legal ban on crypto services. Platforms are told to update IP and other preventive controls.[1]
The licensed-customer wording needs a precise reading
The current restricted-jurisdictions page separately permits activity with an independently licensed UAE customer. That broader statement sits beside an onboarding bullet in the change notice that expressly names only DIFC and ADGM. It supports a licensed-customer exception, but does not establish automatic admission for every licensed applicant.[2][1]
The list uses a 30-day exit period; the dated notice gives 12 November as the deadline. Platforms applying the licensing exception still need confirmation of the customer and service scope.[2][1]
DIFC and ADGM remain on the permitted higher-risk list. Enhanced due diligence applies to existing and new platform, business and individual customers and participants, while additional restrictions can depend on the product or service. Remaining eligible consequently still entails a more demanding review.[3]
The EDD documentation describes requests for extra information such as employment, industry and source of funds, supplied when zerohash’s compliance team asks. The continuing free-zone route therefore requires a process for collecting and updating evidence, alongside the geographic screening that blocks other applications.[4]
Completing an exit takes more than submitting a request
For withdrawals through the portal, zerohash requires an approved bank account or crypto address. Its guide requires two administrators to approve a new withdrawal account and describes a default one-day address-whitelisting wait. That wait is configurable. A platform with no usable receiving destination must include this setup stage in its exit timetable.[5]
What a withdrawal status establishes
| Status or field | Meaning in the documentation |
|---|---|
| PENDING | Request created; awaiting approvalSource 6 |
| APPROVED | Approved; not yet settledSource 6 |
| SETTLED | Funds deducted from the participant ledgerSource 6 |
| on_chain_status: CONFIRMED | Blockchain confirmation threshold met; internal transfers also use this valueSource 6 |
These distinctions give an exit team a more useful reconciliation than a count of requests submitted. An approval does not show that the balance has left the ledger, and a ledger debit alone does not establish external blockchain confirmation. The documented transaction hash supports that final check.[6]
Account restrictions must preserve the intended wind-down route
The account-status documentation distinguishes Divesting, which permits sells and withdrawals, from Withdraw Lock, which blocks withdrawals. At participant level, availability also depends on the reason code: a compliance lock can stop all requests, whereas some user-requested closure states allow closing activity. These are general controls, not an announced automatic UAE status assignment.[7]
A platform implementing the notice therefore needs to separate customers who qualify for an exception from those exiting, then monitor permitted activity through completion. Applying the wrong account control could obstruct the withdrawal route the notice intends to preserve.[7]
The immediate commercial effect is a narrower onboarding perimeter and an active servicing obligation for existing balances. The remaining free-zone and licensed-customer routes depend on evidence and scope, while the withdrawal process determines whether affected customers can finish the transition on time.[2][5]
Sources & further reading
- October jurisdiction-policy change zerohash · 12 Oct 2026 · Accessed 21 Oct 2026
- Prohibited and Restricted Jurisdictions — 12 October update zerohash · Accessed 21 Oct 2026
- Permitted Higher Risk Geographies — 12 October update zerohash · Accessed 21 Oct 2026
- Participant information for enhanced due diligence zerohash · 5 Dec 2023 · Accessed 21 Oct 2026
- Creating a withdrawal account zerohash · Accessed 21 Oct 2026
- Withdrawal status tracking zerohash · Accessed 21 Oct 2026
- Participant and account statuses zerohash · Accessed 21 Oct 2026