Japan’s bitFlyer adds 48-hour crypto transfer cooldown for new accounts

Japanese crypto exchange bitFlyer is putting a speed bump between new customers and the exit door. Starting October 15, 2026, recently verified users who deposit yen will face a 48-hour restriction on sending purchased crypto off the platform. bitFlyer announced the measure on October 2, 2026, through an official press release on PR Times. The stated goal is to curb fraud tied to freshly verified accounts, a category that tends to attract account takeovers and other bad behavior. How the cooldown works The rule targets a specific group. It covers individual customers whose identity verification, or KYC, was completed less than 90 days earlier. For those newer users, every yen deposit triggers its own 48-hour window. During that period, external transfers of crypto bought with the deposit are restricted. There is also a cap. Outgoing crypto transfers can only reach the total deposit amount minus ¥100,000. Smaller deposits get a pass. Deposits of ¥100,000 or less carry no cap on outgoing transfers. The restriction applies deposit by deposit, rather than as a blanket freeze on the whole account. Each yen transfer starts its own clock. Crucially, the cooldown only touches one thing: mo...