Binance disappears from Google Play in certain EU countries

Update (July 27, 7:30 PM UTC): This article has been updated to include a statement from Binance and an additional user report from Latvia.

The Binance app has become unavailable on the Google Play Store in certain European Union countries amid questions over the exchange’s compliance with the bloc’s crypto licensing framework.

A user in Spain confirmed to Cointelegraph on Monday that the Binance app was no longer visible in Google Play searches, although it remained available through Oppo’s App Market, an Android app store used on Oppo devices. A separate user in Latvia also confirmed that the app no longer appeared on Google Play.

In contrast, checks in Poland showed the Binance app remained available on Google Play, indicating the issue does not affect all EU markets.

A Binance spokesperson told Cointelegraph that the company was aware Google Play had updated its policies, affecting the availability of crypto app updates in “certain markets,” and that it was working with Google on a solution. The spokesperson did not identify the markets where the app’s availability changed or specify which policy updates led to the restrictions.

The first reports of Binance’s Android app disappearing from Google Play in Europe surfaced last week, when OKX Europe CEO Erald Ghoos claimed on X that the app had been removed due to Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) licensing requirements.

The reports came weeks after Binance withdrew its MiCA application in Greece, shortly before the framework’s transitional period ended on July 1. The company later notified some EU users that access to certain services would be restricted, while withdrawals would remain available.

Related: Regulators invited Binance to seek new licenses after MiCA setback, co-CEO say