Leading South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has announced a temporary suspension of all deposit and withdrawal services for the Akash Network (AKT) token. The suspension is scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. UTC on March 23, 2026, to support a major network upgrade for the decentralized cloud computing platform.
The operational halt is a standard procedure to ensure system compatibility and user fund security during the implementation of Akash Network's Burn-Mint Equilibrium (BME) upgrade. Bithumb confirmed that trading of AKT pairs will continue uninterrupted throughout the maintenance period. The exchange has not specified an exact end time for the suspension, stating it will conclude once the network upgrade stabilizes, and will notify users when services resume.
The upgrade itself, set to go live on March 23, 2026, represents a fundamental shift in the network's tokenomics. The BME mechanism will tie the AKT token supply directly to real network usage. AKT used to pay for cloud computing services will be burned to mint compute credits, and later re-minted to service providers. This process is designed to create a deflationary effect, where increased network demand leads to a reduction in circulating supply.
Concurrently, the upgrade will enable smart contract functionality on the Akash platform via WebAssembly (WASM), opening the door for developers to build decentralized applications directly on the network. This combination of enhanced utility and new tokenomics has fueled significant market optimism, with AKT's price rallying sharply and breaking out of a multi-month consolidation pattern. Community sentiment has been consistently bullish, trending above 80% in recent weeks.
Bithumb's action follows standard industry practice for major protocol changes, similar to procedures used by global exchanges like Binance and Coinbase during network upgrades. The exchange advises users to complete any urgent transfers before the deadline and to monitor official channels for updates.
