Leading South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has announced a planned, temporary suspension of all deposit and withdrawal services for the XPLA digital asset. The maintenance window is scheduled to begin at 2:00 a.m. UTC on March 25, 2025, to support a mandatory network upgrade for the XPLA blockchain.
The suspension will affect all XPLA-related deposit and withdrawal functions on the Bithumb platform. However, trading of XPLA against other cryptocurrencies and the Korean Won (KRW) will continue uninterrupted during this period. The exchange has not specified an exact end time for the maintenance, noting that such network upgrades typically require several hours to complete. Bithumb advises users to complete any urgent transactions before the deadline.
The underlying reason for the service halt is a significant upgrade to the XPLA blockchain network. XPLA is a gaming-centric Layer 1 blockchain developed by South Korean gaming giant Com2uS and serves as the mainnet for their web3 gaming ecosystem. The upgrade involves protocol improvements or new functionality deployment, a standard process in the blockchain industry where exchanges temporarily pause services to synchronize their systems with the new chain and prevent transaction errors or fund loss.
Industry analysts view these planned suspensions as a sign of operational maturity and proactive risk management. The move also aligns with South Korea's regulatory expectations for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), which require robust incident response and change management plans from exchanges like Bithumb.
Bithumb's announcement provides clear guidance for XPLA holders. Users should complete pending transactions early, verify the suspension time in their local timezone, and monitor Bithumb's official channels for updates on service restoration. The exchange emphasized that all user funds remain secure during the upgrade process.
