Two major South Korean cryptocurrency exchanges, Bithumb and Upbit, have announced temporary suspensions of deposits and withdrawals for Near Protocol (NEAR) and Cardano (ADA) respectively, due to separate scheduled network upgrades. The measures are routine precautionary steps to ensure transaction integrity and user asset security during protocol changes.
Bithumb will halt NEAR deposits and withdrawals at 2:00 p.m. UTC on July 19, 2025, to accommodate a network upgrade intended to improve the blockchain’s scalability and functionality. Trading of NEAR pairs will continue unaffected, though the exchange has not set a precise end time, advising users to monitor official channels for resumption updates.
Upbit will suspend ADA deposits and withdrawals starting July 18 at 2:00 p.m. UTC, ahead of a Cardano hard fork. The hard fork, part of Cardano’s roadmap led by Input Output Global, is expected to introduce protocol enhancements. As with Bithumb, ADA trading on Upbit will remain available throughout the suspension, but transfers to external wallets will be queued until the network is deemed stable.
Both exchanges emphasized that these suspensions are standard industry practice to avoid risks such as chain splits or unconfirmed transactions during upgrades. Users holding NEAR on Bithumb or ADA on Upbit are advised to complete any pending deposits or withdrawals before the respective deadlines. The impact on individual token liquidity is expected to be minimal and short-lived, given the temporary and localized nature of the halts.
