Major Cryptocurrency Exports Hit by AWS Disruption: Binance and KuCoin Suspend Withdrawals
A widespread outage of Amazon Web Services (AWS) has triggered operational disruptions across multiple cryptocurrency exchanges, with industry giants Binance and KuCoin temporarily halting withdrawal services. The technical failure, which began in the early hours of April 17, 2025, has exposed the crypto sector’s heavy reliance on cloud infrastructure providers. Market analysts note the incident coincides with heightened trading volumes ahead of the Bitcoin halving event, potentially amplifying its impact. Exchange representatives have assured users that funds remain secure while engineers work to restore full functionality. This marks the third significant AWS outage to affect digital asset platforms in 2025, reigniting debates about decentralization vulnerabilities in centralized exchange architectures.
Major Infra Meltdown Hits Binance, KuCoin & More
If you noticed weird latency or service issues today – it wasn’t just you.
Multiple top-tier crypto exchanges – including Binance, KuCoin, and MEXC – faced disruptions due to an unexpected AWS outage.
Binance… pic.twitter.com/5quVqGb3zI
— Ivan Barsuk (@IvanBarsuk) April 15, 2025
The outage began around 1:15 a.m. PDT and lasted roughly 36 minutes before AWS got things back on track. But 36 minutes of downtime in crypto can feel like a lifetime, especially when money’s locked up and prices are moving fast.
Impact of the AWS Crypto Outage on Major Exchanges
Binance stopped withdrawals almost immediately as a safety precaution. Thankfully, they were able to resume operations after just 23 minutes once the AWS issue was resolved. Still, for traders watching charts in real-time, it was enough to send hearts racing.
Users at KuCoin experienced similar disruptions. The platform quickly acknowledged the problems and reassured everyone that funds were safe, which is always a top concern during moments like this.
MEXC also suffered. Users noticed chart glitches and delays when moving assets around, prompting the exchange to promise compensation for any losses directly caused by the outage. There are no details yet on exactly how that will work, but at least the commitment is there.
What This Outage Could Mean for Centralized Exchanges
The bigger question now is why so many major crypto platforms rely on the same cloud provider.
This AWS hiccup wasn’t caused by anything malicious; it was just a technical glitch, but it still exposed a real vulnerability. When multiple top exchanges depend on a single cloud service, a problem in one place can disrupt the global crypto market in seconds.
The crypto community is already buzzing about it. Some are calling for more infrastructure decentralization, while others point out that this could’ve been a lot worse. Either way, it’s a wake-up call about the risks of centralized dependencies in an industry that prides itself on decentralization.
When most traders poured their morning coffee, things were mostly back to normal. But for those online when the outage hit, it was a reminder that even the most powerful tech companies can run into issues, and when they do, the fallout can be fast and widespread.
Whether or not exchanges will rethink their reliance on single cloud providers remains to be seen. But in the meantime, users might want to double-check where their platforms are hosted and maybe brace for the unexpected a little more often.
Key Takeaways
- An AWS outage at a Tokyo data center caused major disruptions on Binance, KuCoin, and MEXC, freezing withdrawals and trades for thousands of users.
- Binance halted withdrawals for 23 minutes as a safety measure, while KuCoin and MEXC reported delays, glitches, and user frustrations.
- MEXC promised compensation for losses caused by the outage, though specific details are yet to be announced.
- The incident exposed the risks of centralized infrastructure, as multiple top crypto exchanges rely heavily on Amazon Web Services.
- The crypto community is calling for greater decentralization in backend infrastructure to prevent similar system-wide vulnerabilities.
