Bithumb Halts Arbitrum Deposits/Withdrawals for 12 Tokens on Jan 8

Published: 2026-01-05 08:35:41 |

Bithumb will suspend deposits and withdrawals for twelve assets on the Arbitrum network at 09:00 UTC on Jan 8 to support a scheduled Arbitrum network upgrade. Affected tokens: ARB, ETH (bridged to Arbitrum), GMX, ZTX, AGIC, XAI, ZRO, BOUNTY, ANIME, OBT, MLK and LZM. Internal order-book trading on Bithumb remains active; only on/off-chain transfers via Arbitrum wallets are blocked. The exchange advises users to complete necessary Arbitrum transfers before the cutoff and warns that sending funds via the wrong network (e.g., Ethereum mainnet to an Arbitrum-only address) may cause permanent loss. Such planned maintenance is standard during Layer-2 upgrades to prevent stuck or lost transactions; historically these suspensions are brief and typically have neutral short-term market impact, though network upgrades can be positive for long-term token utility and efficiency. Traders should monitor Bithumb and Arbitrum official channels for the exact resumption time and avoid last-minute transfers.

Neutral

This is a routine, pre-announced operational suspension tied to a Layer-2 network upgrade. Historically, exchange suspensions for protocol upgrades (Ethereum hard forks, Arbitrum/L2 updates) are brief and treated as neutral by markets because they do not change fundamentals or token economics. Key factors supporting a neutral view: 1) trading on Bithumb’s order book remains active, limiting liquidity shocks; 2) the action prevents technical risk (lost/stuck deposits), which reduces systemic risk; 3) the event is scheduled and communicated in advance, reducing surprise-driven volatility. Potential short-term effects include minor, localized liquidity shifts as users pause Arbitrum transfers or move assets to other networks/exchanges; some spreads could widen briefly for affected pairs. Long-term, a successful upgrade that improves Arbitrum’s performance can be mildly bullish for ARB and ecosystem tokens by enhancing utility and throughput. Overall, immediate market reaction should be muted and operational; traders should only be cautious about network-specific deposit routing errors and temporary withdrawal constraints.