Bitstamp will automatically reject crypto deposits exceeding €1,000 from third-party self-custody wallets starting Aug. 18, according to a notice circulating among users. The rule targets wallets owned by someone other than the Bitstamp account holder, but deposits from exchanges or a customer's own self-custody wallets won't be affected.
What the rule covers
The restriction applies to incoming transfers from self-hosted addresses where the wallet isn't controlled by the Bitstamp account holder. The notice doesn't specify which legal entities, jurisdictions, or account types are affected, and Bitstamp hasn't publicly authenticated the memo. User reports don't confirm the exact launch time.
Deposits from other exchanges, or from a customer's own self-custody wallets, pass through as before. The exchange's API already has mechanisms — ownership-status checks, Satoshi tests, and xpub registration — to distinguish customer-controlled addresses from third-party ones.
Why now
The move lines up with EU Regulation 2023/1113, which requires a receiving crypto-asset service provider to assess ownership or control of a self-hosted address when a transfer exceeds €1,000. The regulation doesn't force automatic rejection — it allows a risk-based response, including requesting more info, executing the transfer, rejecting it, returning it, or suspending it. It also doesn't ban self-custody or require blocking every deposit over the threshold.
Bitstamp's operational controls predate the reported rule. Rejection endpoints, address-verification tools, and deposit-originator data were added in March, May, and June respectively, suggesting the infrastructure was built ahead of the Aug. 18 deadline.
What happens when a deposit gets rejected
Rejection isn't automatic reversal. The customer has to contact support to have the deposit sent back to the originator address. Bitstamp hasn't published details on return time, fees, or how the assets are valued at the point of return.
For now, exchange-originated deposits remain unaffected. The open question is how Bitstamp will handle edge cases — a shared wallet with mixed ownership, or a customer who can't prove control via the API tools. Those answers will likely come only after the first batch of rejections lands in support queues.
