KuCoin’s U.S. access is now officially over. A federal court approved a CFTC order that permanently bars Peken Global Limited from offering services to U.S. users unless it registers as a foreign board of trade. This closes the enforcement chapter after KuCoin’s $297 million DOJ settlement in January.

The civil penalty here is just $500,000, small compared to the earlier criminal fines. The CFTC cited Peken’s cooperation and the DOJ’s forfeiture as reasons for not seeking disgorgement. Still, the indefinite ban replaces what was once a temporary two-year withdrawal window.

With roughly 1.5 million U.S. users and $184.5 million in fees from them, KuCoin’s exit removes a major offshore exchange from the U.S. market. This is a rare case where criminal and civil regulators worked in sequence to shut down access completely.

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