Important Changes to Custodial Accounts in Your Region — What You Need to Know

Dear Blink user,

If you received a notification in your Blink Wallet linking to this page, this announcement applies to your account. Due to regulatory developments in your region, we will be discontinuing custodial accounts for affected users. Your funds are safe and remain fully under your control — you can send, withdraw, and move them to a non-custodial account at any time. You will need to move your balance before 31 August 2026 — and the earlier you move, the smoother it is. The personal notification in your Blink Wallet contains the details and dates that apply to your account during the wind-down.

This page explains exactly what is happening, what your options are, and the full timeline. Please read it carefully and save it for reference. We will also remind you by in-app notification and SMS as each date approaches.

The short version: from 15 July you can use our easy step-by-step migration to move to a new Blink non-custodial account in a few taps, keeping your balances and your Lightning address. If you’d rather move today, you can create a non-custodial account yourself and transfer your funds now, or withdraw to any external wallet of your choice. All options are free of charge.

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Why is this happening?

Regulations covering custodial cryptoasset services have accelerated worldwide. In some regions, continuing to hold funds on our users’ behalf is no longer practical for us. Rather than quietly dropping users, we spent the last year building an alternative: non-custodial Blink accounts, where you hold your own keys and Blink never has custody of your funds — with the same experience you already know.

Because non-custodial accounts don’t involve us holding your funds, we can keep serving you where custodial services are being wound down. This change is about how your funds are held, not about you losing access to Blink.

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What exactly is changing?

Your current custodial Blink account (where Blink holds funds on your behalf) will be discontinued in your region according to the timeline below. Blink itself is not shutting down, and the Blink app will continue to work for you — through a non-custodial account.

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Your options

You have three options, and all of them are free — no fees, no penalties:

Option 1 (recommended): Use the guided step-by-step migration, available from 15 July 2026. We are building an easy migration flow in the app that moves you to a Blink non-custodial account in a few taps. It moves your balances, walks you through backing up your recovery phrase — and moves your Lightning address (username@blink.sv) to your new non-custodial account automatically, so the people who pay you won’t notice any difference. We’ll notify you when it’s live. If you can wait two weeks, this is the easiest path.

Option 2: Move to a Blink non-custodial account yourself, today. If you’d rather not wait for the guided migration, you can do everything except the Lightning address transfer manually, in a few minutes:

1. Update the Blink app to the latest version from your app store.
2. Create a non-custodial account. Open the account switcher in the app and add a new non-custodial account.
3. Back up your recovery phrase. You’ll be given a 12-word recovery phrase — write it down and store it safely, or use the Google Drive / iCloud / password-manager backup option. This step matters: with a non-custodial account, only you can access your funds, and we cannot recover a lost phrase.
4. Transfer your funds. From your custodial account, send your bitcoin balance to your new non-custodial account. Internal transfers between your own Blink accounts are free and instant.
5. Dollar Balance. Depending on your region, transfer it the same way or move it with the guided migration from 15 July — the app shows exactly what applies to your account, and any conversion rate is always displayed before you confirm.

Your Lightning address can’t be moved manually yet: automatic address transfer arrives with the guided migration on 15 July. If you move your funds manually now, simply complete the address transfer as soon as the guided migration is live — your funds are already safe in your own hands either way, and your address then receives on your non-custodial account.

Option 3: Withdraw your funds to an external wallet. At any time before 31 August 2026, you can send your full balance to any external Bitcoin or Lightning wallet, exactly as you do today. For accounts covered by this notice, withdrawing and moving your own funds carries no Blink fees for the entire wind-down period (standard network fees for on-chain transactions may apply, and will be shown before you confirm).

If you need help choosing, our support team is available throughout this process (see below).

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Timeline

The dates below apply to most affected accounts. In some regions, regulatory requirements mean the timeline differs — if that’s the case for your account, the dates in the personal notification you received in your Blink Wallet apply, and those dates take precedence over the dates on this page.

1 July 2026

• Your custodial account enters wind-down. Sending, withdrawing, and moving your funds to a non-custodial account remain fully available — your funds are yours and under your control throughout.
• You can already move to a non-custodial account yourself using the steps above (Option 2), or withdraw (Option 3).
• This notice starts your window to move your funds. We will send reminders as each milestone approaches.

15 July 2026

• The guided step-by-step migration becomes available in your app, including automatic transfer of your Lightning address. We recommend completing your migration as soon as it’s available — it takes only a few minutes, you keep everything, and receiving works normally on your non-custodial account from the moment you’ve moved.
• Your in-app notifications will keep you informed of your account’s status during the wind-down.

31 August 2026

• Last day to use your custodial account. Please migrate or withdraw your full balance before this date.
• After this date, custodial accounts in your region will be closed and can no longer be used for transactions.

After 31 August 2026

• Your funds remain yours. Any balance not migrated or withdrawn by the deadline will be safeguarded on your behalf. It will not be forfeited, absorbed, or touched by Blink.
• You will be able to claim your remaining balance at any time by contacting support at support@blink.sv and completing a verification of account ownership. We will describe the claim process in detail closer to the date.

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What happens if I do nothing?

You do not lose your money. But your account will stop working for payments after 31 August 2026, and recovering your balance afterwards will require a manual claim process that is slower than migrating or withdrawing now. Please act before the deadline — it takes a few minutes and saves you real hassle later.

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Frequently asked questions

Is my money safe during this period? Yes. Nothing about the safety of your funds changes during the notice period, and all options for moving your funds remain available until the deadline.

Will this cost me anything? No. For accounts covered by this notice, moving to a non-custodial account and withdrawing your own funds carry no Blink fees for the entire wind-down period, regardless of any fees that may apply to other Blink products or regions. Standard on-chain network fees may apply to on-chain withdrawals and are shown before you confirm. Your balance is never reduced by this change.

Do I keep my Lightning address? Yes — your username@blink.sv address stays yours and will move to your non-custodial account. Automatic address transfer arrives with the guided migration on 15 July 2026 — complete it promptly and your address receives on your non-custodial account, with senders noticing no difference.

What about my Dollar Balance? It moves with the migration. The migration shows you exactly what you’ll receive before you confirm, and any conversion rate is always displayed.

What’s different about a non-custodial account? You hold your own keys via a 12-word recovery phrase, meaning Blink cannot access or move your funds — and also cannot recover them if you lose your phrase. The app experience stays the same. Read the full details in our non-custodial launch announcement.

Why does this apply to me and not everyone? This change applies only in regions where regulatory developments affect custodial services. If you received the in-app notification, your account is affected. Users elsewhere can continue using custodial accounts and may migrate voluntarily. In some regions the timeline also differs from the one on this page — where it does, your personal notification states the dates that apply to you.

I use Blink for my business / via the API. What should I do? The same options and timeline apply. If you have integration questions (Point of Sale, API, plugins), contact us at support@blink.sv and we’ll help you plan the transition.

I need help, or I want to make a complaint. Our support team is available in-app and at support@blink.sv throughout the entire process. If you’re unhappy with how this process is handled, you can submit a formal complaint by emailing support@blink.sv with “Complaint” in the subject line, and we will review and respond to it as a complaint, separately from regular support requests. This process does not affect any rights you have under the laws of your country.

Blink was built to make using bitcoin simple. This transition keeps that promise — the same Blink you know, with your keys in your hands. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

The Blink Team

Questions? Reach us in-app or at support@blink.sv.