When withdrawing crypto from Independent Reserve, most requests are processed quickly. However, in some cases, you may experience delays of up to 24 hours. These delays can occur for several reasons, including:
- Manual review
- Scheduled maintenance
- Network congestion (Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies)
- Network updates or upgrades
Manual reviews
For your protection, some cryptocurrency withdrawals are flagged for manual review before being processed.
As a regulated cryptocurrency exchange, Independent Reserve must meet strict obligations to prevent fraud, scams, and unauthorised activity. Because crypto transactions are irreversible once sent, these checks serve as a vital safeguard against malicious activity and unauthorised access.
We understand this can be inconvenient, especially during busy trading periods. Reviews can take up to 24 hours to complete, depending on the queue and the complexity of the review. However, these measures are essential to keep both you and the broader crypto community safe.
Once your withdrawal is approved, you’ll typically see the funds appear in your wallet within seconds. You can track the progress of your withdrawal directly in your Independent Reserve account.
Scheduled maintenance
Occasionally, withdrawals may coincide with scheduled maintenance or platform updates.
To check whether maintenance is currently in progress, please see our updates on X (Twitter).
Most maintenance windows last no longer than four hours.
Bitcoin network congestion
During peak periods, such as when there’s a bull market or significant market volatility, the Bitcoin network sees many transactions.
Because Bitcoin can only process around 3 to 7 transactions per second, transactions compete for limited block space. When this happens, miners prioritise transactions that include higher fees, which can result in slower confirmation times for everyone else.
Independent Reserve continuously monitors network conditions to help ensure your withdrawals are processed as efficiently as possible, even during busy times.
Other crypto network congestion
Just like Bitcoin, other blockchain networks can also experience congestion or spikes in gas fees, which are transaction costs paid to process transfers.
For example, the Ethereum network often sees delays when demand for NFT or DeFi transactions increases. These conditions are outside of any exchange’s control but typically resolve once network activity stabilises.
Independent Reserve monitors these conditions in real time and adjusts withdrawal processes accordingly to help minimise disruption.
Network updates
From time to time, blockchain networks undergo protocol upgrades or hard forks to improve scalability, security, or functionality.
During these upgrades, Independent Reserve temporarily pauses withdrawals for the affected cryptocurrencies until the network confirms stability and our integration partners verify that it’s safe to resume transactions.
These pauses are preventative; they protect customers from sending funds during periods when network behaviour could be unpredictable. Upgrades are usually announced in advance, and withdrawals are reinstated as soon as the upgrade completes successfully.
Summary
While crypto withdrawal delays are relatively uncommon, they can occur for a variety of security, maintenance, or network-related reasons. Independent Reserve’s priority is always to protect your assets and ensure withdrawals are processed securely and accurately.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during these situations, and we remain committed to providing a safe and reliable platform that allows you to trade and manage your digital assets with confidence.
