Our weekly updates are put together by folks deep in the crypto scene, giving you a clear picture of what's happening without overwhelming you.
To Watch This Week
AIRDROPS + ALPHAOct 4, 2024
Markets
Binance’s Market Dominance Slips to Lowest Point in Four Years Amid Regulatory Headwinds
Crypto exchange Binance is losing its lead over its competitors as its business faces regulatory headwinds across the globe, a new report from digital asset data provider CCData shows. The report, published on October 3, reveals Binance processed 36.6% of volume for spot and derivatives trading on centralized trading platforms in September, roughly 22% more than its closest competitor, OKX. Binance's spot trading volume dipped more than 20% last month, leaving it with a 27% share of the spot m...
Sep 6, 2024
Law and Order
CZ Banned From 'Any Present or Future Involvement' In Managing Binance
Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has a lifetime ban from “managing or operating” the centralized crypto exchange, according to current CEO Richard Teng. Teng revealed that Zhao would be barred from managing the platform for life in an interview with Axios, which revealed that it was a "key condition" of the plea agreement between Binance and U.S. authorities. This comes after reports initially suggested Zhao would only be banned for a number of years. “Under the terms of the agreement, CZ is p...
Aug 15, 2024
Business
Binance Registers With India's FIU After Paying $2.25 Million Fine
Crypto exchange Binance has registered with India's Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) as a reporting entity, after settling a $2.25 million fine with the agency earlier in the year. Binance CEO Richard Teng described the registration as an "important milestone" for the exchange in a statement shared with Decrypt, adding that "this alignment with Indian regulations allows us to tailor our services for Indian users." In a blog post, Binance announced that its app and website are now "fully availab...
Jul 2, 2024
Law and Order
Binance.US Says it Looks Forward to its Ongoing Fight With the SEC
Binance.US said Monday it looks forward to defending itself against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission following a court's decision to allow the regulator’s case against the crypto exchange to proceed. In a statement posted to social media platform X, Binance.US expressed confidence in its legal position while pushing back against accusations of securities violations. "We have always utilized the limited guidance that the SEC has offered to the crypto industry to operate our business i...
May 24, 2024
Law and Order
Binance Exec Hospitalized in Nigeria as $35 Million Money Laundering Case Is Delayed
After fainting in a courtroom earlier this week, Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan has been hospitalized in Abuja, Nigeria, where his money laundering case was adjourned, per Reuters. The largest crypto exchange’s head of financial crime compliance was denied bail earlier this month after being incarcerated in the region in late February. Spending over a month in Nigeria’s Kuje Prison, the executive reportedly appeared gaunt at trial earlier this week. Gambaryan’s lawyer said in a letter to tri...
Apr 22, 2024
Law and Order
Escaped Binance Exec Arrested in Kenya, Faces Extradition to Nigeria: Report
A Binance executive who fled Nigerian custody has reportedly been arrested in Kenya and faces extradition to Nigeria "this week." According to unnamed Nigerian government sources cited by local publication Punch, Binance regional manager Nadeem Anjarwalla "has been arrested in Kenya, and he’ll be extradited to Nigeria this week." Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the International Criminal Police, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Kenyan Police Service are reportedly in...
Apr 8, 2024
Long Reads
Detained Execs, Daring Escapes: How Binance's $35 Million Battle With Nigeria Unfolded
Binance’s operation in Africa's biggest cryptocurrency market is under intense scrutiny, with Nigerian authorities accusing the crypto giant and a host of other exchanges of infractions including currency manipulation and facilitating transfers of illicit funds. With one Binance executive in custody in Nigeria, and a second having fled the country after having been detained, Nigerian authorities have singled out the exchange for circumventing Nigerian laws and for tax evasion. According to court...
Apr 3, 2024
Law and Order
Nigeria 'Working With' Interpol to Extradite Binance Exec Who Escaped Detention: Report
Nigeria's federal government is "working with" the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to seek the extradition of a Binance executive who escaped detention in the country, according to reports in local media. According to a government source quoted in local publication Punch, Nigeria's Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is "partnering" with INTERPOL, the FBI and the British and Kenyan governments to secure the arrest and extradition of Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance's regi...
Mar 29, 2024
Law and Order
Detained Binance Exec Sues Nigerian Goverment Over Human Rights Violations
A Binance executive detained in Nigeria has sued the government for violating his fundamental human rights. According to local publication Punch, Binance's Head of Financial Crime Compliance Tigran Gambaryan has filed a motion with the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking a declaration that the seizure of his passport contravened Nigeria's constitution. Gambaryan has also asked that the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA) and the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) be compelle...
Dec 5, 2023
Business
Binance CEO Richard Teng: Compliance Controls Were 'Inadequate'
Newly appointed Binance CEO Richard Teng attempted to draw a line under the crypto exchange’s past issues, conceding that compliance controls were “inadequate” and arguing that the company could “move past a challenging chapter.” Speaking at the Financial Times Crypto Winter Summit, Teng said that, “The compliance controls that we had in those early days were inadequate for the size of company we were becoming very quickly,” acknowledging that, “there were mistakes made.” He claimed that the exc...
Nov 27, 2023
Law and Order
Former Binance CEO CZ Can’t Leave US Until Court Decides If He’s a Flight Risk
Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, former CEO of crypto exchange Binance, must stay in the United States for now, a federal judge ruled Monday. This comes after Zhao pleaded guilty last week to violating the Bank Secrecy Act. The decision puts on hold an earlier ruling that would have allowed Zhao to return to his family in the United Arab Emirates while awaiting sentencing in February 2024. Prosecutors argued Zhao poses a flight risk, given his wealth and the lack of an extradition treaty with the UAE. Last...
Sep 8, 2023
Business
Binance CEO Brushes Off 'Negative News' Amid Executive Departures
Following a spate of executive departures from Binance, the crypto exchange’s CEO Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao took to Twitter to dismiss “negative news” and rumors surrounding the company. In a post on the social media platform, now renamed X, Zhao dismissed reports of “bank runs, lawsuits, closing of fiat channels, product wind downs, employee turnover, exit markets, etc.,” as “FUD” (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt). Binance has seen a number of top executives depart the company in recent months, with exec...
Jul 14, 2023
Business
Binance Slashes Staff But Says Reports of Thousands Being Cut Are 'Way Off'
Binance is reportedly giving thousands of employees the chop—just months after saying it would be “seeking to fill hundreds of open roles” and was “reevaluating” its headcount, as the company faces the toughest legal scrutiny of its six-year existence. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange told Decrypt that it had laid off staff but would not confirm the amount. Binance CEO Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao then said on Twitter that “the numbers reported by media are all way off.” The Wall Street Journ...
Jun 12, 2023
Coins
Binance Suspends a Dozen Ethereum, BNB Token Trading Pairs
Binance halted trades across several Binance Coin (BNB) and Ethereum (ETH) token pairs in the latest shake-up since the company was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission last week. On Monday, the company said that it ended trading for more than a dozen pairs that involve its native BNB token, the defunct Binance USD (BUSD) stablecoin, and five involving ETH. The trades began to cease at 11:00 p.m. EST on Sunday and the rest were frozen by 4 a.m. EST Monday morning. Users on its internat...
Apr 26, 2023
Business
Binance CEO Lawyers Up Amid ‘Chilling’ U.S. Crypto Regulatory Climate
Legal pressure on Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, has underscored the potentially “chilling” effect of a U.S. crackdown on crypto, legal experts have told Decrypt. The company is facing scrutiny from multiple agencies, including a suit filed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) against both Binance and its founder Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao last month. Per a report from the New York Times, Zhao has hired white-collar defense lawyers from law firm Latham & Watkins to represen...
Mar 28, 2023
Long Reads
What the Binance CFTC Lawsuit Means for Crypto
The Commodities Futures Trading Commission’s enforcement action against Binance could shutter the crypto behemoth if the regulator's requests for injunctive relief and penalties stick—but there’s a lot more to the Commission's lawsuit to unpack. The CFTC filed its lawsuit against Binance on Monday morning, which the company has said was “unexpected and disappointing,” citing its ongoing cooperation with regulators. The company also said in its statement that it has invested heavily in its compli...
Mar 28, 2023
Coins
BNB Slips Over 5% Following Binance CFTC Lawsuit
Following Monday's announcement of a lawsuit by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) against Binance and its CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, the crypto exchange's BNB token tumbled overnight. BNB token slipped by 5.4% in the last 24 hours—the largest drop of any token in the top 10 by market cap—according to CoinGecko. Over the past 24 hours, Bitcoin has also slipped by 2.8% to $27,157, and Ethereum by 1.1% to $1,746, leaving BNB's large stumble as the outlier. The leading cryptocurrency exc...
Feb 22, 2023
Long Reads
Binance Urges Industry-Wide Action to Boost Trust in Crypto
There’s no doubt that the crypto industry is at an inflection point. In the past months, a series of scandals—including bankruptcy, insider trading, and unorthodox withdrawals—have rocked fragile confidence in its ecosystem. Rana Kortam, global policy lead at Binance, told Decrypt that “the challenges have definitely underscored the need to do more,” and insists that “we all have a part to play,” to provide further protections for users and investors, and build for the long term. In the U.S. and...
Feb 17, 2023
Business
CZ Denies Binance Is Considering Delisting Tokens From US Projects
Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has spoken out regarding news reports that the company will cut ties with U.S. crypto projects. In a tweet Friday, Zhao—better known as CZ—wrote “False” in response to a post claiming that Binance was considering “delisting all U.S.-based cryptocurrencies.” He then added that “blockchain has no borders” when someone asked what a “U.S.-based token” even was. Exactly, Blockchain has no borders. — CZ 🔶 Binance (@cz_binance) February 17, 2023 The post was referring t...
Feb 14, 2023
Markets
BNB Token Plunges as Binance, Paxos Shutter BUSD Stablecoin Product
The recent regulatory action against Paxos and Binance over the partnership's dollar-pegged stablecoin has spooked investors. Following the crackdown from the SEC and the New York Department of Financial Services yesterday, Binance's native token BNB fell more than 5%, before recovering some early this morning. Traders also pulled funds en masse from the crypto exchange. Data aggregated by Nansen indicates that in the last 24 hours, a net $356 million has fled the exchange amid the latest regula...