A U.S. federal court has formally approved a settlement agreement between leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
The court found that Binance and its founder and former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, failed to stop dubious transactions on their platform. As a result, Binance is required to pay $2.7 billion to conclude a years-long CFTC investigation.
The court also imposed a $150 million fine on Changpeng Zhao (C.Z.).
Costly End to Derivatives and Money Laundering Probes
The ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois cements the investigative settlement originally struck in November. This was between Binance, CZ, and U.S. authorities, including the Department of Justice.
Amidst growing global regulatory scrutiny of crypto, this judgment highlights escalating legal pressures facing unlicensed digital asset platforms. According to the court order, C.Z. will personally disburse the nine-figure CFTC fine, while Binance is obligated to return $1.35 billion in allegedly illegal trading revenues.
Also, the Binance has to remit another $1.35 billion as a penalty for flouting U.S. derivatives regulations. The judgment culminates CFTC probes into Binance centred on the exchange enabling prohibited crypto margin and futures trades for American customers.
Regulators also discovered that Binance and Zhao failed to verify customer identities or detect suspicious transactions adequately. As a result, more than $100,000 worth of questionable trades occurred and were never reported.
BNB also allowed dealings with organizations that the U.S. government has designated as terrorist groups.
Further, the exchange enabled payments involving websites focused on selling child sexual abuse material. Previously, Zhao pled guilty to criminal charges related to inadequate anti-money laundering controls in November.
Besides C.Z. and Binance troubles, the court also imposed a $1.5 million sanction on former Binance compliance chief Samuel Lim for abetting the platform’s wrongdoings.
Global Regulatory Headwinds Could Persist After Settlement
While the U.S. judgment finalizes Binance’s CFTC troubles, Zhao and his embattled exchange face further international hurdles, regulators across Europe and Asia are bent on scrutinizing the platform’s insufficient compliance procedures.
Nonetheless, current Binance CEO Richard Teng publicly trumpeted that improved regulatory compliance is the newfound priority after years of permitted lax controls.
This changing stance aims to appease global authorities and unlock lucrative developed market licenses. However, rebuilding institutional trust remains an uphill climb for Binance, with intensified oversight now the norm.
For Binance to navigate beyond past lapses, truly transforming its compliance and governance is imperative.
Though settling U.S. charges allows BNB to turn the page legally, uncertainty persists for Zhao, who awaits a potential prison sentence next February. How American courts ultimately punish one of crypto’s most prominent magnates could send ripples throughout the industry.
For now, Binance hopes to move forward, but with its founder still under possible imprisonment, unknowns linger. Regulators worldwide are also closely monitoring if promised compliance changes truly materialize.
Any further missteps could spur additional countries to target operations. So, while the CFTC settlement marks a milestone, BNB isn’t out of the woods yet.
