Binance settles with U.S. government: Timeline of US enforcement actions
Binance and its founder Changpeng”CZ” Zhao has admitted to violating United States laws around money laundering and terror financing — agreeing to pay $4.3 billion in fines.
The Justice Department’s probe into Binance started years earlier, and in the meantime, other U.S. regulatory agencies launched their own actions against the crypto exchange.
Here’s what happened.
Feb. 15: Binance was under suspicion since 2018
Reports emerged that Binance is the target of several United States law enforcement investigations — some dating back to 2018.
March 1: Congress involved — Elizabeth Warren leads the charge
Binance came under U.S. Congress scrutiny on March 1 as Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen and Roger Marshall sent a letter to Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao and Binance.US CEO Brian Shroder requesting answers to several allegations and the companies’ balance sheets. The Senators were not satisfied with the responses and the executives were later accused of lying.
March 27: CFTC strikes with 7 charges
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed suit against Zhao, chief compliance officer Samuel Lim and Binance, naming seven counts of trading irregularities and market manipulation. The CFTC investigation reportedly began in 2021. Zhao vehemently denied the charges.
May 5: DOJ also has eyes on Binance
Bloomberg reported that Binance is under investigation by the Justice Department for violations of sanctions against Russia. Binance maintained a presence in Russia through September.
The Justice Department is investigating whether Binance was used illegally to let Russians skirt US sanctions and move money through the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange https://t.co/AVgG55iSmx
— Bloomberg Crypto (@crypto) May 5, 2023
June 5: SEC strikes with 13 charges
The Securities and Exchange Commission filed suit against Binance, Binance.US and Zhao on June 5 with 13 charges, including unregistered securities sales, allowing U.S. customers to use the Binance exchange, intermingling customer and corporate funds and wash sales.
The SEC got an emergency restraining order against Binance.US and the exchange drastically cut back its U.S. activities.
July 6: Binance leadership exodus starts
Four senior members of the Binance.US team left the company, starting a wave of departures that continued for months.
Aug. 2: DOJ mulls move on Binance
The Justice Department was reported to be considering fraud charges against Binance. To avoid a run on the exchange, the department was leaning toward fines or non-prosecution agreements at that time.
Aug. 14: Binance.US scrambles to block SEC
Binance.US sought a protective order against the SEC, accusing the SEC of launching a “fishing expedition” in its discovery process. Binance insisted it was acting in good faith in the process.
Binance is seeking a protective order against the SEC, claiming that they are conducting a “fishing expedition”.https://t.co/NquMV8ShNK
— Molly White (@molly0xFFF) August 15, 2023
Sept. 13-14: Binance.US cuts staff, CEO quits and SEC responds
Binance.US laid off a third of its workforce — about 100 people and its CEO Brian Shroder also departed. The SEC complained to the court about a lack of cooperation from Binance in its discovery process.
Sept. 19: Binance.US notches minor win against SEC
Binance.US scored a minor victory when the court denied the SEC access to the exchange’s software. Instead, the judge suggested that the SEC should be more specific in its discovery requests.
Sept. 21: Binance wants SEC suit tossed
Zhao, Binance and Binance.US asked the court to dismiss the SEC case against them. They claimed the SEC misinterpreted securities law and was imposing its authority retroactively. The SEC retorted that Binance had a “tortured interpretation of the law.”
Oct. 23: Binance wants CFTC suit tossed
Binance filed a motion to dismiss the CFTC’s suit. If the CFTC prevailed, it “would allow it to regulate any activity in cryptocurrency […] related to a derivatives product” worldwide, Binance said. “Congress did not make the CFTC the world’s derivatives police, and the Court should reject the agency’s effort to expand its territorial reach beyond what is permitted by the law,” the exchange added.
Oct. 26: CZ’s wealth drops, Congress wants DOJ to strike
The Bloomberg Billionaires Index dropped Zhao from 11th place among the richest people in the world to a somewhat more modest 95th. His personal wealth was said to have been reduced from $96.9 billion to $17.3 billion. His standing had risen to 68th place in the November list, however.
The same day, Senator Cynthia Lummis and Representative French Hill called on the Justice Department to move against Binance and Tether for enabling sanctions evasion. This was two weeks after Binance froze accounts linked to Hamas.
Nov. 21: CZ and Binance indicted
The government filed indictments against Binance and Zhao in Washington state on Nov. 14. The documents were unsealed on Nov. 21. Zhao steps away from Binance as part of the deal.
Penalties totaled over $4 billion, including fines imposed on Zhao and Lim personally.
We’re pleased to share we’ve reached resolution with several US agencies related to their investigations.
This allows us to turn the page on a challenging yet transformative chapter of learning that has helped us become stronger, safer, and an even more secure platform.
— Binance (@binance) November 21, 2023
Magazine: How to protect your crypto in a volatile market — Bitcoin OGs and experts weigh in
Kenya is preparing legislation to regulate cryptocurrencies with a draft proposal open for public feedback until Jan. 24.
According to the US Department of Justice, Wolf Capital’s co-founder has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for luring 2,800 crypto investors into a Ponzi scheme.
Making Britain better off will be “at the forefront of the chancellor’s mind” during her visit to China, the Treasury has said amid controversy over the trip.
Rachel Reeves flew out on Friday after ignoring calls from opposition parties to cancel the long-planned venture because of market turmoil at home.
The past week has seen a drop in the pound and an increase in government borrowing costs, which has fuelled speculation of more spending cuts or tax rises.
The Tories have accused the chancellor of having “fled to China” rather than explain how she will fix the UK’s flatlining economy, while the Liberal Democrats say she should stay in Britain and announce a “plan B” to address market volatility.
However, Ms Reeves has rejected calls to cancel the visit, writing in The Times on Friday night that choosing not to engage with China is “no choice at all”.
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The chancellor will be accompanied by Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey and other senior executives.
She will meet with her counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng, in Beijing on Saturday to discuss financial services, trade and investment.
She will also “raise difficult issues”, including Chinese firms supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and concerns over constraints on rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, the Treasury said.
But it did not mention whether Ms Reeves would raise the treatment of the Uyghur community, which Downing Street said Foreign Secretary David Lammy would do during his visit last year.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing. Pic: AP
On Friday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy defended the trip, telling Sky News that the climbing cost of government borrowing was a “global trend” that had affected many countries, “most notably the United States”.
“We are still on track to be the fastest growing economy, according to the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] in Europe,” she told Anna Jones on Sky News Breakfast.
“China is the second-largest economy, and what China does has the biggest impact on people from Stockton to Sunderland, right across the UK, and it’s absolutely essential that we have a relationship with them.”
Read more – Ed Conway analysis: The chancellor’s gamble with China
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Nandy defends Reeves’ trip to China
However, former prime minister Boris Johnson said Ms Reeves had “been rumbled” and said she should “make her way to HR and collect her P45 – or stay in China”.
While in the country’s capital, Ms Reeves will also visit British bike brand Brompton’s flagship store, which relies heavily on exports to China, before heading to Shanghai for talks with representatives across British and Chinese businesses.
It is the first UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) since 2019, building on the Labour government’s plan for a “pragmatic” policy with the world’s second-largest economy.
Sir Keir Starmer was the first British prime minister to meet with China’s President Xi Jinping in six years at the G20 summit in Brazil last autumn.
Relations between the UK and China have become strained over the last decade as the Conservative government spoke out against human rights abuses and concerns grew over national security risks.
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How much do we trade with China?
Navigating this has proved tricky given China is the UK’s fourth largest single trading partner, with a trade relationship worth almost £113bn and exports to China supporting over 455,000 jobs in the UK in 2020, according to the government.
During the Tories’ 14 years in office, the approach varied dramatically from the “golden era” under David Cameron to hawkish aggression under Liz Truss, while Rishi Sunak vowed to be “robust” but resisted pressure from his own party to brand China a threat.
The Treasury said a stable relationship with China would support economic growth and that “making working people across Britain secure and better off is at the forefront of the chancellor’s mind”.
Ahead of her visit, Ms Reeves said: “By finding common ground on trade and investment, while being candid about our differences and upholding national security as the first duty of this government, we can build a long-term economic relationship with China that works in the national interest.”
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