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
Panama’s capital city will accept cryptocurrency payments for taxes and municipal fees, including bus tickets and permits, Panama City mayor Mayer Mizrachi announced on April 15, joining a growing list of jurisdictions globally that have voted to accept such payments.
Panama City will begin accepting Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Circle’s USDC (USDC), and Tether’s USDt (USDT) stablecoin for payment once the crypto-to-fiat payment rails are established, Mizrachi posted on the X platform.
Mizrachi said previous administrations attempted to push through similar legislation but failed to overcome stipulations requiring the local government to accept funds denominated in US dollars.
In a translated statement, the Panama City mayor said that the local government partnered with a bank that will immediately convert any digital assets received into US dollars, allowing the municipality to accept crypto without introducing new legislation.
Panama City joins a growing list of global jurisdictions on the municipal and state level accepting cryptocurrency payments for taxes, exploring Bitcoin strategic reserves to protect public treasuries from inflation and passing pro-crypto policies to attract investment.
Related: New York bill proposes legalizing Bitcoin, crypto for state payments
Municipalities and states embrace digital assets
Several municipalities and territories around the globe already accept crypto for tax payments or are exploring various implementations of blockchain technology for government spending.
The US state of Colorado started accepting crypto payments for taxes in September 2022. Much like Panama City said it will do, Colorado immediately converts the crypto to fiat.
In December 2023, the city of Lugano, Switzerland, announced taxes and city fees could be paid in Bitcoin, which was one of the developments that earned it the reputation of being a globally recognized Bitcoin city.
The city council of Vancouver, Canada, passed a motion to become “Bitcoin-friendly city” in December 2024. As part of that motion, the Vancouver local government will explore integrating BTC into the financial system, including tax payments.
North Carolina lawmaker Neal Jackson introduced legislation titled “The North Carolina Digital Asset Freedom Act” on April 10. If passed, the bill will recognize cryptocurrencies as an official form of payment that can be used to pay taxes.
Magazine: Crypto City: The ultimate guide to Miami
As digital assets gain mainstream adoption, establishing a legal framework for stablecoins is a “good idea,” said US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
In an April 16 panel at the Economic Club of Chicago, Powell commented on the evolution of the cryptocurrency industry, which has delivered a consumer use case that “could have wide appeal” following a difficult “wave of failures and frauds,” he said.
Powell delivers remarks at the Economic Club of Chicago. Source: Bloomberg Television
During crypto’s difficult years, which culminated in 2022 and 2023 with several high-profile business failures, the Fed “worked with Congress to try to get a […] legal framework for stablecoins, which would have been a nice place to start,” said Powell. “We were not successful.”
“I think that the climate is changing and you’re moving into more mainstreaming of that whole sector, so Congress is again looking […] at a legal framework for stablecoins,” he said.
“Depending on what’s in it, that’s a good idea. We need that. There isn’t one now,” said Powell.
This isn’t the first time Powell acknowledged the need for stablecoin legislation. In June 2023, the Fed boss told the House Financial Services Committee that stablecoins were “a form of money” that requires “robust” federal oversight.
Related: Stablecoins are the best way to ensure US dollar dominance — Web3 CEO
Support for stablecoin legislation is growing
The election of US President Donald Trump has ushered in a new era of pro-crypto appointments and policy shifts that could make America a digital asset superpower.
Washington’s formal embrace of cryptocurrency began earlier this year when Trump established the President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets, with Bo Hines as the executive director.
Hines told a digital asset summit in New York last month that a comprehensive stablecoin bill was a top priority for the current administration. After the Senate Banking Committee passed the GENIUS Act, a final stablecoin bill could arrive at the president’s desk “in the next two months,” said Hines.
Bo Hines (right) speaks of “imminent” stablecoin legislation at the Digital Asset Summit on March 18. Source: Cointelegraph
Stablecoins pegged to the US dollar are by far the most popular tokens used for remittances and cryptocurrency trading.
The combined value of all stablecoins is currently $227 billion, according to RWA.xyz. The dollar-pegged USDC (USDC) and USDt (USDT) account for more than 88% of the total market.
Magazine: Unstablecoins: Depegging, bank runs and other risks loom
An appellate court has granted a joint request from Ripple Labs and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to pause an appeal in a 2020 SEC case against Ripple amid settlement negotiations.
In an April 16 filing in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the court approved a joint SEC-Ripple motion to hold the appeal in abeyance — temporarily pausing the case — for 60 days. As part of the order, the SEC is expected to file a status report by June 15.
The SEC’s case against Ripple and its executives, filed in December 2020, was expected to begin winding down after Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced on March 19 that the commission would be dropping its appeal against the blockchain firm. A federal court found Ripple liable for $125 million in an August ruling, resulting in both the SEC and blockchain firm filing an appeal and cross-appeal, respectively.
However, once US President Donald Trump took office and leadership of the SEC moved from former chair Gary Gensler to acting chair Mark Uyeda, the commission began dropping multiple enforcement cases against crypto firms in a seeming political shift. Ripple pledged $5 million in XRP to Trump’s inauguration fund, and Garlinghouse and chief legal officer Stuart Alderoty attended events supporting the US president.
Related: SEC dropping Ripple case is ‘final exclamation mark’ that XRP is not a security — John Deaton
Despite support for the end of the case coming from both Ripple and the SEC, the August 2024 judgment and appellate cases leave some legal entanglements. Alderoty said in March that Ripple would drop its cross-appeal with the SEC and receive a roughly $75 million refund from the lower court judgment. It’s unclear what else may result from negotiations over a settlement in appellate court.
New leadership at SEC incoming
Acting chair Uyeda is expected to step down following the US Senate confirming Paul Atkins as SEC chair on April 9.
During his confirmation hearings, lawmakers questioned Atkins about his ties to crypto, which could create conflicts of interest in his role regulating the industry. In financial disclosures, Atkins stated he had millions of dollars in assets through stakes in crypto firms, including Securitize, Pontoro and Patomak.
Magazine: SEC’s U-turn on crypto leaves key questions unanswered
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