Binance has agreed to enter into a historic corporate settlement by paying over $4.3 billion to settle charges brought by the US Department of Justice (DoJ). The crypto exchange will also pay an additional $2.85 billion to settle with the US commodities regulator.
Officially confirmed yesterday (Tuesday), $3.8 billion from the settlement with the DoJ will go to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), while the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) will receive $968 million.
In its separate settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Binance Holdings will return $1.35 billion in “ill-gotten funds” and another $1.35 billion in civil penalty. Further, Binance’s now-former CEO, Changpeng Zhao, agreed to pay a $150 million civil monetary penalty to the agency, while the exchange’s former Chief Compliance Officer, Samuel Lim, will pay another $1.5 million.
The DoJ unsealed the charges against Binance yesterday, and the exchange simultaneously pled guilty to violating US anti-money laundering (AML) and sanctions laws. Zhao also pled guilty to violating anti-money laundering rules and agreed to step down.
Profit over Compliance
“Binance turned a blind eye to its legal obligations in the pursuit of profit. Its willful failures allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers through its platform,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland also commented in the same lines, saying: “From the very beginning, Zhao and other Binance executives engaged in a deliberate and calculated effort to profit from the US market without implementing the controls required by US law.”
Apart from the monetary settlement, Binance agreed to exit the US markets completely and will “abide by a series of robust sanctions compliance obligations.” Further, Binance will go under a five-year monitorship, ensuring US Tresrey’s access to the exchange’s books, records, and systems. Any lapse could “expose Binance to substantial additional penalties, including a $150 million suspended penalty.”
Law enforcement and national security officials need additional authorities and resources to pursue money laundering, sanctions evasion, & criminal activity facilitated through crypto. I’ll keep working to pass bipartisan legislation to address this serious and dangerous problem.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) November 21, 2023
Meanwhile, the array of settlements did not…
