While a judge granted a motion by Changpeng Zhao, he also ordered the plaintiffs in the case against Binance to file a second complaint or face ”total or partial dismissal.” A federal court in Alabama has granted a motion to dismiss a 2024 complaint filed against Binance, its separate US entity Binance.US and former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao over allegations that the cryptocurrency exchange facilitated transferring funds to terrorist groups. In a Wednesday order, US District Court for the Middle District of Alabama Magistrate Judge Chad Bryan granted a motion filed by Zhao requesting that significant portions of the complaint be dismissed. The complaint, filed in February 2024, alleged that the three defendants “violated, and may be continuing to violate, the Anti-Terrorism Act” by facilitating the transfer of funds to Hamas. While Bryan granted the motion to dismiss, he also ordered that the group of plaintiffs submit a second amended complaint no later than April 10 or potentially face “the prospect o...
Binance Research says US midterms could set up a rebound for Bitcoin and stocks, though oil shocks and Middle East tensions may weigh near term. Update March 12, 1:21 pm UTC: This article has been updated to include comments from Gracy Chen, CEO of crypto exchange Bitget. The US midterm elections may be the next catalyst to kickstart the crypto and stock market recovery, according to historical data shared by Binance Research. According to a Wednesday report from Binance Research, US midterm election cycles have historically been followed by strong rebounds in stocks and Bitcoin (BTC), potentially setting up a recovery window for risk assets after the 2026 vote. Read more
Binance filed a lawsuit after the Wall Street Journal reported a Justice Department probe into Iran’s alleged use of the exchange to avoid sanctions. Update, March 11, 1:00 pm UTC: This article has been updated to add a statement by Binance that the exchange filed a defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal. Binance said Wednesday it is suing the Wall Street Journal after the newspaper reported that the US Justice Department was investigating whether Iran used the crypto exchange to evade US sanctions. Binance filed a defamation lawsuit against the Journal in the Southern District of New York, seeking damages and legal fees, and demanding a jury trial. Read more
The crypto exchange responded to a Senate inquiry over sanctions by claiming that “no Binance account transacted directly with an Iran-based entity.“ Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has officially responded to a February inquiry launched by a group of 11 US senators, largely denying facilitating transactions to Iranian entities and the narrative around employees’ terminations. In a Friday letter to US Senators Richard Blumenthal and Ron Johnson of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Binance said that an inquiry launched in February into the exchange’s activities was based on reports that were “demonstrably false, unsupported by credible evidence, and defamatory in several material respects.” The exchange referred to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Fortune, which said that Binance fired employees that reported the company had facilitated more than $1 billion in crypto transactions to entities connected to Iran, called Hexa Whale and Blessed Trust. According to Binance, the...
Lawmakers urge US regulators to review Binance’s AML and sanctions controls after reports of Iran-linked transactions and potential evasion risks. A group of 11 US senators has asked federal authorities to investigate whether crypto exchange Binance is complying with US sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) requirements, citing recent reports. In a letter on Friday to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Attorney General Pamela Bondi, the lawmakers urged a “prompt, comprehensive review” of the exchange’s compliance controls and its adherence to settlement agreements reached in 2023. The senators pointed to allegations that approximately $1.7 billion in digital assets flowed through Binance to Iranian entities linked to terrorism, including groups connected to the Houthis and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Investigators also reportedly identified more than 1,500 accounts accessed by users in Iran and potential activity connected to Russian sanctions evasion. Read more
The ruling keeps pre‑2019 investor claims in open court and rejects Binance’s bid to send the dispute to private arbitration in Singapore. A United States federal judge ruled that Binance cannot force a group of US customers to arbitrate claims over losses on crypto tokens they bought on its global platform before Feb. 20, 2019, keeping a major class action in open court. The decision on Thursday by District Judge Andrew Carter Jr. in the Southern District of New York held that those claims were not bound by Binance.com’s 2019 arbitration clause because users lacked sufficient notice when the company unilaterally shifted its terms of use away from the 2017 version, which contained no arbitration or class action waiver provisions. According to the judge, Binance relied on a general change‑of‑terms clause and the posting of updated 2019 terms on its website, and there was no evidence that the exchange provided any individual notice or formally “announced” the new arbitration provision to users. Read more
Binance rejected the allegations, saying it flags suspicious activity, enforces strict compliance procedures and does not permit Iranian users on the platform. A senior US lawmaker launched a congressional inquiry into crypto exchange Binance following reports that the platform processed about $1.7 billion in transactions tied to sanctioned Iranian entities and Russia’s oil “shadow fleet.” On Tuesday, Senator Richard Blumenthal, ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, sent a letter to Binance CEO Richard Teng requesting documents and internal records related to the exchange’s sanctions controls and compliance practices. Citing reporting from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Fortune, Blumenthal said Binance compliance staff had identified two partner entities, including Hexa Whale and Blessed Trust, as intermediaries enabling trade with Iranian government-linked organizations. Internal investigators also reportedly traced transfers to wallets associated with Iran’s Isl...
Two major news outlets published similar reports on Monday claiming that Binance had fired or suspended employees involved in an investigation into crypto going to Iranian entities. Binance CEO Richard Teng took to social media on Tuesday to attack what he called “inaccurate reporting” by the Wall Street Journal regarding investigators at the crypto exchange uncovering $1.7 billion in digital assets moving to Iranian entities. In a Tuesday X post, Teng said the report, published on Monday, contained “defamatory claims,” including a letter from Binance’s legal team “demanding immediate corrections and a full retraction of these false statements.” “Your Article is false, seriously misleading to your readers, and defamatory of our client,” said the letter to WSJ editor-in-chief Emma Tucker from lawyers at Withers Bergman. “Our client has written to you directly seeking correction of the major matters of significant concern and we call upon you to act responsibly, and to remove your Article pending this correcti...
Binance listed 10 of Ondo's tokenized stocks, ETFs and commodities on Binance Alpha with UAE regulatory approval, expanding crypto access to real-world assets. Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume, is rolling out support for tokenized equities from Ondo Global Markets in its latest push into real-world assets (RWAs). The exchange has listed Ondo’s tokenized stocks, funds and commodities on its Binance Alpha platform, according to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph on Tuesday. The integration features 10 tokenized assets at launch, including AAPLon, NVDAon and QQQon, corresponding to Apple, Nvidia and the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF, with additional assets planned for the future. Read more
New Bitcoin price analysis set out key safety nets for bulls ahead of a potential showdown with Binance traders' aggregate deposit cost basis. Bitcoin (BTC) has four new key support levels to watch as a fresh wave of bearish BTC price action aims to push the market price below $50,000. Key points: Bitcoin’s realized prices remain important milestones as the market forms a long-term floor. Read more
Stablecoin outflows slow to $2 billion as Binance consolidates 65% of CEX liquidity, signaling capital concentration even amid the ongoing crypto bear market. Stablecoin outflows from centralized exchanges have slowed sharply even as CryptoQuant’s indicators continue to flag weak market conditions, a sign that investor capital is consolidating rather than leaving the sector, the market data provider said. Flows on centralized exchanges (CEXs) have stabilized somewhat, with outflows totaling just $2 billion over the past month, CryptoQuant said in a statement to Cointelegraph on Tuesday. By contrast, late 2025 saw $8.4 billion in outflows at the start of the bear market, highlighting the moderation in redemptions, CryptoQuant’s marketing head Nick Pitto told Cointelegraph. Read more