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<p><strong>Binance, the world&#8217;s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has been allegedly mixing customer funds with company revenue.</strong></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;" id="accusations">Accusations</h2>
<p>Binance reportedly mixed customer funds with company revenue in 2020 and 2021, violating U.S. financial regulations that require the segregation of customer money. Three sources familiar with the matter revealed this information to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/crypto-binance-money/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a>. While the figures and frequency of the commingling could not be independently verified, evidence showed that on February 10, 2021, Binance combined $20 million from a corporate account with $15 million from an account that received customer money.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Crypto giant Binance could be in hot water with US regulators after a <a href="https://twitter.com/Reuters?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Reuters</a> investigation showed it commingled customer and company money. One source said the sums involved ran into billions of dollars and commingling happened almost daily <a href="https://t.co/8rgY9O7Sk7">https://t.co/8rgY9O7Sk7</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Reuters (@Reuters) <a href="https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1660974634588618756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;" id="lack-of-internal-controls-raises-concerns">Lack of Internal Controls Raises Concerns</h2>
<p>The money flows described by Reuters suggest a lack of internal controls at Binance to ensure the clear identification and separation of customer funds from company revenues. Former U.S. regulators stated that this commingling posed a risk to client assets as it obscured their whereabouts. John Reed Stark, a former chief of the Securities and Exchange Commission&#8217;s Office of Internet Enforcement said:</p>
<blockquote><p>Customers should not have to rely on forensic accountants to locate their money.</p></blockquote>
<h2 style="text-align: center;" id="regulatory-scrutiny-and-binance-8217-s-response">Regulatory Scrutiny and Binance&#8217;s Response</h2>
<p>The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair, Gary Gensler, criticized crypto exchanges for not complying with regulations that require the segregation of customer funds from corporate assets. Binance allowed U.S. customers to trade on its platform despite claiming to restrict access to Americans. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a complaint against Binance in March, accusing the exchange of allowing U.S. customers to trade and violating commodities laws. Binance denied mixing customer deposits and company funds, stating that the accounts in question were used for facilitating user purchases. Binance is also being <a href="https://walletinvestor.com/magazine/binance-is-under-investigation-by-doj-for-violating-sanctions-against-russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigated</a> by the by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) over potential violations of Russian sanctions.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;" id="financial-operations-and-concerns">Financial Operations and Concerns</h2>
<p>Bank and company records indicated that Binance relied on Silvergate Bank for its financial operations. However, Silvergate Bank collapsed in March. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao controlled a Seychelles firm called Key Vision Development, which received customer dollars in a Silvergate account. Binance converted funds from another account, controlled by a Cayman firm associated with Zhao, into the BUSD token. Moving money between accounts and into cryptocurrencies potentially allowed Binance to shield funds from tax authorities and froze accounts.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-23381" src="https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/FwzpNzJWIAEmrf0.png" alt="" width="680" height="383" srcset="https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/FwzpNzJWIAEmrf0.png 680w, https://walletinvestor.com/magazinadmin/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/FwzpNzJWIAEmrf0-300x169.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;" id="investigation-and-financial-maneuvering">Investigation and Financial Maneuvering</h2>
<p>Binance faced civil charges from the CFTC for evading U.S. commodities laws and potential investigation by the Justice Department for money laundering and sanctions violations. Binance&#8217;s financial practices reportedly aimed to protect profits from tax authorities. The exchange paid little to no corporate taxes in countries where it operated, and it is uncertain where Binance.com is based. Lithuania served as a base for Binance&#8217;s European operations, and Binance&#8217;s Lithuanian company, Bifinity, made substantial tax payments.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;" id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>Former insiders have claimed that Binance commingled customer funds with company revenue, raising concerns about the exchange&#8217;s internal controls and the safety of customer assets. Regulatory scrutiny, along with allegations of tax avoidance and financial maneuvering, have intensified the challenges faced by Binance. As the crypto sector faces increased regulatory scrutiny, Binance&#8217;s future operations and banking partnerships remain uncertain.</p>

Binance Allegedly Commingled Customer Funds and Company Revenue, Former Insiders Claim

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