Binance Killed Internal Probe After Trump Pardoned Founder CZ
Binance dismantled an investigation that found $1B flowed to sanctioned Iranian entities through its exchange.
Binance investigators uncovered roughly $1 billion in transactions routed to sanctioned Iranian entities through the crypto exchange. Their reward? The company shut down the probe and suspended them.
The crackdown came just weeks after former President Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ). Staffers who flagged the massive sanctions compliance failure found their investigation dismantled and themselves sidelined.
Binance disputes this account. The company denied that the inquiry was terminated or that staff were fired over their findings.
The Wall Street Journal report raises serious questions about Binance's commitment to compliance — particularly given the company's prior $4.3 billion settlement with U.S. authorities over sanctions violations and money laundering. That deal sent CZ to prison before the presidential pardon freed him.
A billion dollars to sanctioned entities. Investigators punished. The pattern speaks for itself.