Key points

  • Binance is one of the largest companies in the world with a completely remote staff. It employs thousands of employees living in different regions and time zones. Unlike other exchanges, our market operates 24/7 and cannot have downtime. 

  • Have you ever wondered how Binance employees manage to synchronize and collaborate with each other in a decentralized manner? 

  • For this article, we interviewed over twenty Binance employees across five major global time zones to try to understand how this truly global and distributed force operates as a single organism across different regions and time zones.

Since its founding in 2017, Binance has grown into one of the largest fully remote companies in the world, with nearly five thousand employees spread across the globe supporting trillions of dollars in trading volume through coordinated group chats and online documents.

Unlike other global companies, where employees are categorized and restricted to working within their markets or regions, Binance forms its teams in a way that is essentially a "network state", regardless of the geographic location of its individual members. For example, a single Binance department or division may consist of employees working from Australia, Argentina, Kosovo, and the United Arab Emirates.

Working at Binance has thus become a unique cultural phenomenon of our digital age. It is an experience full of contradictions: at once secluded and hyperconnected, surreal and yet familiar, on the one hand freeing up personal time and space, on the other hand introducing the 24/7 pressure of work meetings.

How do they do it? What patterns have emerged in the work of the world's largest crypto ecosystem, solving the complex tasks of global coordination? How do these remote staff master the art of time zone synchronization?

We identified several major geographic time zones covered by Binance’s numerous distributed work centers and spoke with over twenty Binance employees from each of these time zones to understand the inner workings of this fascinating network structure.

(UTC+7, +8, +9)

The Asia Pacific region is the first to see the new day, and employees like LL, the Asia Pacific Public Relations Manager, start their day before most of the world wakes up.

Living in Seoul, which is UTC+9, LL has perfected her morning routine. “I start chatting at work around 10-11am,” she explains, “but my real window of productivity is from 9am to noon, when it’s quiet and I can focus on writing and pitching.”

The morning silence allows LL to tackle the most important tasks before the flow of global meetings opens in the afternoon.

Her colleague EZ, a senior designer in the UTC+8 time zone, works in a similar rhythm. But as a designer, he often works all day, sometimes until late at night.

“We manage global assignments,” he says, “which means I often have to wait for approval from managers in different time zones. The challenge is to juggle multiple tasks at once while still being available when management goes online.”

This structure reflects a general pattern for employees in this region: morning hours are reserved for in-depth, focused work, and afternoon hours are dedicated to collaborative work.

The problem, however, is the inevitable overlap with colleagues in Europe, the Middle East, and America, where late-night meetings are becoming the norm.

According to LL, some general meetings, such as global calls, often run late in her region, forcing her to adjust meal times with loved ones or even bedtimes.

DM, a PR and Marketing Manager in Singapore (UTC+8), believes that the Asia Pacific time zone is the most demanding of all time zones. “Think about it: colleagues often come to us with requests that need to be fulfilled as soon as possible because we are the first to get up. We often cannot say no and have to deal with issues very early. However, this does not mean that we are exempt from late night pings and late-night calls due to the late time zones.”

DG, head of strategy and operations in Japan in the UTC+9 time zone, says he sometimes has to work on standby from 8am to midnight with breaks, so it’s his responsibility to set personal boundaries and maintain balance throughout the day.

For employees like PK, a regional manager in the UTC+7 time zone, having to work late sometimes has its positive side. “Working late at night gives me the peace and quiet I need to plan the next day,” he says.

(UTC+4) 

United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Middle East and North Africa: The Golden Mean

For those working in the Middle East, such as OTQ, a risk management manager, and FY, a site reliability engineer, remote work is primarily about balance: combining meetings with global team members and managing individual tasks. 

"I divide my day into three three-hour periods," says OTQ, who lives in Dubai, UAE, in the UTC+4 time zone. "I spend my morning reading messages from Asia, and in the afternoon I sync with Europe."

This region is located in a key time zone, occupying an intermediate position between Asia, Europe and America. Employees here can comfortably stay in touch with both the east and west of the world for a reasonable amount of time during the day.

Some of the most challenging tasks for OTQ and FY are those rare urgent requests from colleagues in America that have to be processed late into the night local time.

OTQ adds that he also usually makes sure he has communicated everything he needs to communicate with the Asia-Pacific region, ideally by 2pm local time, as it is not very polite to ping employees from that region after 2pm.

Additionally, most employees in the Middle East can work during normal business hours.

"Nothing special, I mostly work from 9 to 5 or 6," FY jokes.

(UTC+1, +2, +3) 

Europe, Turkey, South Africa: the best place

Like the Middle East, Europe is often seen as a time zone conveniently located for global coordination. Being able to cross paths with colleagues in the Asia-Pacific region before they finish work in the early morning European time, and catching up with someone in Latin America as they are just waking up in the late afternoon European time, provides consistent communication windows, allowing employees to work reasonable hours from morning to dinner.

EW, a policy and change management analyst in South Africa, UTC+2, feels great in the mornings, making her to-do list after delving into her inbox around 10 a.m. “My most productive time is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” she explains. “After that, it’s just checking emails and working on special projects.”

AS, a Creative Programs Manager in Spain in UTC+2, lives in an ideal location that straddles multiple time zones, allowing him to work comfortably with team members in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and the Americas throughout the day.

AS also emphasizes the need to master project and time management tools like Asana and Google Calendar to stay in sync with this asynchronous workforce.

For YF, an operations manager based in Paris, also in UTC+2, her time zone is the most convenient. “I work a regular schedule, 9 to 6,” she explains, which allows her to maintain a structured work schedule while still being able to collaborate effectively with both Asia and Europe.

MJ, an Angel and Community Coordinator from Lisbon, which is in UTC+1, is grateful that his time zone coincides with productive work hours in other zones. In the morning, he connects with colleagues in Asia and Dubai before their workday ends, and in the afternoon, he interacts with those working in America.

(UTC-3, -4, -5) 

America: Early Birds

In America, the time zone problem is reversed. Employees often start their joint meetings very early to quickly synchronize with the Asia-Pacific region before they finish their workday, then begin meetings with colleagues in Europe and the Middle East.

GN, the Latin America region manager based in Brazil in UTC-3, starts his day with a performance review and meetings with people in Asia and other time zones. By noon, the rest of the world is done, giving him the freedom to work on his own terms. He uses lunch to network and the rest of the day to do more in-depth work.

“From my personal experience, I find that a team in Asia often adapts to a team in Latin America,” GN reflects. “However, we all try to take turns helping and adapting to each other.”

TM, the director of corporate compliance in the UTC-4 time zone, takes advantage of the early morning to review correspondence from Europe and Asia. “I like to start my day at 6:30 a.m.,” he says, “because it allows me to connect with colleagues around the world before they go offline.”

(UTC-6, -7) 

America: Inconvenient Afternoon Hours

Then, in the evening, employees have to be on call twice: very early in the morning and then very late at night to stay in sync with global teams. It’s not uncommon for them to wake up at 5 a.m. to catch up with the rest of the world and respond to messages after dinner.

For KSA, an operations manager from Northern Latin America who works in Mexico in the UTC-6 time zone, the biggest challenge is fitting morning meetings into her schedule. “I like to exercise in the morning, but sometimes I have to cancel my morning workouts because the meetings are right around the time I need to be at the gym,” she says.

EF, a special investigations manager in the UTC-7 time zone, has mastered the art of grouping her meetings so that she doesn’t spend her entire day on calls. “I’ve learned to be flexible with my time, but also to set boundaries,” she explains. EF typically wakes up early to connect with colleagues in the Middle East and Europe, then logs back in late at night to make sure her time is in sync with her colleagues in the Asia-Pacific time zone.

Working in this time zone allows her to complete most calls by mid-day, leaving the rest of the day for individual tasks or personal time. EF is a morning person, so she easily follows this rhythm.

JS, the legendary CIO at Binance, who also works in the UTC-7 time zone, notes that those working in his time zone often have an “inconvenient” break in the afternoon when they can take a nap.

“I have to be there at 6:30 a.m. to attend the weekly general security meeting,” says JS. After noon, the flow of information usually dies down, except when he has to answer calls from executives in the Middle East, who don’t sleep past midnight local time.

“By 5pm and later, Asia Pacific wakes up again, so we have to log back in and work intensively in the evening if we want to coordinate closely with them,” explains JS.

"Of course, it's best for us to do our personal business in the afternoon."

Symbols

  • The yellow bars show the periods when workers are available in each region and possible overlaps in UTC.

  • Employees can start work as early as 5am and work for 8 hours over a wider time frame up to 11:59pm local time, avoiding the time between midnight and 5am.

UTC 0-12

  • Asia Pacific: operates from 00:00 to 12:00 UTC (7:00 to 19:00 local time).

  • Middle East: Open from 1:00 AM to 12:00 PM UTC (5:00 AM to 4:00 PM local time).

  • Europe/Africa: Open from 3:00 AM to 12:00 PM UTC (5:00 AM to 2:00 PM local time).

  • America (zones -3 to -5): operates from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM UTC (5:00 AM to 9:00 AM local time).

  • America (zones -6 to -7): operates from 11:00 to 12:00 UTC (5:00 to 6:00 local time).

UTC 12-24

  • Asia Pacific: Open from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM UTC (7:00 PM to 2:00 AM local time).

  • Middle East: Open from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM UTC (4:00 PM to 12:00 AM local time).

  • Europe/Africa: Open from 12:00 to 22:00 UTC (14:00 to 23:00 local time).

  • America (zones -3 to -5): full coverage from 12:00 to 24:00 UTC (9:00 to 21:00 local time).

  • America (zones -6 to -7): full coverage from 12:00 to 24:00 UTC (6:00 to 18:00 local time).

Flexibility, freedom and focus

In every region, the main benefit of working remotely at Binance is the flexibility it offers. Whether it’s avoiding the daily commute or adjusting schedules to accommodate family life, employees consistently praise the freedom to plan their workday as they see fit.

As OTQ in Dubai notes: "Remote work allows me to live where I want, in the family-friendly and cost-effective city of Ajman outside Dubai, without having to worry about traffic jams and commuting."

AZI, a talent development specialist in UTC-4, put it best: “The biggest benefit of working remotely at Binance is the culture of freedom that comes with it. I live and work without feeling the need to compromise. That’s invaluable to me. It’s also great to work and meet people virtually with different personal and professional backgrounds, perspectives, and cultures. It awakens the traveler (and curiosity) in me.”

Another recurring theme across all regions is the emphasis on self-discipline. Without a physical office or a 9-to-5 schedule, employees are forced to plan and take responsibility for their own schedules. However, this challenge has also become an opportunity for growth.

RS, a senior communications manager in Latin America in the UTC-3 time zone, notes that Binance’s remote work culture has forced her to hone the skills needed to become a competent and competitive international employee.

"At Binance, time zones are part of our global nature, as are the diversity of languages, cultures, and nationalities. For me, beyond the daily challenges that performing different tasks can present, it is a constant reminder of how truly global we are."

Results

Binance’s global operations are led by CEO Richard Teng, who primarily splits his time between Singapore (UTC+8) and Dubai (UTC+4). Richard’s workday is a constant adjustment to different time zones, as his role requires him to travel frequently to cover all of Binance’s global events.

Richard faces a daily challenge of juggling external physical meetings (with politicians, regulators, partners, personal appearances, media engagements, etc.) and internal virtual calls, regardless of the time zone he is in. He is grateful to have a great executive assistant who manages his schedule well. He advises, “Remote work is a privilege, so to continue to enjoy it, Binance employees must adapt, accommodate, and be mindful of each other’s time zones to ensure our business runs smoothly.”

Regardless of where someone is located, most employees work an average of 8 hours a day, however, given the specifics of the cryptocurrency market, there will be critical moments when everyone will have to roll up their sleeves and work around the clock, regardless of location.

Every employee should be considerate of each other, help colleagues as much as possible, and set clear personal and professional boundaries. Only purposeful and responsible people can succeed in this environment.

In a world of 24/7 crypto, where the market is open 24/7 and the sun never sets, Binance employees have learned to thrive, not just survive, in the face of remoteness and time zone shifts. And perhaps the best takeaway from this global phenomenon is that the future of work is not about where you are physically located, but about when and how you work to achieve a shared mission and vision.

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