Bloomberg: The U.S. Department of Justice launches a criminal investigation into Binance, aiming to determine whether it intentionally allowed sanctions-violating trades to proceed
On September 22, Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that U.S. federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into Binance Holdings Ltd., focusing on whether the platform violated U.S. sanctions rules on Iran by failing to block certain transactions.
The investigation is led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington has also been involved. According to people familiar with the matter, authorities are particularly investigating whether Binance allowed the relevant transactions to go through despite knowing they were违规.
The origins of this investigation trace back to the large-scale movement of Iranian oil funds through crypto channels that was exposed last month, which directly drew significant attention from U.S. prosecutors and prompted the probe to be escalated.
According to disclosures by the prosecution, at least seven interconnected crypto wallets collectively received and transferred more than $1.5 billion in proceeds from Iranian oil, and some of the funds ultimately flowed to entities associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Notably, this is not the first time Binance has faced allegations related to sanctions compliance. In 2023, Binance pleaded guilty to violations of U.S. anti-money-laundering and sanctions regulations, paid a record $4.3 billion in fines, and agreed to a five-year period of independent regulatory oversight.
In addition, due to this sanctions-related case, Binance’s former CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) was also imprisoned for four months, before being pardoned by then-President Trump in 2025.
If this investigation confirms that Binance continued to commit sanctions violations after the settlement despite knowing it was wrongdoing, the consequences could trigger more stringent provisions in the prior settlement agreement, and would directly affect Binance’s business operations and regulatory standing.
#币安刑事调查
On September 22, Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that U.S. federal prosecutors are conducting a criminal investigation into Binance Holdings Ltd., focusing on whether the platform violated U.S. sanctions rules on Iran by failing to block certain transactions.
The investigation is led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington has also been involved. According to people familiar with the matter, authorities are particularly investigating whether Binance allowed the relevant transactions to go through despite knowing they were违规.
The origins of this investigation trace back to the large-scale movement of Iranian oil funds through crypto channels that was exposed last month, which directly drew significant attention from U.S. prosecutors and prompted the probe to be escalated.
According to disclosures by the prosecution, at least seven interconnected crypto wallets collectively received and transferred more than $1.5 billion in proceeds from Iranian oil, and some of the funds ultimately flowed to entities associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Notably, this is not the first time Binance has faced allegations related to sanctions compliance. In 2023, Binance pleaded guilty to violations of U.S. anti-money-laundering and sanctions regulations, paid a record $4.3 billion in fines, and agreed to a five-year period of independent regulatory oversight.
In addition, due to this sanctions-related case, Binance’s former CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) was also imprisoned for four months, before being pardoned by then-President Trump in 2025.
If this investigation confirms that Binance continued to commit sanctions violations after the settlement despite knowing it was wrongdoing, the consequences could trigger more stringent provisions in the prior settlement agreement, and would directly affect Binance’s business operations and regulatory standing.
#币安刑事调查
