Share this article

DOJ, IRS Investigating Crypto Exchange Binance: Report

The world’s largest crypto exchange by volume is the subject of a U.S. money-laundering investigation, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

Updated May 9, 2023, 3:19 a.m. Published May 13, 2021, 5:41 p.m.
Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao
Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao

Binance Holdings Ltd. is facing a federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

Officials specializing in tax and money-laundering investigations are probing the world’s largest crypto exchange, according to the report.

Binance operates a sprawling global empire of crypto trading, including derivatives, which are essentially barred from the U.S. market. Binance has attempted to project itself as above-board through recent regulatory hires, including former U.S. senator Max Baucus. Former banking regulator Brian Brooks was installed as CEO of Binance’s U.S. affiliate last month. Binance is based in the Cayman Islands.

“We take our legal obligations very seriously and engage with regulators and law enforcement in a collaborative fashion,” a Binance spokeswoman said in a statement. “We have worked hard to build a robust compliance program that incorporates anti-money laundering principles and tools used by financial institutions to detect and address suspicious activity.”

She declined to comment further on the reported investigation.

Binance CEO "CZ" Changpeng Zhao commented on the Bloomberg article in a tweet:

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

Cascade Unveils 24/7 Neo-Brokerage Offering Perpetuals on Cryptos, U.S. Stocks

Computer monitors and a laptop screen show trading charts on a desk overlooking an expanse of water at sunset. (sergeitokmakov/Pixabay, modified by CoinDesk)

The platform will let retail traders use one margin account to trade round-the-clock perpetual markets.

What to know:

  • Cascade has introduced a 24/7 brokerage-style app for perpetual markets spanning crypto, U.S. equities and private-asset exposure.
  • The firm is pitching a single, unified margin account with direct-to-bank U.S. dollar capability for deposits and withdrawals.
  • The company has raised $15 million from investors including Polychain Capital, Variant and Coinbase Ventures.