Share this article

Binance Australia’s Offices Searched by Financial Regulator: Bloomberg

The company, also under investigation in the U.S. and France, ceased its Australian derivatives business following regulatory warnings

Updated Jul 5, 2023, 3:27 p.m. Published Jul 5, 2023, 8:07 a.m.
jwp-player-placeholder

Binance Australia’s office was searched by the country's financial regulator, the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC), on Tuesday, according to a report in Bloomberg.

The report, citing anonymous sources, comes after the company’s derivatives license was canceled in April, following an investigation into how it classified clients as professional wholesale investors, as they can get fewer regulatory protections than regular retail customers.

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

"We are cooperating with local authorities and Binance is focused on meeting local regulatory standards in order to serve our users in Australia in a fully compliant manner,” a Binance Australia spokesperson told CoinDesk in an e-mailed statement.

Binance was raided by the public prosecutor in Paris, France in June for “aggravated money laundering.” The company's U.S. arm and its CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao are the subject of a lawsuit from U.S. regulators that alleges the exchange operated unlawfully and listed unregistered securities exchange.

A spokesperson for ASIC told CoinDesk that its investigation is "ongoing," but that it was "unable to confirm or deny any operational detail such as possible searches."

UPDATE (July 5, 2023, 10:13 UTC): Adds ASIC statement.

More For You

KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market

16:9 Image

KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.

What to know:

  • KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
  • This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
  • Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
  • Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
  • Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.

More For You

Iran accepts cryptocurrency as payment for advanced weapons

Iran flag (Akbar Nemati/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Prospective customers could purchase weapons such as missiles, tanks and drones using crypto, according to a government website.

What to know:

  • Iran's Ministry of Defence Export Center is accepting cryptocurrency payments for advanced weapons systems as a means of bypassing international sanctions that the country faces.
  • The offer is among the first known instances of a country accepting cryptocurrency as a means of payment for military equipment, according to the Financial Times.
  • The facility for using cryptocurrency to pay for transactions involving sanctioned countries is already well established.