Key Highlights
- Sanctions-related exposure fell from 0.284% to 0.009% between January 2024 and July 2025.
- Over 1,500 employees, roughly 25% of the global workforce, work in compliance roles.
- CZ emphasizes that Binance uses data-driven processes to maintain industry-leading compliance.
Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has released a detailed statement defending the strength and effectiveness of its compliance program, following recent media reports questioning its handling of sanctions-related risks.
Binance said its compliance framework is “best-in-class” and continues to grow stronger. The company emphasized that its processes are rigorous: “When there is credible risk information, we investigate, mitigate, offboard accounts, and report to appropriate authorities.”
According to Binance, these procedures have led to a sharp reduction in sanctions-related exposure. The exchange reported that exposure fell from 0.284% of total trading volume in January 2024 to just 0.009% in July 2025 – a 96.8% decrease.
The company characterized recent reporting about its compliance as “inaccurate,” claiming that such coverage relied on “false claims by disgruntled former employees” and failed to reflect how compliance works in the crypto sector properly. CEO Changpeng Zhao commented on the coverage, saying: “Some media uses negative narratives (from fired employees). Binance uses data. Best compliance program in the industry, by far!”
Investment in compliance
Binance highlighted its investment in compliance infrastructure and human resources. Over the past two years, the company says it has:
- Expanded sanctions screening and transaction monitoring controls
- Invested hundreds of millions of dollars in compliance infrastructure
- Built one of the largest compliance teams in the digital-asset industry
- Enhanced governance independence and board oversight
Currently, Binance has 593 full-time employees within its Compliance business unit and 978 additional employees and contractors in compliance-related roles across customer service, technology, and product teams. In total, more than 1,500 people, which is about 25% of Binance’s global workforce, work in compliance-related roles.
These teams specialize in areas such as sanctions, counter-terrorist financing, and financial crime investigations. They are supported by governance, quality control, and training functions. Binance said that all compliance investigations are conducted independently, with decisions made according to law and established procedures, not business or commercial interests.
Licenses, reviews, and law enforcement cooperation
Binance holds licenses, registrations, and authorizations in 20 different jurisdictions, including full approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).
Over the past 18 months, the company has gone through multiple independent external reviews, internal audits, regulatory inspections, and supervisory checks across various markets. These processes, Binance said, help strengthen governance, improve customer verification and risk rating, and refine monitoring procedures.
In collaboration with law enforcement, Binance claims to have assisted authorities in recovering more than $131 million in illicit funds and responded to over 71,000 law enforcement requests globally in 2025. The company also delivered more than 160 training sessions for law enforcement personnel.
Sanctions management and risk reduction
Binance described its sanctions program as one of the most robust in the digital-asset industry. Through enhanced screening, transaction monitoring, wallet screening, and typology detection, the exchange has reduced its exposure to sanctioned entities and high-risk jurisdictions.
Specifically, exposure to Iranian cryptocurrency exchanges fell by more than 97.3% between January 2024 and January 2026, from $4.19 million to $110,000. Binance also claimed it outperformed 10 major global peers in managing this risk.
The company noted that on public blockchains, users can send funds without prior approval from the receiving exchange. Therefore, risk can never be completely eliminated, and monitoring and managing transactions after they are received remain essential parts of compliance.
Response to recent press reports
Binance responded to recent media stories on sanctions compliance, saying that the coverage was “incomplete and mischaracterized.” The company explained that it conducted internal investigations into two entities mentioned in the reports. At the time, neither of the users was on any sanctions list, and no alerts were triggered by the standard monitoring tools the company uses.
The exchange said it acted quickly once credible information became available, removing accounts and sharing relevant details with the proper authorities. Binance added that its compliance processes were effective in identifying and reducing indirect exposure to sanctioned entities.
Some reports also suggested that Binance fired staff for raising compliance concerns. The company denied this, stating that departures were related to breaches of internal data protection and confidentiality rules, not for reporting compliance issues.
Conclusion
Binance said its compliance program is strong and continues to improve. The exchange emphasized that it will keep monitoring risks, work with authorities, and operate within established compliance systems to protect its users and maintain safety on the platform.
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