Changpeng Zhao

WSJ: The U.S. Department of Justice has been investigating Binance for a year, which could lead to criminal charges against Binance and Changpeng Zhao, as well as billions of dollars in fines

ChainCatcher news, according to the Wall Street Journal, informed sources revealed that the U.S. Department of Justice has been conducting an investigation for nearly a year, which could lead to criminal charges against Binance and Changpeng Zhao, as well as billions of dollars in fines. Binance and the Justice Department have been in discussions for several months, and internally, Binance has been debating whether Zhao should step down.Earlier this month, during a virtual meeting just days before the departure of Binance.US executives, then-CEO of Binance.US, Brian Shroder, stated that Zhao needed to address "his regulatory issues, place his shares in Binance.US into a blind trust, or sell his stock" in order for the U.S. platform to maintain its growth momentum.In response to the regulatory challenges, Binance co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer He Yi vowed last month in a letter to employees to overcome these troubles. He Yi stated, "Every battle is a matter of life and death; the only thing that can defeat us is ourselves. We have won countless times, and this time we need to win as well."Additionally, according to informed sources, Zhao has been quietly hiring new lawyers to handle the U.S. Department of Justice case, while he has remained at his home in the UAE, which does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S.

Sources: Binance.US will not be able to grow unless Zhao Changpeng sells shares or resolves regulatory issues

ChainCatcher news reports that, according to sources, the relationship between Zhao Changpeng and Binance.US, along with the current regulatory environment, will pose obstacles to the company's development.Currently, the company has proposed three solutions. Solution one: continue to implement growth initiatives as planned. However, this requires Zhao Changpeng to resolve his regulatory issues with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by either selling all his shares in Binance.US or placing them in a blind trust; Solution two: moderately reduce the company's burn rate while investing in the platform. This would allow for investments in certain platform upgrades, such as sub-account features and AWS/infrastructure optimization. However, this solution requires investors to be willing to invest in the company during the current bear market; Solution three: go dormant until there is a substantial improvement in the company's situation. This would significantly reduce the burn rate while maintaining normal business operations and licenses. If Zhao Changpeng can improve the regulatory situation or if Congress passes some form of regulation, Binance.US may continue its growth plans after the dormancy period.Previous report indicates that Binance.US has laid off one-third of its staff, and CEO Brian Shroder has departed, temporarily replaced by Chief Legal Officer Norman Reed.
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