The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is investigating cryptocurrency exchange Binance, Bloomberg has learned, citing people familiar with the matter.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to stay up to date on the latest crypto and blockchain news.
The CFTC probe is reportedly focused on whether Binance broke rules by permitting Americans to trade on its platform, which is not registered with the agency. Since the CFTC considers cryptocurrencies like bitcoin (EXANTE: Bitcoin) and ether (ETH) to be commodities, it claims jurisdiction over their futures and other derivatives.
Binance Co-founder and CEO, Changpeng Zhao, said the exchange follows the US rules. He also emphasized on his Twitter account that Binance had not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Last year, the CFTC also charged BitMEX owners with "illegally operating a cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform and anti-money laundering violations." The watchdog said BitMEX violated laws by operating an unregistered trading platform.
Access more than 50 of the world's financial markets directly from your EXANTE account – including NASDAQ, London Stock Exchange and Tokyo Stock Exchange.