$SEI On Nov. 21, 2023, Binance and its CEO, Changpeng Zhao, pleaded guilty to money laundering charges. Binance agreed to pay $4.3 billion to settle charges; Changpeng Zhao stepped down as CEO and agreed to pay $50 million toward the settlement. This came just one month after Binance paused all U.S. dollar deposits, withdrawals, and trades on Oct. 17, 2023, in response to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit filed against Binance.US on June 5, 2023.2 On June 5, the SEC charged Binance Holdings Ltd., BAM Trading Services Inc., and their founder, Changpeng Zhao, with various securities law violations. According to the SEC, the two companies, which operate Binance.US, misrepresented trading controls and oversight, operated unregistered exchanges, broker-dealers, and clearing agencies, and participated in the unregistered offer and sale of securities to U.S.-based investors.3 We are continuing to monitor the situation closely.
