Binance’s Compliance Crisis Deepens: Billions in Suspicious Flows Persist Post-Settlement
Leaked internal documents from Binance, obtained by the Financial Times, reveal alarming systemic compliance failures that persisted even after the cryptocurrency exchange's landmark 2023 settlement with U.S. authorities. The data exposes how hundreds of millions of dollars continued flowing through flagged accounts, undermining Binance's public commitments to regulatory reform and raising serious questions about the effectiveness of its compliance overhaul. As of December 2025, these revelations cast a long shadow over the world's largest crypto exchange, suggesting that fundamental issues in its monitoring and control systems remain unresolved years after regulatory scrutiny intensified.
Binance Under Scrutiny as Leaked Data Reveals Suspicious Account Activity
Internal documents leaked to the Financial Times expose systemic compliance failures at Binance, with hundreds of millions flowing through flagged accounts despite the exchange's 2023 settlement with US authorities. The data reveals 13 suspicious accounts processed $1.7 billion in transactions—$144 million occurring post-settlement—including one account that cycled through 496 banking details in 14 months while receiving $177 million.
Former federal prosecutor Stefan Cassella noted the patterns suggest money-transmitting business activity rather than typical exchange behavior. Another account moved $93 million between 2021-2025, allegedly linked to a network under US investigation. These findings contradict Binance's public commitments to enhance oversight after its $4.3 billion plea agreement last November.
Best Crypto Lending Platforms in 2026: A Ranking of Top CeFi & DeFi Options
Crypto lending platforms once promised a straightforward proposition: deposit Bitcoin or Ethereum, borrow cash, and retain exposure to potential upside. The 2022 collapse of giants like Celsius and BlockFi shattered that simplicity. Today's survivors compete on transparency, with third-party audits and fund protection as baseline requirements.
US investors face additional hurdles. DeFi protocols increasingly geo-block American users, while state-level licensing creates a regulatory maze. The landscape has bifurcated into centralized (CeFi) and decentralized (DeFi) models, each offering distinct yield structures and user experiences.
Nexo leads CeFi options with restored US availability and flexible credit lines. Ledn appeals to bitcoin purists with its single-asset focus. Meanwhile, platforms like Aave dominate DeFi lending, though accessibility varies by jurisdiction. The market's maturation reflects a broader industry trend: reckless yield chasing has given way to risk-adjusted returns and institutional-grade safeguards.
How Binance Token Listing Distribute? Why 84% Tokens Fail After Launch
Binance token listing allocations predominantly benefit users rather than the exchange itself, with over 84% of tokens launched in 2025 trading below their listing price. Research by Ash from Memento Research dispels myths about opaque listing fees, revealing that allocations typically constitute less than 5% of total supply, often flowing back into the ecosystem.
Launchpool rewards, Alpha airdrops, and market support programs dominate these allocations. For instance, ALLO dedicated 5% of its supply to user incentives, while ENSO adopted a similar structure. Despite these efforts, the majority of new tokens struggle to maintain value post-launch, underscoring the risks inherent in speculative crypto investments.
Crypto Buying Pressure Falters as BTC, ETH Volume Metrics Signal Sustained Decline
Market activity across Bitcoin and ethereum shows concerning parallels to late 2021's bearish reversal, with dwindling futures volume, shrinking active addresses, and accelerating exchange inflows. Analyst Mignolet notes the trend mirrors pre-capitulation patterns observed when BTC plummeted from $57,000 to $35,000.
Binance's taker buy volume—a key liquidity metric—peaked at $15 billion during mid-2021's rally but now struggles NEAR $10 billion despite Bitcoin's price testing $90,000. The absence of volume recovery through critical reversal zones suggests weakening conviction among buyers.
On-chain engagement continues deteriorating, with active address counts cooling exponentially. This divergence between price action and network activity raises questions about the sustainability of recent gains.
