FinTech news in Changpeng Zhao category

In an admission of breaking laws, Binance chief strategy officer Patrick Hillmann that the company’s executives were unfamiliar with laws and rules written surrounding bribery, corruption and money laundering.

Today, 70% of trading volume on Binance.US, the American offshoot of the global exchange, comes from institutional customers, its CEO Brian Shroder told us in an interview.

Shroder, who was promoted from president to CEO at Binance.US last October, has been focused on gearing up to take the company public since he took the top role. Jasmine Lee is coming on board at the company after serving as CFO and chief operating officer (COO) in a dual role at fintech app Acorns for nearly three years.

While Binance.US says it’s not a subsidiary or affiliate of Binance itself, the company launched as a legal independent entity in 2019 and is tied to Binance through its founder, Changpeng Zhao, as well as through its licensing agreements with Binance that cover its core technology and naming rights.

Binance, the world largest crypto exchange by volume, has gained regulatory approval to provide digital asset services in France, the first European country where it has acquired such permission, the company said in a blog post on Thursday. Binance has been busy trying to show European regulators its commitment to practice compliance and promote the region’s blockchain ecosystem. Many Chinese-founded crypto firms have moved their core management to Singapore, which is quickly emerging as a regional hub for blockchain startups. Originally founded in China, Binance has largely pulled out of the country following Beijing’s sweeping crypto ban.

Binance.US raised over $200 million in its first external funding round, putting its pre-money valuation at $4.5 billion as it builds out a roadmap for an initial public offering (IPO), its CEO Brian Shroder. Binance.US is one of the largest digital asset exchanges by trading volume in the U.S. with a 24-hour trading volume of $306 million, according to data on CoinMarketCap. The exchange provides licensed services to 45 states with plans to operate in all 50 states and all U.S. territories, Shroder said.