Binance has pushed again in opposition to a reported US Justice Division warning, telling BeInCrypto that any claims of decreased cooperation with US legislation enforcement are unsuitable.
In an interview, Binance’s Head of Company Communications mentioned the change believes the DOJ memo was seemingly based mostly on a misreading of its obligations beneath Abu Dhabi International Market guidelines. The corporate mentioned it has already advised each the DOJ and ADGM that its course of for dealing with US legislation enforcement requests will stay unchanged.
“We’re not going to vary in any approach, form or type, the best way that we work together with legislation enforcement in America,” the spokesperson advised BeInCrypto.
DOJ Memo Sparks a New Controversy for Binance
On Wednesday, BeInCrypto reported that an inside DOJ memo had warned prosecutors to anticipate much less assist from Binance in crypto investigations. The memo, first described by The Data, reportedly mentioned Binance would finish courtesy freezes.
Investigators would as an alternative want Mutual Authorized Help Treaties (MLATs) to freeze or seize accounts.
Binance says it has not seen the memo however doesn’t dispute its existence. Nonetheless, it firmly rejects the reported claims.
In accordance with the change’s Head of Company Comms, there might be a possible misunderstanding relating to Binance’s obligations beneath its Abu Dhabi license.
“…due to our world license beneath the ADGM, we’re technically, by ADGM guidelines, imagined to implement these measures. However they’re simply tips. We’re not doing that in America.”
He believes the ADGM desires requests routed by way of it for standardization, which slows companies elsewhere.
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What the ADGM Rulebook Really Says
BeInCrypto examined the principles on the heart of the dispute. Binance.com grew to become the primary world crypto change licensed beneath the ADGM framework, with supervision beginning on January 5, 2026. The adjustments the memo anticipated reportedly started on June 8, 5 months into that license.
Crucially, ADGM’s knowledge safety laws prohibit the switch of private knowledge out of the free zone. Official steerage permits disclosures to UAE legislation enforcement, however states this “wouldn’t prolong to cowl requests from legislation enforcement companies exterior of the UAE.”
Learn strictly, that would push international companies onto treaty channels like MLATs, mirroring what the memo reportedly anticipated.
Nonetheless, the identical steerage permits transfers tied to authorized claims and cites a US authority’s request as a authentic instance.
The rulebook, subsequently, leaves Binance with lawful grounds to proceed cooperating with US authorities.
Why the DOJ Memo Issues After the Plea Deal
There’s a second layer to the story. Binance pleaded responsible in November 2023 to anti-money laundering and sanctions failures, paying $4.3 billion.
Cooperation was already a sore level then. The DOJ granted Binance solely partial credit score for its cooperation as a result of the change delayed producing proof.
The deal additionally required an impartial compliance monitor for 3 years. That oversight has since thinned. The DOJ paused company monitorships in 2025, and founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), who personally pleaded responsible, obtained a presidential pardon.
In April, Senator Richard Blumenthal pressed the DOJ and Treasury on the standing of the screens. His letters adopted stories that over $1 billion moved by way of Binance to Iran-linked wallets.
With fewer formal levers, prosecutors rely extra on voluntary collaboration from exchanges, like courtesy freezes. That dependence explains why an inside warning about Binance pulling again carries actual weight.
Change Says US Engagement Is Rising, Not Shrinking
Binance confirmed it’s in direct contact with the DOJ and says it flagged the memo instantly.
“We’ve advised the DOJ, we’re not altering something… like nothing is altering. Reasonably we’re rising our engagement with legislation enforcement and with the DOJ in America so as to cease illicit exercise on the blockchain.”
The episode caps a tense 12 months in Washington. The Treasury reportedly issued stricter compliance calls for after stories tied Iranian funds to the platform, and Binance filed a defamation lawsuit in opposition to The Wall Avenue Journal in March.
The DOJ has not commented publicly. Whether or not it revises the steerage often is the clearest sign of the place the connection stands.
Editor’s Observe: BeInCrypto has reached out to the US Division of Justice (DOJ) for an official response relating to the inner memo and Binance’s statements. This text will probably be up to date as quickly as a remark or formal assertion is obtained.
The publish Binance Blames DOJ Warning on Misinterpret of Abu Dhabi Guidelines appeared first on BeInCrypto.