The DOJ accused Zhao of turning a blind eye to criminal activity on the crypto exchange and ignoring its legal obligations “in the pursuit of profit”. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also noted that Zhao’s “willful failures allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals, and child abusers through its platform”.

The U.S. government accused Binance of refusing to comply with sanctions and failing to report transactions related to drugs and child sexual abuse. Prosecutors claimed that Zhao had told Binance employees it was “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” while saying that if Binance had obeyed the law, it wouldn’t be “as big as we are today”.

To avoid a longer jail term, Binance agreed to forfeit $2.5 billion and settle a $1.8 billion fine. Zhao also paid $50 million from his own fortune as part of the settlement.

Also Read: Top E-Commerce Websites In The Middle East In 2024

The Binance founder’s sentence is much shorter than the 25 years recently given to crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX. Zhao played a prominent role in Bankman-Fried’s downfall after Tweeting in November 2022 that his company would liquidate all FTX holdings. The posts not only destroyed FTX but rocked the wider crypto community, likely attracting attention from the U.S. government.

With Zhao heading to prison, DOJ lawyer Kevin Mosley remarked: “This wasn’t a mistake — it wasn’t a regulatory oops […] breaking U.S. law was not incidental to his plan to make as much money as possible. Violating the law was integral to that endeavor”.

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The virtual asset service provider license (VASP) was granted by the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) and will allow Binance to extend its current range of services to retail investors, the company announced yesterday.

The move by Dubai authorities will be critical to Binance’s strategy of growing its user base globally. The crypto exchange expects to pass the 200 million user mark “quite shortly”, according to Richard Teng, the company’s CEO.

Once that milestone is achieved, Binance will have around twice as many users as rival platform Coinbase. Meanwhile, Crypto.com, another popular exchange with 80 million users, received a Dubai VASP license last week.

“We’re seeing much greater institutional adoption and institutional money coming into this space [along with] much greater regulatory clarity and a lot more jurisdictions approving [digital asset] products that bring in new investor classes,” Binance’s Richard Tang explained, adding: “As of now, we stand at about 5% crypto adoption globally, but that will become much faster moving forward”.

Also Read: Microsoft Invests $1.5 Billion In Abu Dhabi AI Tech Firm G42

Dubai and the UAE are extremely supportive of technologies like digital assets, and have already launched initiatives to boost adoption. The UAE has ambitious plans to become a world leader in the crypto economy of the future, with Dubai in particular being noteworthy for passing a new law to regulate virtual assets to support investors and exchanges.

“Global crypto regulation is currently showing diverging signs. Some developed countries have long suffered from crypto-related frauds and illegal exchanges. On the other hand, emerging nations like the UAE and Singapore have enacted crypto laws at faced pace,” said Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer of Dubai-based Century Financial.

As the UAE gears up to become one of the fastest-growing crypto capitals worldwide, investors and talent are flocking to places like Dubai. During 2023, the Emirates as a whole realized $204 million in capital gains from cryptocurrency investments, according to blockchain data analysts Chainalysis.

The post Binance Receives Virtual Assets License To Operate In Dubai appeared first on Tech Magazine.

“The partnership we have forged with Binance reflects our commitment to continue our pursuit of innovative solutions that will positively impact the UAE startup community while expanding the future possibilities and opportunities for Virtuzone and its clients. Collaborating with a renowned Web 3.0 technology leader like Binance puts us at the forefront of digital transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution across the UAE and the region,” says Neil Petch, Chairman, and Co-founder of Virtuzone.

Although Dubai is already making a name for itself as a crypto-friendly startup spot, the Virtuzone and Binance partnership aims to turn the entire UAE into a hub for crypto projects and Web 3.0 development. More and more businesses are relocating to the region each year due to its crypto policies and ease of doing business, and the recent pairing goes hand-in-hand with this trend.

Also Read: 3 Best Cold Storage Wallets For Crypto In 2023

Binance Pay allows borderless, contactless, and secure crypto payments and transfers. The platform will enable companies to accept crypto or regular payments without intermediaries. The list of leading UAE businesses that have integrated Binance into their payment portfolios is currently proliferating, including the likes of JA Resorts & Hotels and Majid Al Futtaim — which now means consumers can use Binance Pay in 29 retail malls and 13 hotels.

The Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) of the UAE recently rolled out new regulatory guidelines on virtual asset promotions, marketing, and advertising. Binance intends to create a legal framework that maintains tight security without stifling innovation or economic development.

The post Virtuzone Partners With Binance For Crypto Payments appeared first on Tech Magazine.

“With the MoU, Binance will help advance Dubai’s commitment to establishing a new international Virtual Asset ecosystem that will generate long-term economic growth through digital innovation” said the Binance team in a statement. “Binance believes that Dubai’s new agenda will contribute to the growth of the global economy”.

To achieve this goal, Binance and DWTCA want to create a special crypto zone and provide assistance to crypto exchanges, businesses that offer blockchain, and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) services that are interested in becoming licensed in Dubai.

Because Dubai doesn’t want to associate itself with illegal activity, DWTCA will additionally act as a regulator and enforce investor protection standards, as well as anti-money laundering (AML) and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) laws.

At this point, we don’t know when the crypto zone will become operational. Binance and DWTCA have so far only signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that outlines their shared vision, but many technical and regulatory details have certainly yet to be worked out.

Also Read: 5 Gaming Cryptos That Will Explode In 2023

The project could be affected by the large regulatory pressure Binance is currently facing from regulators around the world.

For example, the Dutch central bank accused it of not complying with AML and CFT laws, the US Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service is probing the exchange to investigate money laundering and tax offenses, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has banned the Binance Group from operating in the UK, and the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has issued a warning to consumers, stressing that the company isn’t licensed to conduct regulated activity in Hong Kong.

It’s possible that Binance, which describes itself as a decentralized company with a global presence and whose corporate structure is opaque at best, is interested in establishing the crypto zone in Dubai to create a safe haven for itself.

The post Binance Is Helping Dubai Become The World’s Crypto Capital appeared first on Tech Magazine.