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Heads up: The CLARITY Act is not law. Statuses are rules-based estimates from public evidence, not legal or financial advice.
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Is Binance (global) safe?

Binance Holdings Limited (Binance.com) · Last updated Oct 19, 2026
25/100Significant concerns

At a glance

25/100 · Significant concerns
  • ClarityCheck score25/100 · Significant concerns
  • US availabilityNot available to US residents
  • NY BitLicense / trust charterNot found
  • Proof of reservesWithin 12 months
In short

Not for US users. 2023 guilty plea and $4.3B+ US resolution; no MiCA authorisation found. Not available to US persons. US users are directed to the separate Binance.US.

Score breakdown

  • US money-transmission licensing0/25
    FinCEN MSB registration (5) + state licence coverage: not offered to US residents (0)
  • Higher-tier US oversight0/20
    NYDFS BitLicense/trust charter no (0); CFTC-registered affiliate not found (0); SEC-registered broker-dealer or SEC-reporting parent not found (0)
  • Reserves & financial transparency10/20
    Audited financials filed with the SEC no (0); proof of reserves within 12 months (10)
  • Enforcement record (last 5 years)5/25
    Starts at 25. Criminal plea: by the company (−20); regulatory penalties ≥ $1M: 0 (−5 each, max −15). Dismissed or closed cases don't deduct.
  • Security incidents (last 3 years)10/10
    Starts at 10. Theft of ≥ $100M: none found; disclosed customer-data breach: none found

How the score works →

Custody

Not verified.

EU (MiCA)

1 fact
  1. Official sourceNot found / absentOct 19, 2026 · ESMA

    Not found: no Binance entity appears in ESMA's MiCA CASP register (checked Oct 19, 2026).

    ESMA interim MiCA register: authorised crypto-asset service providers (CASPS.csv) ↗

Enforcement & legal history

4 facts
  1. Official sourceNov 21, 2023 · DOJ

    Nov 21, 2023: Binance pleaded guilty to BSA, unlicensed money transmitting and sanctions violations. Combined DOJ, FinCEN, OFAC and CFTC resolutions exceeded $4.3 billion.

    DOJ: Binance and CEO plead guilty in $4B resolution ↗
  2. Official sourceNov 21, 2023 · US Treasury

    FinCEN's settlement required Binance's complete exit from the United States.

    US Treasury: largest settlements with Binance ↗
  3. Official sourceMay 29, 2025 · SEC

    SEC civil case dismissed with prejudice, May 29, 2025.

    SEC Litigation Release 26316 ↗
  4. Company / third-partyOct 23, 2025 · Reuters

    Founder Changpeng Zhao received a presidential pardon on Oct 23, 2025.

    Reuters: Trump pardons Binance founder Zhao ↗

Reserves & transparency

1 fact
  1. Company / third-partyOct 19, 2026 · Binance

    Publishes proof of reserves using Merkle trees and zk-SNARKs.

    Binance Proof of Reserves ↗

Binance (global) questions

Is Binance (global) safe?

ClarityCheck scores Binance (global) 25/100 (Significant concerns) on public regulatory and transparency signals: Not for US users. 2023 guilty plea and $4.3B+ US resolution; no MiCA authorisation found. This is not a solvency rating or a guarantee.

Is Binance (global) available in the US?

Not available to US residents. Not available to US persons. US users are directed to the separate Binance.US.

Is Binance (global) licensed in New York?

We didn't find Binance (global) on NYDFS's list of BitLicense or trust-charter holders (checked Oct 19, 2026).

Not legal, financial or investment advice. The CLARITY Act is not law. Facts are from the linked sources as checked on Oct 19, 2026; please tell us if anything is out of date.