The agreement was reached amid a wide-ranging, ongoing lawsuit filed by the SEC, which could take months if not years to resolve, accusing the company of running an illegal securities exchange. The defendants, which include CEO Changpeng Zhao, agreed to repatriate assets held for the benefit of US customers. The agreement makes sure those assets are protected and remain in the United States to prevent them from moving offshore, according to the consent order.
“Given that Changpeng Zhao and Binance have control of the platforms’ customers’ assets and have been able to commingle customer assets or divert customer assets as they please, as we have alleged, these prohibitions are essential to protecting investor assets,” said Gurbir S. Grewal, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, adding the agreement ensures US customers can still withdraw their assets.