Binance CEO Richard Teng denies Fortune allegations of compliance breach

Richard Teng, co-CEO of Binance, on Monday denied allegations that the exchange dismissed compliance investigators after discovering over $1 billion in USDT transactions connected to Iranian businesses. 

The conflict began after Fortune reported on February 13 that Binance had dismissed at least five investigators who had found transactions worth almost $1 billion linked to Iranian entities.

Fortune, citing multiple sources and internal documents, revealed that the Tether (USDT) stablecoin on the Tron network (TRX) was used to carry out the transactions. The platform also noted that the transactions took place between March 2024 and August 2025.

Cryptopolitan, citing reports, also noted that at least four senior compliance staff members have departed or been compelled to quit in the last three months.

Binance CEO denies sanctions violations, defends compliance record

Richard Teng disputed the claims reported by Fortune in a public statement on Monday, stating that “The record must be clear. No sanctions violations were found, no investigators were fired for raising concerns, and Binance continues to meet its regulatory commitments. We’ve asked for corrections to recent reporting.”

Teng explained that Binance has strict guidelines for employee behavior, with no room for infractions, including improper behavior, policy violations, or illegal data access. He emphasized that the exchange is subject to strict international regulations, including oversight in Abu Dhabi and compliance with laws in 21 other jurisdictions.

Teng also noted that Binance complies with employment regulations intended to safeguard workers who voice concerns and maintains strong internal whistleblower policies.

Teng questioned the rationale behind claims of unjust dismissals and emphasized that all staff terminations are carried out for valid reasons and are protected by internal and legal procedures.

Regarding the claims of sanctions breaches, Teng explained that a thorough internal investigation conducted with the assistance of knowledgeable legal counsel found no evidence of any infractions related to the transactions Fortune had cited. He affirmed the integrity of the company’s compliance system and criticized the notion that violations were “suppressed” as being untrue.

On February 14, Teng had criticized the claims cited by Fortune, calling them “irresponsible and misleading press articles based on anonymous sources.” He argued that such coverage is a disservice to the more than 1,300 compliance employees who put in countless hours to enforce international standards.

Teng described the procedures and instruments the company employs to monitor transactions and stop illegal activity, including collaborations with leading third-party services such as Elliptic, Chainalysis, and TRM. These solutions help Binance anticipate and prevent such infractions by enabling real-time transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and blockchain analysis, he explained.

Teng further responded to claims that Binance had violated its monitorship and regulatory duties. He called these allegations untrue and reaffirmed that Binance is still adhering to its regulatory obligations, having strengthened its compliance, anti-money laundering, staffing, and monitoring systems following a 2023 deal with U.S. authorities. 

OFAC sanctions trigger scrutiny on stablecoins globally

Regulators continued to focus on stablecoins and cross-border transactions globally. Earlier last month, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two cryptocurrency exchanges situated in the United Kingdom, Zedcex and Zedxion for processing almost $1 billion in transactions related to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). 

Blockchain analytics from companies like TRM Labs, Chainalysis, and Elliptic revealed that a significant percentage of these transfers used Tether (USDT) on the Tron network (TRX).

The Central Bank of Iran purchased more than $500 million in USDT to maintain liquidity in hard currency amid pressure on the Iranian rial that month. The step is part of a plan to keep a parallel dollar reserve outside of traditional banking systems.

Binance has not confirmed any violations in connection with these transactions.

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