Binance’s U.S. Subsidiary Trims Workforce by Approximately 50 Employees, Citing ‘Expensive Litigation Procedures’

Binance.US Implements Layoffs in Response to SEC Lawsuit

**Binance.US Faces Layoffs Following SEC Lawsuit**

Binance.US, a reputedly autonomous subsidiary of the renowned cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has announced a series of layoffs shortly after being sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). According to sources familiar with the matter, approximately 50 employees have been affected by the job cuts (Reuters). The move comes as Binance seeks to reduce costs amid the costly litigation process associated with the SEC lawsuit against the exchange and its founder, Changpeng Zhao (CoinDesk).

**Rationale Behind the Layoffs**

Documents reviewed by CoinDesk reveal that Binance has decided to downsize its workforce and reduce its expenditure due to the extensive and expensive legal battle with the SEC. The company explained that it has been working diligently to avoid these circumstances, but recent developments have forced them to make a difficult decision. While Binance regrets seeing its colleagues depart, it is committed to supporting them during this period of transition (CoinDesk).

**Relation to Previous Layoffs**

This recent round of layoffs at Binance.US adds to the reported cuts that occurred at the company at the end of May. Unlike the prior layoffs, which Binance attributed to talent evaluation, the documents suggest that these latest job cuts are a direct consequence of the ongoing litigation facing the company (Fortune).

**SEC’s Lawsuit Allegations**

The SEC’s lawsuit against Binance accuses the exchange, its U.S. subsidiary, and Changpeng Zhao of 13 charges. These charges include selling unregistered securities and operating an unregistered securities exchange. The SEC also claims that Binance evaded controls to allow high-value U.S. customers to continue trading on the Binance.com platform, despite it being closed to the region. Similar accusations were made by the Commodity and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in a lawsuit filed in March (Fortune).

**Freezing of Binance.US Assets and Regulatory Pressure**

Shortly after filing the lawsuit, the SEC requested a freeze on Binance.US’s assets from the federal judge overseeing the case. As a response to the increased regulatory pressure, Binance.US decided to halt trading in dollars on its platform and rebranded itself as a “crypto-only” exchange (Fortune). The judge has urged Binance.US and the SEC to come to an agreement without a court order (New York Times). The aftermath of the lawsuit has resulted in significant negative outflows from both Binance.US and its parent platform Binance.com, amounting to billions of dollars (Fortune).

**Ongoing Developments and Binance’s Response**

At the time of writing, a Binance spokesperson has not provided an immediate response to requests for comments regarding the recent layoffs and the SEC lawsuit (Fortune).

**Learn More about Cryptocurrency**

For those interested in expanding their knowledge about cryptocurrency, Fortune offers a Crypto Crash Course consisting of short and easy-to-read lesson cards. Click here to access Fortune’s Crypto Crash Course (Fortune).