The US Department of Justice is reviewing whether Binance has met the terms of its November 2023 settlement. The review centers on possible violations of US sanctions against Iran. Binance says it maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward such violations.
The US Department of Justice is reviewing whether Binance has lived up to the settlement it signed with American authorities in November 2023. Prosecutors are examining whether the exchange knowingly processed transactions that its systems should have blocked.
Prosecutors focus on activity after the settlement
The Manhattan US Attorney's Office is leading the work alongside the DOJ's Criminal Division. Investigators are reportedly concentrating on activity that took place after the 2023 settlement, not before it.
At the center of the scrutiny are transactions involving Hong Kong entities, which are accused of helping move payments tied to Iranian oil sales. On September 15, 2026, the DOJ filed a civil forfeiture action seeking $61 million in digital assets connected to those flows. Binance was not named as a defendant in that action.
Binance points to account removals
Binance has said it maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward sanctions violations and remains committed to compliance. As evidence, the exchange points to its practice of offboarding accounts linked to suspicious activity. It removed such accounts in August 2025 and again in January 2026.
What the 2023 settlement required
The November 2023 settlement was one of the largest corporate penalties in crypto history. Binance admitted to violating the Bank Secrecy Act, the core US anti-money laundering law. Total penalties exceeded $4.3 billion, including $2.51 billion in forfeitures and a $1.81 billion fine paid to the DOJ.
Binance also agreed to a three-year DOJ monitorship focused on anti-money laundering compliance and was required to exit the US market. In 2024, it appointed two independent monitors: Forensic Risk Alliance took a three-year oversight role, while Sullivan & Cromwell took on a five-year assignment.
Binance has not been charged with anything new. The open questions are whether the review produces formal findings about its post-settlement conduct and whether the forfeiture case surfaces more detail on how the Hong Kong entities moved money.
Source: Crypto Briefing
Trading involves risk.
Risk Disclaimer
