The largest crypto exchange in the world — checked honestly: regulation, reserves, fees and red flags.
Binance.com blocks US residents. US users get Binance.US — a separate company with fewer coins, no futures, and no service in NY, TX, HI or VT. Wrong platform = frozen account risk.
$4.3B DOJ settlement (Nov 2023). CZ pleaded guilty, served 4 months, stepped down. SEC case dismissed with prejudice May 2025. CZ pardoned Oct 2025. Monitors still active.
Binance Markets Ltd is still FCA-restricted. No FSCS protection, no ombudsman. Full UK licensing arrives Oct 2027 — Binance is only reported to be planning an application.
Binance withdrew its MiCA application in Greece and restricted EU services from 1 July 2026. Withdrawals stay open — but new orders, deposits and Earn are restricted.
Monthly proof of reserves (BTC 100.35% in Oct 2026) — a snapshot, not an audit. SAFU fund: 15,000 BTC (~$1B), discretionary, platform-incident only. Turn on passkeys, anti-phishing code and the withdrawal allowlist.
Spot fee 0.10% (0.075% with BNB). But the one-tap Convert spread adds up to 0.50% — $5 on a $1,000 buy vs $1 on spot. Card buys add ~2%. Use the Trade screen, not Convert.
The red-flag scams using Binance's name, who should skip Binance, and the 5-minute check to run before you deposit — all with worked numbers.
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