Binance Handed Over Data to Russia: Scandal Over Information Transfer

The world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, handed over full data on a client to Russia’s Investigative Committee, leading to his arrest on charges of financing terrorism.

Reuters found that the exchange provided a dossier on a 49-year-old IT specialist for donations to Ukrainian military personnel totaling around $700. The man is being held in a pretrial detention center.

In response to requests from Russian law enforcement, the company transferred the following personal and financial information:

• Confirmation of transfers and full transaction history
• Date of birth, residential address, and phone number
• Copies of a Russian passport and Bulgarian residence permit

Formally, Binance ceased operations with Russian users in 2023. However, its official website continues to openly host a special email address for processing requests from law enforcement agencies in Russia and Belarus: case@binanceholdings.ru.

In response to criticism, company representatives stated that they cooperate with lawful requests from law enforcement agencies worldwide, making no exceptions for any jurisdiction.