The US is preparing to end monitoring of Binance: implications for the exchange and the BNB token
Date: 2025-09-18 Author: Oliver Abernathy Categories: BUSINESS
Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is in talks with the US Department of Justice to end the three-year external monitoring imposed as part of a 2023 settlement involving a $4.3 billion settlement. According to Bloomberg, the company expects this condition to be lifted early. This initiative is consistent with the position of the new head of the Department, Matthew Galeotti, who in his memos called prolonged external monitoring costly and disruptive to business.
Amid rumors of relaxed requirements, the BNB token price surged. On the night of September 17, the price reached an all-time high of over $960 per coin, up more than 12% since the beginning of the month alone. Since January, BNB has gained approximately 35%, making it one of the most dynamic assets of 2025. According to TradingView, the token was trading around $953 by midday on September 17.
It is noted that three companies have already been exempted from similar monitoring in recent months, which was previously implemented under the Joe Biden administration. If Binance's negotiations are successful, the exchange will have to implement stricter internal reporting mechanisms to compensate for the removal of external oversight.
Beyond negotiations with the Department of Justice, political aspects have also come into focus. In early summer, it was revealed that Binance participated in the development of the USD1 stablecoin in collaboration with World Liberty Financial, a project associated with the family of President Donald Trump. The token was issued on the BNB Chain network and was used in a major deal involving the sale of Binance shares to the UAE-based MGX fund for $2 billion. As of mid-September, approximately 80% of the issued USD1 is still held in the exchange's wallets.
The fate of Changpeng Zhao is also attracting special attention. According to the Polymarket forecasting platform, the likelihood of US President Donald Trump granting him a pardon has exceeded 55%. By comparison, Roger Ver's chances are estimated at only 13%. The total liquidity of bets on such political and legal events has exceeded $2.3 million.
Zhao himself previously pleaded guilty to violating sanctions and anti-money laundering laws and submitted an official pardon request to Trump in May. Meanwhile, the US president has already pardoned other prominent crypto industry figures, including Ross Ulbricht and Arthur Hayes.
Interestingly, amid growing expectations, Zhao updated his X profile description, changing "ex-binance" to "binance." Many interpreted this as a signal of his possible return to the company, although he had previously stated his intention to focus on investments in blockchain, AI, and biotechnology.
