DOJ scrutinizes Binance compliance with its 2023 settlement

The US Department of Justice is reviewing whether Binance has lived up to the settlement it signed with American authorities in November 2023. The review is focused on possible violations of US sanctions against Iran. Prosecutors are examining whether Binance knowingly processed transactions that its systems should have blocked. What prosecutors are looking at The Manhattan US Attorney’s Office is leading the work alongside the DOJ’s Criminal Division. Their focus is Binance’s compliance machinery and how well it actually performs. The key detail is timing. 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. Those entities 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. The broader investigations resurfaced in late September 2026, following reports of Iran-linked transaction flows. Binance’s response Binance has said it maintains a zero-tolerance policy ...