Binance Australia Derivatives Exchange Sued By ASIC

Binance Australia Derivatives is sued by Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) over investor protection failure.
By Varinder Singh
Binance Australia Derivatives Sued By ASIC.

Highlights

  • Australian Securities and Investments Commission files lawsuit against Binance Australia Derivatives.
  • Oztures Trading Pty Ltd misclassified over 500 clients as wholesale clients.
  • Binance's has a history of regulatory challenges in Australia.

Australian Securities and Investments Commission has filed a lawsuit against Binance Australia Derivatives alleging failure to comply with consumer protections. Binance Australia derivatives exchange trading as Oztures Trading Pty Ltd misclassified over 500 clients as wholesale clients.

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ASIC Files Lawsuit Against Binance Australia Derivatives

In a press release on December 18, the Australian regulator ASIC said it has sued Binance Australia Derivatives. The regulator alleges that the exchange offered crypto derivative products to 505 retail investors, misclassifying them as wholesale.

From July 7, 2022–April 21, 2023, Australian retail investors were denied critical consumer protections under Australian financial services laws. This represents 83% of its Australian client base.

ASIC claims that retail investors trading crypto derivative products need consumer protections, including disclosure statement and compliant dispute resolution scheme access. Also, the regulator highlighted that Binance Australia Derivatives also failed to make Target Market Determination (TMD) under design and distribution obligations.

“Binance allegedly failed to ensure that the services it provided under its Australian financial services licence were provided efficiently, honestly and fairly,” said ASIC Deputy Chair Sarah Court.

In addition, it added that Binance’s compliance systems were inadequate and exposed investors to high-risk, speculative products without consumer protections. Besides, many clients have suffered significant financial losses. The exchange needs to comply with the conditions of its license, claims the regulator.

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Binance’s Arm Faced Problems in 2023

Binance’s Australian arm has a history of regulatory challenges and conflicts with the regulator. In June 2023, Binance Australia ceased Australian dollar (AUD) deposits and withdrawals by bank transfer.

Earlier, Australian Securities and Investments Commission canceled the derivatives license of Binance Australia Derivatives in April. It began a probe against the exchange for mistakenly categorizing traders as wholesale investors.

Recently, Australian regulator ASIC released draft guidance offering greater clarity on digital asset regulation and current financial product definitions. However, it faced criticism from crypto industry experts, warning exodus of firms from the country.

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Varinder Singh
Varinder has over 10 years of experience and is known as a seasoned leader for his involvement in the fintech sector. With over 5 years dedicated to blockchain, crypto, and Web3 developments, he has experienced two Bitcoin halving events making him key opinion leader in the space. At CoinGape Media, Varinder leads the editorial decisions, spearheading the news team to cover latest updates, markets trends and developments within the crypto industry. The company was recognized as Best Crypto Media Company 2024 for high impact and quality reporting. Being a Master of Technology degree holder, analytics thinker, technology enthusiast, Varinder has shared his knowledge of disruptive technologies in over 5000+ news, articles, and papers.
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