Cointelegraph Team
Cointelegraph
Binance’s peer-to-peer (P2P) cryptocurrency exchange in Russia has continued facilitating transactions through sanctioned banks like Rosbank after denying relationships with “any banks.”
On Aug. 23, multiple local news sources reported that Binance P2P has renamed some of its troubled payment options for withdrawals and deposits, namely the sanctioned Russian banks like Tinkoff and Rosbank.
The P2P exchange replaced the banks’ names “Tinkoff” and “Rosbank” with terms like “Yellow” and “Green” cards, Cointelegraph has confirmed.
At the time of writing, Binance P2P offers customers the use of the “local cards” to sell cryptocurrencies like Tether (USDT $1.00 )to Russian rubles and receive them on sanctioned Tinkoff or Rosbank.
Binance P2P interface in Russia on Aug. 23. Source: Binance
The new naming apparently came shortly after The Wall Street Journal on Aug. 22 reported that Binance offered Russian clients at least five sanctioned Russian banks, including Rosbank and Tinkoff, as options for processing payments.
In the WSJ report, Binance executives denied any relationships with “any banks whatsoever, in Russia or elsewhere,” in relation to its P2P platform. “Binance follows the global sanctions rules and enforces sanctions on people, organizations, entities, and countries that have been blacklisted by the international community, denying such actors access to the Binance platform,” the company said.
The news came a few days after Binance services in Russia were promoted on a YouTube channel of a major Russian YouTuber, Yuri Dud. A recent video on his vDud YouTube channel — which has 10.3 million subscribers — featured an advertisement of Binance services, offering 5 USDT in exchange for signing up on the platform.
It appears to be unclear how the latest news aligns with the Western sanctions against Russia. In February 2023, the European Council sanctioned Russian banks like Tinkoff and Rosbank as part of its 10th package of sanctions on Russia’s war against Ukraine. The United States also put sanctions on Tinkoff in May 2023.
The news comes months after the U.S. Department of Justice security division reportedly launched an investigation of Binance for allowing Russians to use the exchange in violation of U.S. sanctions.
Binance has not been the sole cryptocurrency exchange that has been facilitating such transactions in Russia, though. Other major P2P crypto exchanges, including Huobi and OKX, also allow transfers with Tinkoff, Rosbank as well as Sberbank at the time of writing. Huobi and OKX didn't immediately respond to Cointelegraph's request to comment.
P2P payment options in Russia on OKX (left) and Huobi (right). Source: Cointelegraph
Binance’s representatives declined to comment to Cointelegraph on either its ads on Dud’s YouTube channel or its current services in Russia. "Our comments are already reflected within the WSJ report. We won't be commenting any further on this topic at this time," a spokesperson for Binance said.
The firm didn’t immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request to comment on the issue of renaming the sanctioned banks to “Yellow” and “Green” cards
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers.
Recommended Content
Editors’ Picks
Dogecoin price bullish outlook intensifies as DOGE turns 10
Dogecoin price has sustained the bullish outlook since October 18, when the broader market turned green, leading meme coins in an uptrend, which is no mean feat. The 65% climb has ushered the dog-themed cryptocurrency to its tenth birthday since its official launch on December 6, 2013.
Bitcoin-based meme coin ORDI price action wobbles after 1,100% rally
The Bitcoin-based BRC-20 meme coin, which had people confused as being an actual valuable token, is now slowly creeping up to that status. ORDI price rise over the past couple of days has been astonishing, and with BTC driving the price and crossing $44,000, ORDI is also gaining rapidly. But not for long.
Arbitrum price veers as hard fork proposal receives 99.84% votes in favor
Arbitrum's price surpassed expectations as the altcoin managed to restrict the fluctuation over the past 24 hours. This is because ARB was forecasted to rally following the result of the proposal to essentially hard-fork the chain.
Bitcoin price hits $44,000 as Coinbase CEO speculates BTC could be key to extending Western civilization
Bitcoin (BTC) price has revisited levels last seen in April 2022, prior to the collapse of the Terra UST ecosystem. Its foray above the $42,000 psychological level has market watchers enthused.
Analyzing potential $30k corrections ahead of BTC ETF approval
Bitcoin has slowed down its 2023 bull rally as it approaches the $37,000 level. After three weeks of consolidating around this level, BTC shows no directional bias whatsoever. Some investors speculate this could be an upward-sloping accumulation that leads to a $40,000 rally.