- Two Binance employees were detained at UAE airports this summer; one was held overnight in a Sharjah police station
- The detentions echo 2023, when an associate of then-CEO Changpeng Zhao controlled Binance.US bank accounts, leading to a $4.3 billion settlement
- Binance says the workers were “promptly cleared and released” and never targeted by inquiries
- No UAE regulator has publicly accused Binance of misconduct
Two Binance employees were detained by UAE law enforcement at airports this summer, with one held overnight in a Sharjah police station, according to the New York Times. Authorities found their names on a corporate bank account the exchange used to process customer deposits and withdrawals.
The incident resembles 2023, when US regulators probed Binance after a close associate of then-CEO Changpeng Zhao (“CZ”) personally controlled corporate bank accounts and customer funds. Reuters reported Guangying “Heina” Chen controlled five Silvergate accounts for the supposedly independent Binance.US, processing payments and payroll.
Binance.US insisted it ran its own accounts, but the SEC disagreed. That case ended with a $4.3 billion settlement over US anti-money laundering and sanctions allegations.
Consequently, this month’s incident differs by orders of magnitude. It has cost employees only two airport detentions and one night in police custody.
Binance has emphatically stated that the workers were “promptly cleared and released” after “inquiries relating to third-party fund flows.” The exchange claims other matters were subject to “routine” questions, saying employees were “never the targets or subjects of these inquiries.”
Binance Dubai launched direct fiat (AED) deposits and withdrawals on June 2, 2026. Its support documentation shows deposits moving by ADCB bank transfer into Binance FZE via virtual IBANs.
Binance holds a full Virtual Asset Service Provider licence from Dubai’s VARA, issued April 2024. The Abu Dhabi Global Market also granted Binance.com full authorization, effective January 5, 2026.
No UAE regulator has publicly accused Binance of misconduct regarding the detentions. In early 2025, Abu Dhabi state-backed MGX invested $2 billion into Binance via USD1, a stablecoin of the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial.
A few months later, Trump pardoned Binance‘s CZ in October 2025.
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