Bloomberg News reported on 9 October 2026 that the US Department of Justice is looking at whether Binance has kept to the terms of its 2023 settlement with the US government. No new charges have been reported, and no one has said Binance broke the deal.
Spotted via X News on X; the report is Bloomberg News’ article by Chris Strohm [1], with extra detail from Crypto Briefing [2].
What was reported
Reported (Bloomberg News). Tysen Duva, head of the DOJ’s criminal division, “said in an interview this week that officials were reviewing Binance’s compliance with its 2023 agreement” [1]. Bloomberg says the review comes as authorities probe activity on the platform for potential Iran sanctions violations [1]. The Justice Department is the US government’s prosecuting arm.
Duva “declined to discuss specifics and didn’t say that Binance was in violation of the settlement” [1]. A review of compliance is not a finding that a company has breached an agreement.
TSN could read only the opening of the Bloomberg article, which is behind a paywall. Everything below the first paragraphs comes from Crypto Briefing, which is a secondary source.
The 2023 settlement
Under the 2023 deal, Binance “agreed to a $4.3 billion penalty, pleaded guilty to violating banking rules and accepted increased compliance controls”, Bloomberg says [1]. Crypto Briefing adds that the agreement included independent monitors, and says that Binance appointed two of them in 2024 [2].
The forfeiture case
Reported (Crypto Briefing). Crypto Briefing says the DOJ filed a civil forfeiture action on 15 September 2026 seeking $61 million in digital assets, and that Binance was not named as a defendant [2]. Civil forfeiture is a case against property, here crypto assets, rather than against a person or company. Crypto Briefing links those assets to Hong Kong entities and Iranian oil sales. We have not seen the court filing, so treat that link as Crypto Briefing’s account.
What Binance has said
Bloomberg’s visible text includes no response from Binance. Crypto Briefing says Binance “maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward sanctions violations” and points to removing accounts linked to suspicious activity in August 2025 and January 2026 [2]. Crypto Briefing does not say when or how Binance said this, so TSN cannot confirm the wording came from Binance itself.
What this does not mean
- No finding of a breach has been reported.
- Crypto Briefing says Binance “has not been charged with anything new” [2].
- Bloomberg ties the review to the Iran sanctions probe. TSN has not seen what evidence is involved.
The process may end with nothing, or with action. Neither outcome has been reported.
The Bottom Line
The one solid point, per Bloomberg, is that a senior DOJ official has said his department is reviewing Binance’s compliance with its 2023 settlement and declined to say there was a violation. The forfeiture figure and Binance’s stated position come from a secondary outlet. Other figures circulating, including one reported by the Wall Street Journal, are not used because TSN could not verify them. This is not legal or investment advice.
Sources
- Chris Strohm, “DOJ Scrutinizes Binance Compliance With 2023 Settlement Deal”, Bloomberg News via Bloomberg Law, 9 October 2026 (primary report; paywalled, only the opening was visible to TSN). https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/doj-scrutinizing-binance-compliance-with-2023-settlement-accord
- John Chen, “DOJ scrutinizes Binance compliance with its 2023 settlement”, Crypto Briefing, 9 October 2026 (secondary report; source of the $61 million forfeiture, Binance’s stated position and the “no new charges” statement). https://cryptobriefing.com/doj-reviews-binance-settlement-compliance/
- X News on X, trending-news page “U.S. Department of Justice Reviews Binance’s Compliance with 2023 Settlement Amid Iran Sanctions Violation Investigation” (an X trending-news page that summarises posts, not an individual post; confirmed to exist via the X API, 10 October 2026; used for discovery only, no figures taken from it). https://x.com/i/trending/2108704625985716566
