Binance denied Reuters article about cooperation with the FSB and Rosfinmonitoring

In April, Binance Communications Director Patrick Hillmann, in response to a request from the agency, clarified that the Russian authorities had never contacted the trading platform about opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

In its reaction to the published article, the bitcoin exchange also calls false claims that the company shares any user data with Russian regulators and agencies controlled by the FSB.

According to Hillmann, Binance has not entered into any agreement with the Russian government that would be different from cooperation with the authorities of any other jurisdictions.

In the same correspondence, he clarified that the bitcoin exchange received an invitation to the working group with Rosfinmonitoring, but refused to participate. Hillmann stated that Binance has no ties to the agency.

Prior to the publication of the material, he also threatened to take the details of the investigation to the public if the agency “decides to ignore the facts.”

“Unfortunately, Reuters, one of the most respected and trusted media outlets, published this article, which completely contradicts the reputation that this publication has built over the years and does not reflect our experience with countless other journalists in their organization,” Binance said in a statement. .

The Bitcoin exchange will write a formal complaint to the agency in accordance with their editorial code.

According to Reuters, the regional representation of Binance agreed to share information about clients from the Russian Federation with Rosfinmonitoring and the FSB in exchange for assistance in doing business in the state.

Read Also: Binance Claims NFT Technology Seeks New Uses

According to the agency, in April 2021, the regional director of the bitcoin exchange, Gleb Kostarev, who at that time held the position of director in Eastern Europe, held a meeting with representatives of Rosfinmonitoring.

He allegedly agreed to share customer data and create a local unit in Russia through which the authorities can request access to this information.

“It is an absolute lie that I or Binance leaked the data of Navalny or users to Rosfin or the FSB,” Kostarev wrote in his Facebook.

Recall that this is not the first investigation of the agency in relation to Binance. In January 2022, Reuters journalists stated that the company repeatedly hid information from regulators neglected procedures KYC and acted contrary to the recommendations of its own compliance department.