Iranians were able to access more than 1,500 Binance accounts last year, and $1.7 billion was transferred from two of them to terrorist proxies, The New York Times reported Monday.
Crypto
Terror groups receive $1.7b. from Iran through Binance | The Jerusalem Post
That was a potential violation of global sanctions, the report said, citing company records and documents collected by internal investigators.
The cryptocurrency exchange site reportedly fired or suspended at least four employees cited in the internal investigation. The company blamed “violations of company protocol” relating to its clients’ data, the Times reported.
The report came days after The Jerusalem Post spoke with experts from blockchain intelligence platform NOMINIS.io about how the Iranian regime was evading Western sanctions through cryptocurrencies.
The regime maintains a steady income using cryptocurrency through oil sales to Russia and China, NOMINIS CEO Snir Levi said at the time.
Regarding the latest scandal, he told the Post this week: “The latest allegations about Binance come months after the lawsuit by the victims’ families of October 7 – the ongoing Balva [versus] Binance case.
The majority of the allegations can be easily confirmed by on-chain data. There are thousands of cases where money has been sent and received to and from wallets that have clear connections to Iran.”
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao is being sued by the families of American victims and hostages of the October 7 massacre. He has been accused of knowingly enabling Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to transfer more than $1b. through its platform, including more than $50 million after the October 7 massacre.
Zhao pleaded guilty to anti-money-laundering violations in connection with Binance in 2023. US President Donald Trump pardoned him last October.
“They say what he did was not even a crime,” Trump told reporters last October. “It wasn’t a crime. That he was persecuted by the Biden administration, and so I gave him a pardon at the request of a lot of very good people.”
Binance representative Rachel Conlan said the accounts linked to the $1.7b. in Iranian transactions have been removed and the relevant authorities were informed.
“Any suggestion that Binance knowingly allowed sanctionable activity to continue unchecked is incorrect and defamatory,” she said, despite Zhao’s earlier admission of anti-money-laundering violations.
More than half a dozen compliance officials have left Binance, including a sanctions manager and the leader of the enterprise compliance team, over the past few months, the Times reported.
“No investigator was dismissed for raising compliance concerns or for reporting potential sanctions issues,” Conlan said in a statement to The Guardian.
Democrat senator opens inquiry into cryptocurrency company
While Conlan insisted there was no wrongdoing, US Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) opened an inquiry into Binance on Tuesday, seeking records of the company’s dealings in Hong Kong , where funds have previously been transferred in a network against sanctions.
“Binance appears to have ignored warnings and recommendations to prevent Iranian money-laundering schemes on its cryptocurrency exchange,” Blumenthal wrote in a letter to Binance co-chief executive Richard Teng.
“According to documents obtained by the Times and the Journal, Binance was even warned that Hexa Whale was financing terrorist organizations such as the Yemeni Houthis, and internal investigators found cryptocurrency transfers to wallets associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and payments to crew members of Russia’s sanctions-evading shadow fleet of oil tankers,” he wrote.
“Instead of actually preventing illicit use, Binance has sought to evade accountability and influence the White House through lobbying and a financial partnership with World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the cryptocurrency firm owned by the sons of President Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff… This influence campaign has worked: In May 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it was dismissing a lawsuit against Binance for lying to regulators and mishandling funds, followed in October by the stunning Presidential pardon of founder Changpeng Zhao.”
“The scale of the newly revealed illicit transfers – uncaught until nearly $2 billion flowed to sanctioned entities – and the unexplained firing of internal investigators call into question Binance’s compliance with American sanctions and banking laws, and its 2023 agreement to resolve the previous federal investigation,” Blumenthal wrote.
Crypto
The Cryptocurrency News That Matters: CLARITY Act Advances While Pepeto, SOL, and XRP Position for What Comes Next
The CLARITY Act just cleared its biggest hurdle with a stablecoin yield compromise that Coinbase and Circle backed within hours, and this cryptocurrency news could reshape how capital flows through crypto for the rest of the decade. SOL holds $83.60 and XRP sits at $1.38 while the market waits for Senate Banking to act. Raising above $9 million through months of uncertainty, Pepeto https://pepetoswap.com gives holders a full marketplace with exchange tools and a Binance listing that turns every presale wallet into the position the open market prices higher.
What the Latest Cryptocurrency News Says About the CLARITY Act and Market Structure
Senators Tillis and Alsobrooks released a yield compromise in the CLARITY Act on May 2 that bans stablecoin interest payments that copy bank deposits but allows rewards tied to real use according to CoinDesk. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong posted “Mark it up” and Circle’s Dante Disparte called the deal meaningful progress according to the same CoinDesk report. The bill reaching markup would give crypto its first full market structure law, and every project with working tools stands to gain the most from the clarity that follows.
How Pepeto, Solana, and XRP Fit Into the Cryptocurrency News Cycle Ahead
Pepeto
When regulation moves forward, the projects that already operate with audited tools and real utility are the ones that gain the most from the new rules. The ones still building have to catch up while the ones already running absorb the capital that clarity brings in.
Pepeto https://pepetoswap.com was designed to be running before the regulation arrived, and the approaching Binance listing is the event that turns a presale marketplace into the open market position every holder has been waiting for.
Analysts project returns between 100x and 300x from the current presale entry of $0.0000001864, and above $9 million raised while the cryptocurrency news cycle focused on fear and uncertainty proves the community behind this project already moved on conviction. The CLARITY Act brings rules, and the projects with live tools and audited contracts meet those rules from day one.
While SOL and XRP wait for regulatory clarity to unlock their next move, Pepeto’s cross chain bridge sends assets between networks at zero cost and PepetoSwap handles trades with zero fees so holders keep every dollar of value when they move between tokens. The cofounder who created the original Pepe coin turned 420 trillion tokens into an $11 billion result with zero products, and the cryptocurrency news pointing to the CLARITY Act is exactly the kind of backdrop that rewards projects with real tools already in place. Staking runs at 176% APY for holders who lock tokens while they wait, and the presale entry shuts permanently the moment the Binance listing opens trading.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPX8yXeLk00
Solana (SOL)
SOL trades at $83.60 according to CoinMarketCap, down 71% from its $293 all time high. Western Union announced a Solana stablecoin called USDPT launching next month, and the GSR Crypto Core3 ETF now includes SOL alongside BTC and ETH. The headlines favor SOL, but from $83.75 the climb back to $293 takes momentum the current range has not produced.
XRP
XRP trades at $1.38 according to CoinDesk, holding steady after gaining 4% on the week. Whale wallets continue daily accumulation and the CLARITY Act would bring the regulatory clarity Ripple has fought years to achieve. The cryptocurrency news favors XRP’s legal position, but from $1.38 the return to the $3.84 all time high is a 176% climb that depends on events the market has not yet confirmed.
Conclusion
The CLARITY Act advancing is the cryptocurrency news headline that changes everything, because regulatory clarity brings the institutional capital that has been waiting on the side. SOL and XRP both stand to benefit, but from their current prices the upside takes time to arrive.
The rarest combination crypto produces is meme energy plus real tools plus a confirmed exchange listing, and that combination shows up once per cycle if it shows up at all. The Pepeto official website shows every tool live right now, and the wallets inside above $9 million already know what the Binance listing delivers. Moving into the presale now locks in the position that clarity reprices, and the moment the listing arrives the entry cost that exists right now becomes the opportunity no future buyer gets to match.
Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale: https://pepetoswap.com
FAQs
What is the biggest cryptocurrency news today?
The CLARITY Act stablecoin yield compromise advanced with Coinbase and Circle backing, moving crypto closer to its first full market structure law.
How does the cryptocurrency news affect SOL and XRP outlook?
Both tokens gain from regulatory clarity, but SOL sits 71% and XRP 64% below their highs, making the return path slow from current levels.
Where can holders find the strongest presale entry before listing?
The Pepeto official website shows live tools with a SolidProof audit and a Binance listing approaching, giving holders the entry the open market removes.
Disclaimer:
The material in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments involve significant market risk and volatility, including the loss of your capital. Always perform your own research or consult a licensed financial expert before making decisions.
Contact: Dani Bonocci
Website: https://www.tokenwire.io
Phone: +971586738991
SOURCE: Pepeto
Press release distribution
This release was published on openPR.
Key Takeaways:
- A new wallet pulled 1,051 BTC worth $82.35 million from Binance, per Lookonchain.
- U.S. bitcoin ETFs recorded $630 million in net inflows on May 1, amplifying the bullish demand signal.
- Centralized exchanges have shed over $26 billion in bitcoin and ether since January 2026.
New Wallet, Big Move
Onchain intelligence platform Lookonchain flagged the withdrawal, noting that the receiving wallet had been newly created, a common fingerprint of institutional players or high-net-worth individuals seeking to self-custody large holdings outside of exchange infrastructure.
At the prevailing price of approximately $78,000 per bitcoin, the 1,051 BTC haul is valued at roughly $82.35 million. The transaction was confirmed in a single block, and no subsequent movement has been recorded from the destination address, a pattern consistent with long-term storage rather than positioning for a near-term sale.
What Exchange Outflows Tell Us
Large bitcoin withdrawals from centralized exchanges typically pertain to coins that cannot be immediately sold. Sustained outflow trends reduce available sell-side supply and, over time, tend to tighten price floors.
That trend has been running hard in 2026, marked by a massive structural shift away from traditional exchange-held balances. According to CryptoQuant, February alone saw over 31.6 million ETH withdrawn from centralized exchanges, driving reserves to multi-year lows. Analysts attribute this shift to a growing institutional preference for direct custody and regulated vehicles over traditional exchange-held balances.
The timing of today’s withdrawal adds to an already constructive demand picture. On May 1, U.S. bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded net inflows of $630 million, with ether ETFs adding a further $101 million, one of the stronger single-day readings in recent months.
Part of a Larger Whale Pattern
Cryptoquant data published earlier this year showed bitcoin whales quietly buying thousands of coins over a two-month window, even as retail sentiment remained cautious. However, institutional accumulation is not one-directional, because a separate investigation tracked a different whale sending 1,000 BTC to Binance and booking a $3.42 million profit, a reminder that large players are actively positioned on both sides of the market simultaneously.
One thing from this latest move is that whoever controls this new wallet has decided not to leave 1,051 bitcoin on an exchange, and at this price level, that decision alone could carry substantial weight.
Mohamed “Moe” Mohamed didn’t think the cryptocurrency ATM installed in his Heber City convenience store, Mountainland One Stop, about a year ago would cause so much trouble. He knew Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies were gaining traction, so he thought nothing of signing a three-year contract to keep the machine in his store.
But Mohamed began to notice an influx of people, many elderly, visiting the store to use it as soon as it was installed. Many came with cash in hand, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, to deposit.
Mohamed asked these customers what they were doing, and he quickly realized they were being scammed. Unable to get out of his contract, Mohamed implemented a store policy: keep customers away from the machine at all costs.
The Heber City Council gave Mohamed a way out of his contract when it passed an ordinance prohibiting cryptocurrency ATMs on April 7. The operator of the cryptocurrency ATM has 60 days from the passing of the ordinance to uninstall the machine, which is the only one in Heber City.
Police Chief Parker Sever suggested the ban after hearing a presentation about cryptocurrency fraud from the Utah Attorney General’s Office a few months ago and having subsequent conversations with Mohamed.
“There was no intent on the part of One Stop to commit any fraud or to hurt anybody. In fact, they’re actively trying to do the opposite,” Sever said. “When they put that machine in there, they thought it was for a legitimate purpose, as I probably would have at the time, too.”
Cryptocurrency ATMs charge transaction fees ranging from 20% to 40%, while other online methods charge much lower fees, according to a city staff report. Additionally, these machines have minimal oversight and regulatory control, making them popular for fraud and other criminal activity.
Utah Criminal Deputy Attorney General Stewart Young said scammers from other countries often use cryptocurrency ATMs to transfer money across borders. That also makes them popular tools for money launderers.
Fraud involving these machines often involves the scammer convincing the victim to deposit money into the scammer’s account, Young explained.
Persuasion can take a variety of forms.
For example, “pig-slaughtering” scams involve the scammer targeting a victim online and fattening them up through romance and affection before bleeding them dry.
“The scammer will invariably pretend to be an oil worker working on an oil rig in the Pacific Ocean or something like that,” Young said. “They’ll develop a romance online, and eventually, at some point, they’ll come up with some reason that they need money. It might be, ‘I really want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I can’t get off this oil rig. I want to start my own oil drilling business … and then we can be together forever.’”
Other scammers impersonate law enforcement officials and threaten legal consequences for missing jury duty or not paying a traffic ticket, all while insisting that the situation can be resolved by depositing money at a cryptocurrency ATM.
Another common scheme creates the illusion of investment. After the victim deposits money using a virtual currency kiosk, the scammer will deposit some of their own money into the account to make it look as if the victim’s investment is earning interest, Young explained. The scammer will convince the victim to deposit larger and larger amounts before withdrawing the money and shutting down the account.
Young estimated more than 90% of cryptocurrency ATM transactions are related to fraud or other criminal activity.
That’s one reason the Utah House of Representatives passed House Bill 72 during the recent 2026 legislative session. The bill, sponsored by Republican Rep. Ryan D. Wilcox, who represents Weber County, creates statewide restrictions on cryptocurrency ATMs.
The bill requires operators of cryptocurrency ATMs to display a fraud prevention warning in English and Spanish and provide a toll-free, 24/7 customer service line. The machines also must print receipts, including transaction information and the relevant state law enforcement or government agency for reporting fraud.
The bill also makes it illegal for a cryptocurrency ATM to accept transactions over a certain amount. The machine cannot accept more than $2,000 per day during the three days following the customer’s first virtual currency kiosk transaction. After that period, the machine cannot accept more than $5,000 from a single customer per day.
These provisions go into effect on Wednesday.
Starting July 1, local law enforcement agencies are required to have at least one officer undergo specialized cryptocurrency investigation training at least once every three years.
Some cities have banned cryptocurrency ATMs altogether. Layton was the first city in Utah to do so, which it did in March. Heber City was the second and modeled its ordinance on Layton’s.
Two states, Indiana and Tennessee, have passed legislation banning cryptocurrency ATMs. Both states’ respective governors signed bills during this year’s legislative session.
Undersheriff Josh Probst said there are no other cryptocurrency ATMs the Sheriff’s Office is aware of in Wasatch County.
In Summit County, Park City Police Department Lt. Danielle Snelson and Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Skyler Talbot said they were only aware of one cryptocurrency ATM, located at Top Stop Chevron on the side of S.R. 224. They were unaware of plans to propose any bans. Snelson said no issues with the machine had been reported to the Police Department.
Mohamed feels “terrible” that the cryptocurrency ATM was ever installed in Mountainland One Stop and is grateful for Heber City’s ban.
“It’s been the worst thing I’ve ever put in a business, and I’ve owned my own business for 22 years,” he said. “I would advise every city, every county and state to ban these.”
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