After ED probe, Binance reveals it never owned WazirX

(Source: Reuters)

Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of US-based crypto exchange Binance, said on August 5 that the company does not own Indian crypto exchange WazirX, a deal that was understood to be completed back in 2019.

Zhao tweeted, “Binance does not own any equity in Zanmai Labs, the entity operating WazirX and established by the original founders.”

Quick thread on Binance and WazirX, and some incorrect reporting.

Story continues below Advertisement

Remove Ad

Binance does not own any equity in Zanmai Labs, the entity operating WazirX and established by the original founders.

1/4

— CZ Binance (@cz_binance) August 5, 2022

“Binance only provides wallet services for WazirX as a tech solution. There is also integration using off-chain tx, to save on network fees. WazirX is responsible for all other aspects of the WazirX exchange, including user sign-up, KYC, trading, and initiating withdrawals,” he tweeted.

Quick thread on Binance and WazirX, and some incorrect reporting.

Binance does not own any equity in Zanmai Labs, the entity operating WazirX and established by the original founders.

Story continues below Advertisement

Remove Ad

Story continues below Advertisement

Remove Ad

1/4

— CZ Binance (@cz_binance) August 5, 2022

Zhao blamed ‘a few’ issues due to which both parties were not able to conclude the deal. He further said it is not easy to disclose the reasons behind why the deal was not closed.

This comes hours after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it has frozen bank assets of WazirX worth Rs 64.67 crore. The central agency took action against the WazirX Director for assisting the accused instant loan app companies in the laundering of fraud money via the purchase and transfer of virtual crypto assets.

Both companies had not disclosed the amount of the deal in 2019. In the blog post announcing the acquisition in 2019, Binance had said that by the first quarter of 2020, WazirX’s auto-matching engine was to be integrated into the Binance Fiat Gateway. The integration would have paved way for Binance users to to purchase Tether (USDT) against the Indian Rupee.

Last week, the Ministry of Finance told the Rajya Sabha that the ED is investigating two cases against WazirX under the provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA). The ministry added that Zanmai Labs, which operates WazirX, was using the walled infrastructure of Binance.