SEC files motion for restraining order to freeze Binance US assets

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday asked a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order to freeze the U.S. assets of cryptocurrency exchange Binance.

The motion, in a filing to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, comes a day after U.S. regulators sued Binance and its CEO Changpeng Zhao for allegedly operating a “web of deception,” piling further pressure on the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange. In the motion, the SEC accused Binance of years of violative conduct, including “disregard” for U.S. laws and “evasion of regulatory oversight.”

The holding company of Binance is based in the Cayman Islands. Binance.US is its U.S. affiliate. Binance said the SEC’s motion only concerned Binance.US.